Dexis Consulting Group is recruiting for an Education Engagement Specialist that will be embedded within USAID’s Office of Education and support specifically the Engagement Team.
The USAID Office of Education focuses on implementing the USAID Education Strategy, which has three major goals:
- Goal One: Improved reading skills for 100 million children in primary grades;
- Goal Two: Improved ability of tertiary and workforce development programs to generate workforce skills relevant to a country’s development goals; and
- Goal Three: Increased equitable access to education in crisis and conflict environments for 15 million learners.
The Education Engagement Specialist will sit on the Engagement Team within the Education Policy and Planning Division, Office of Education, Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (EGEE/ED/EPP). The Education Engagement Specialist will report directly to the Engagement Team Lead.
USAID’s mission is to end extreme poverty and to promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing our security and prosperity. With education as an agency development priority, the Education Engagement Specialist will contribute to USAID’s engagement in multi-lateral and other partnerships to advance the design and delivery of education programs in developing countries in support of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). As part of the Engagement Team, the Education Partnerships Officer participates in cross-organizational, USG Interagency, and bilateral and multilateral assignments. Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: research and analysis for strategic planning on multilateral/bilateral donor engagement; preparation of reports and recommendations; developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders; support for USG engagement on global education policy discussions and negotiations; and other duties as assigned.
In coordination with the Team Lead, Senior Education Engagement Officer, and other stakeholders, he/she conducts research and analysis, and contributes to policy guidance, implementation, reporting, and coordination with USG and external stakeholders to support USAID engagement in global multilateral partnerships, discussions, and negotiations. This would include, but is not limited to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the United Nations and UN Specialized Agencies, UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs), UNESCO 2030 Education Framework for Action, and other independent initiatives such as the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity.
B. Key Duties and Responsibilities
Support for Multilateral and Bilateral Partnerships Initiatives (In coordination with the Engagement Team Lead, Senior Engagement Specialist, and Technical Teams)
- Educates and builds internal capacity within the Education Office, regional Bureaus, and among USAID Missions to understand U.S. policy positions and engagement in multilateral for a, particularly in coordination with USAID/PPL and the Lab on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Coordinates with appropriate technical staff, USAID bureaus, USG interagency, and appropriate stakeholders to prepare policy positions and guidance, in verbal and written format, to respond to policy inquiries, UN resolutions, taskers, etc.
- Prepares USAID position papers and briefing documents
- Plans and conducts meetings, briefings, and other activities
- Develops and maintains political and technical relationships with various stakeholders in government, think tanks, NGOs, private industry, and/or academic institutions
- Conceptualizes new approaches to gather, analyze, communicate and implement evidence-based decision making in the area of education programming to increase the impact of USAID-supported interventions through multilateral engagement
- Prepares or oversees the review of GPE and other grant applications, Congressional notifications and inquiries, and USAID position papers
- Draft a range of partnership-related documents (e.g. memoranda of understanding, due diligence reports, project approval documents grants to public international organizations)
Preparation of Education Reports and Recommendations (As a recognized authority in multi-lateral organizations and development)
- Evaluates and interprets monitoring, evaluation, and research findings
- Prepares USAID position papers and briefing documents
- Plans and conducts meetings, briefings, and other activities
- Develops and maintains political and technical relationships with various stakeholders in government, think tanks, NGOs, private industry, and/or academic institutions
- Prepares authoritative and descriptive background reports based on those findings for use by GPE and by USAID missions working with host country governments to implement GPE grants effectively
- Participates in peer review of lessons learned, research, and other academic and activity-based programs, particularly with other bilateral and multilateral donors
- Clearly communicates complex findings and associated methodologies to officials and professionals not familiar with education
Support USAID Partnerships and Special Initiatives (In coordination with the Team Lead and the Education Partnership Officer)
- Contribute research, analysis, and recommendations to support special initiatives and programs (e.g. Global Book Fund, Let Girls Learn)
- Assists E3/ED with development of new partnerships, management of existing partnerships, and the resolution of issues
- Support partnerships as required
C. Qualifications
- Minimum of 5 years working experience in the area of international education, public-private partnerships, economics, budgeting, and/or finance, ideally some of which overseas.
- Experience with partnership building, and/or stakeholder engagement
- Understanding of the global education sector and/or international development
- Familiarity with USAID or government policies and procedures
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Strong written and verbal communications skills
- Master’s degree in international education, public policy and planning, public administration, business administration, economics, finance, marketing, or related field preferred
Winner of the 2014 Small Business of the Year at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and working in nearly 90 countries in FY 2015 for USAID and the Department of State, Dexis supports US federal agencies in the areas of program monitoring and evaluation, program learning, and program support. We are not only one of the fastest growing firms in international development, we are rated among the highest among our peers on employee-reviewed sites.
Dexis is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental handicap, or status as a disabled or Vietnam Era veteran of the US Armed Forces.
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