Vacancy: Project Officer for Secondary and Tertiary Education, Belgrade

14 Apr/ 2020

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Roma Education Fund (REF) is seeking a Project Officer for Secondary and Tertiary Education to join the project team in the implementation of the “EU Regional Action for Education: Increased education opportunities for Roma students and Roma youth in Western Balkans and Turkey” project funded by European Union and implemented by REF.

Background

The Roma Education Fund’s (REF) mission and goal is to close the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma. To achieve this goal, the organization supports policies and programs which ensure access to quality education for Roma through scholarships, grant making, research and advocacy activities. The objectives of REF include:

  • Expanding Romani children’s access to quality early childhood education and care;
  • Improving primary education outcomes for Romani children aged six to fourteen;
  • Boosting academic performance and graduation rates from secondary education for Romani pupils;
  • Supporting access to tertiary education, improving graduation levels and strengthening identity of Romani university students;
  • Expanding employment opportunities for young Romani adults

Project

The overall objective of the project “EU Regional Action for Education: Increased education opportunities for Roma students and Roma youth in Western Balkans and Turkey“ is to contribute to social cohesion through increased education attainment and improved employability of marginalized Roma children and youth, and to foster cross-country and regional dialogue and knowledge transfer. The specific objectives of the Regional Action are:

  • To promote equal participation in quality education for Roma children and youth at all educational levels and to improve educational outcomes (including preventing school drop-out);
  • To improve Roma employability, with a particular focus on gender-sensitive measures in employment and smooth transition between end of studies to labour market;
  • To promote desegregation and systemic durable change for Roma in the education sector by producing a change of attitude towards Roma and non-Roma communities; by strengthening the capacities of relevant central and local institutions though regional exchange of experiences and by using Roma role models as actors of change.

Outline of the Position

This is a project-based position open for the duration of the project implementation (until June 2021). The selected candidate will sign a fixed-term contract, until the end of the project. The incumbent will be based in Belgrade, Serbia. The Project Officer will work as part of the project team in close cooperation with the Project Manager, Project Assistants and Financial Coordinator.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, Project Officer will provide programmatic and administrative support in project implementation and achievement of project objectives. Specifically, responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following tasks:

  • Preparing, organizing and performing project activities in accordance with the project work plan and in close cooperation with the Project Manager and other team members;
  • Coordination of all plans and actions with the Project Manager to ensure that the administration and execution of the project activities provides progress towards substantive project results;
  • Providing supervision over financial, administrative, organizational and other activities related to the project implementation in compliance with the project timeline, budget and cooperation agreements;
  • Monitoring the implementation of agreements with implementing partners from administrative and financial perspective, implementation and progress of project activities and spending levels;
  • Providing technical assistance to the implementing partners aimed at successful implementation of the project in line with donor requirements;
  • Conducting regular monitoring visits and preparing monitoring reports;
  • Overseeing the procurement and other contracting activities needed for the implementation of the project activities;
  • Ensuring compliance with all contractual obligations to the donor and other control systems, providing financial and narrative reporting to the donor as required;
  • Timely identification and response to any risk or implication associated with specific rules, contractual provisions and specific delays in project implementation, including, but not limited to, preparation of decisions, documentation and potential corrective actions and reallocation in cooperation with the Project Manager;
  • Monitoring the timely payment of all consultants and sub-recipients of the grant-related entities;
  • Participating and providing support in education and employment policy making, advocacy and implementation of other employment-related planned project activities;
  • Maintaining close communication with the implementing partners, country facilitators, donors, team members, REF staff and other stakeholders on a day to day basis;
  • Keeping track of all information related to the project implementation, documenting all decisions taken in relation to the project, lessons learned and best practices, and other work-related information and share knowledge within the project team, REF and implementing partners.

Necessary Qualifications:

  • Higher academic qualifications (BA or MA degree) in the field of social sciences (law, political sciences) and humanities and/or other related discipline;
  • At least five years of relevant experience in project management supplemented by experience in supervision, project coordination, risk management, monitoring, analytical, problem-solving and other organizational activities;
  • Experience in creating, advocating and implementing employment and labour market policies would be considered an asset;
  • Extensive knowledge and understanding of the wider socio-political context, employment regulations and education systems in the project countries and the level of inclusion of Roma in the labour market;
  • Good knowledge of key organizations and employment networks active in the field in the project countries;
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, advantage if spoken one or more languages of the project countries;
  • Computer literacy with practical experience in Microsoft applications, especially excel;
  • Ability and willingness to work with the people of different nationalities, cultural and religious backgrounds and diverse views while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
  • Excellent communication skills with sensitivity to cultural communication differences and ability to establish and maintain communication with representatives on a multi-stakeholder level;
  • Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, as well as the ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
  • Knowledge of Romani language is considered an advantage;
  • Knowledge and experience in project funded by European Union is preferable;

Core competencies:

  • Initiative: Actively seeks to improve programs or services; Seeks challenging experiences and approaches them with passion, enthusiasm and professionalism;
  • Planning and Organization: Develops clear goals and achieves results that are consistent with agreed strategies; Adapts and reacts in a flexible manner when necessary;
  • Communication: Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
  • Teamwork: Works independently and collaboratively with others to achieve organizational goals; Shares knowledge and insight with others;
  • Ownership: Accepts personal responsibility (including shortcomings) and ownership of actions (including for work unit, where applicable) for achieving results; Understands organizational vision, mission and values, and leverages this knowledge when making decisions; Makes tough decisions when necessary;
  • Development: Actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally and to contribute to the growth of the organization; Seeks feedback to learn and improve the organization;

Organizational Values:

In order to develop and deliver our education programs that provide quality, inclusive education for Roma children and youth, we believe in five core values that join us together and that mirror the work, actions and ideals of our organization and its culture:

Tenacity; Integrity; Justice; Accountability; Inquisitiveness

How to apply

Qualified candidates are invited to send their CV and Cover Letter (both in English) by 26 April 2020 via email to recruitment@romaeducationfund.org with the subject line: Project Officer for Secondary and Tertiary Education. Expected start date: 15 May 2020.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Selection process is based on a written test and competency-based interview.

Individuals identifying themselves as Roma and fulfilling the above-mentioned profile and requirements are particularly encouraged to apply. Qualified female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

Roma Education Fund is an equal opportunities employer.

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