Mission and objectives

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives, defend their rights and to help them fulfil their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, UNICEF works for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. It strives not only to guarantee children’s rights, but to empower children and young people to make a change for their communities and their own futures. In North Macedonia, UNICEF works with the government and other partners to ensure that by 2025 children and young people in North Macedonia develop and flourish through quality and trauma informed, inclusive education, protection and participation. To achieve this, UNICEF supports development of key policies and guidance within the education system for a comprehensive and purposeful environmental education. Further information on the programme can be found on: https://www.unicef.org/northmacedonia/quality-education-every-child

Context

North Macedonia is home to over 372,000 children, an estimated 120,000 of whom are at risk of being left behind due to poverty or exclusion. The new UNICEF Country Programme Document 2026-2030 aims to ensure every child and adolescent, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalized reaches their full potential and realizes their rights. This is achieved by driving systemic change to ensure that policies, budgets, services and measures advance children’s rights and benefit children living in poverty, Roma children and children with disabilities. The National UNV Officer will provide technical, administrative and operational support to the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of education programmes, from pre-primary through secondary focusing on education reforms, policy development and inclusion, as well as expanding adolescents’ green skills, participation and climate action. By supporting school network optimization, development of strategic education policies; upgrading curricula and teacher training, as well as support system for children with disabilities and Roma, expansion of early childhood education; and strengthening green skills and climate action for adolescents, this role helps to create sustainable changes in the equity, effectiveness and efficiency of the education system and strengthening learning outcomes for every child, particularly the most vulnerable.

Task Description

The UNV post will be under the direct supervision of the Education Specialist, a senior position in the office. The key function of this position is to support evidence generation and analysis, technical assistance and advocacy efforts in education, with specific focus on education sector reforms, quality teaching and learning, expansion of early childhood education, green skills and climate action. More specifically, the UNV Education Officer will undertake the following tasks: - Assist in preparing and updating the situation analysis and support the development of gender, inclusive and climate responsive education programme planned results, strategies and key interventions through research, data collection, analysis and reporting - Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, and other partners/donors on the delivery of gender, inclusive and climate responsive education programme and strategies, UNICEF processes to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results. - Conduct field visits and surveys, report on progress and challenges, and support partners in understanding and applying UNICEF policies and best practices in gender, inclusive and climate responsive education. - Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation - Participate in monitoring and evaluation activities, sectoral reviews, and report on the use of resources, ensuring compliance, accountability, and timely resolution of issues, escalating issues that require management attention. - Draft communication and information materials for programme advocacy, and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and reporting - Contribute to knowledge management and capacity building by sharing lessons learned, promoting innovation and best practices, and participating in training initiatives. - Support other relevant tasks as requested by the supervisor

Competencies and values

Core Values • Care • Respect • Integrity • Trust • Accountability • Sustainability Core competencies • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1) • Works Collaboratively with others (1) • Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1) • Innovates and Embraces Change (1) • Thinks and Acts Strategically (1) • Drives to achieve impactful results (1) • Manages ambiguity and complexity (1) Functional Competencies • Persuading and influencing (1) • Applying technical expertise (1) • Learning and researching (2) • Planning and organizing (2)

Living conditions and remarks

North Macedonia is a landlocked country, geographically located on the Balkan Peninsula, south-eastern Europe with around 1.8 million inhabitants. It is an upper-middle-income country, candidate for EU membership and NATO member. The capital city is Skopje with around 600,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city of North Macedonia, the country's political, cultural, economic centre. There is a wide range of hotels, restaurants, education institutions, access roads, public transport (buses, taxis, trains), public services and places for recreation, airports.