Education Expert At UN Development Programme

Position Information

• Organization: UNDP Saudi Arabia, through Stars Orbit Consultants and Management Development (SOC).
• VA No. VA25-06.
• Position Title: Education Expert.
• Duty Station: Jeddah/Makkah and remotely.
• Recruitment Type: International Consultancy.
• Duration: 60 days over 6 months, with possibility for extension.
• Vacancy Date of Issue: 26 January 2025.
• Vacancy Closure Date: 3 February 2024.
• Expected Starting Date: As soon as possible.

This vacancy is announced by UNDP Saudi Arabia through Stars Orbit Consultants and Management Development (SOC). SOC is a sub-contractor for UNDP Saudi Arabia, assisting the programme in implementing their activities through HR and contract management of consultants working in their support.

Scope of Work
Broadly speaking, the scope of this assignment will cover the Education subject area. There is an ongoing sector plan being developed by the consortium already engaged by RCMC. The education sector plan will be part of detailing the Makkah city strategy exercise which will include identifying current status, identifying targets, KPIs, and projects.

The scope of reviews will focus on the below, albeit not limited to:
– Review of education sector baseline in Makkah city
– Review of education objectives and KPIs
– Review of existing & planned education projects

Some of the aspects that will need to be afforded special emphasis in the reviews of the education sector include but are not limited to:
• Quality of Education in Makkah city across all education levels (pre-school, general education, higher education and lifelong learning), considering advanced principles, theories, techniques, and methods related to quality education assessments.
• Outcomes of education such as completion rates and employability.
• Accessibility and inclusivity of education.
• Research and development, research quality, research capability, and international collaborations.
• Volunteering and nonacademic activities and its contribution to students’ life beyond school.
• Policy Development: ability to propose policies that tackle key issues in education in Makkah
• Lifelong learning opportunities in Makkah, how the city can effectively mobilize its resources to be one of UNESCO’s lifelong learning cities.
• Demand and supply dynamics in the education sector, including current trends in the labor market in Makkah (for example, the high demand for historical sites storytellers, crowd management experts, culinary specialists or tourism guides)
• Utilization of technologies and innovation to enhance and revolutionize education and learning in Makkah city.

This assignment is designed to contribute to the ongoing work of the selected consortium, reviewing outputs, challenging where necessary, and providing unique insights based on prior experience. The geographic scope of the mission shall cover the entire area under stream A.

Duties and responsibilities (Tasks):

Section 1 – Baseline review Evaluate and provide feedback on the Education sector baseline (under development by the RCMC), which includes, albeit is not limited to the following:
1. Review and advise on components of education sector to ensure comprehensiveness of assessment
2. Assess and analyze current challenges, and root causes of these challenges in education in Makkah city, across all education levels
3. Highlight best practice and compare Makkah city to best practice for education assessments, across all education levels
4. Define strengths & opportunities in the education sector of Makkah city
5. Assess gaps & challenges of the education sector across fields (e.g. shortage of research and development in the crowd management sector, gaps in availability of number of medical graduates in the healthcare sector etc.)

Section 2 – Target setting (objectives & KPIs) Evaluate and provide feedback on the Education sector objectives and KPIs (under development by RCMC):
1. Advise on drafting objectives that are aligned with national strategies, visions, and programs
2. Advise on specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic Education-related KPIs for Makkah city
3. Advise on KPIs which are in alignment with international benchmarks and international best practice
4. Advise on potential sources to obtain key baseline and/or target information for short-listed KPIs

Section 3 – Projects Evaluate and provide feedback on Education sector plan projects (being developed by the consortium):
1. Understand existing list of approved (funded) and proposed (non-funded) education sector projects in Makkah city (input to be provided by RCMC)
2. Identify current gaps in the pipeline of education projects in Makkah city, in light of the baseline and targets set for the sector
3. Advise on future proposed projects based on baseline assessment and targets set for education sector in Makkah city
4. Advise on future proposed projects based on latest trends in the education sector
5. Advise on potential impact of proposed projects Finally, and as alluded to in the sections above, the selected STE will focus on review, assessment and verification of the deliverables being produced by the contracted consortium, rather than conducting any of the tasks listed above.

Section 4: General support and backstopping to RCMC within the context of this assignment and context of the Plan.
1. Participating in relevant meetings as requested by the RCMC team.
2. Reviewing and providing feedback on relevant consortium deliverables.

Institutional Arrangement
Administratively, the Education expert will work under the guidance of the Urban and Local Development Portfolio Manager at the UNDP Saudi Arabia Office. Technically, he/she will work under the guidance of the UNDP Project Chief Technical Adviser (CTA), coordinate with the RCMC PM and team, relevant stakeholders both within RCMC and beyond in addition to the UNDP appointed team of consultants throughout the duration of this mission.

Duty Station

Makkah and Jeddah where the selected expert is expected to spend a minimum of 15 and up to 20 working days, the rest of the assignment may be executed remotely in coordination with the UNDP CTA.

Required qualifications, experiences and competencies

Minimum education requirements

• BSc or MSc in related field.

Min. years of relevant work experience

• 15 years of experience.

Required skills

• Technical report writing.
• Ability to conduct and/or moderate meetings.
• Full grasp of National, regional and city level education systems.
• Benchmarking, interpretation and analysis of education data and indicators.
• Statistical analysis and interpretation.
• Grasp of education components (Preschool, general education, higher education, technical and vocation training, lifelong learning and research and development)

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Interpersonal and communication.

Required Language(s)

Full proficiency in the English is required. Ability to read/write/speak Arabic will be an advantage.

Professional Certificates

An asset if acquired in relevant fields.

To review the full job description, please click on the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RXG7kzXJ8CsfhL1t0O1vPRMKgiCxMnrg/view