Le Groupe de la Banque mondiale recrute un spécialiste principal de l’éducation en Mauritanie

Description :

Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2018, the WBG committed $67 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $24 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188-member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.

The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions and thirteen Global Practices to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

The education global practice :

Education is central to achieving the World Bank Group’s twin goals:  it is a reliable route out of poverty because it has large and consistent returns to income for individuals and because it can drive economic growth. It is also a prime vehicle for promoting shared prosperity.  The main challenge in the education sector is to achieve “learning for all, learning for life”—that is, to ensure that all children and young people acquire the knowledge and skills they need for their lives and livelihoods.  The developing world has achieved great advances in education in the past two decades, most notably in enrolling and keeping children in school and in approaching gender equality. Yet these successes in expanding access to education have highlighted the major remaining challenges:  how to remove the educational barriers faced by the poorest people and those living in fragile states, and how to improve the quality of education so that schooling leads to real learning.  The WBG and the broader education development community are increasingly shifting focus to learning outcomes. Because traditional input-driven programs often fail to promote learning, the WBG’s education strategy highlights the need for a more comprehensive systems approach to education reform, investments, and service delivery. This approach is about increasing accountability and targeting results, as a complement to providing inputs.  It also requires strengthening the knowledge base on education to highlight where systems are achieving results, where they are falling short, and what the most effective and latest adapted solutions are.  These efforts are increasingly guided by the need to invest early; invest wisely; and invest for all.  Through high-quality analytical work, collection and curation of evidence, and practical know-how in these three areas, the WBG is helping its partner countries accelerate their educational progress.

Regional/ global unit context :

The World Bank Group serves 48 client countries in the Africa Region (AFR). These countries represent a combination of low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries, including 18 countries that are fragile and conflict-affected states, and 13 small states, characterized by a small population, limited human capital, and a confined land area.  Average annual per capita income varies widely, and inequalities persist in most AFR countries, with most of the Region’s people living in poverty.

The Education Sector Unit for West & Central Africa (HAFE2) is responsible for policy, analytical and operational work in the education sector in 17 countries:  Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Rep), Congo (Democratic Rep), Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. The unit currently has a robust portfolio of IDA projects and analytical tasks in all these countries, complemented by national and regional Trust Funds and major studies and analytical products. The portfolio spans the full spectrum of the education sector from early childhood education to higher education and research, including skills development and technical vocational education and training (TVET), with a growing focus on informal and non-formal education and training. The unit is committed to delivering high quality technical products to support education development in the Bank’s client countries, and to do so in a manner that builds capacity through collaborative interactions with country counterparts and development partners.  The unit is deeply engaged in responding to the challenges of the many fragile and conflict-affected countries in this group in partnership with national and international actors, and in supporting investments in human capital even in the most challenging and low-capacity contexts.

Mauritania is a large, sparsely populated, arid, resource-rich country that geographically and culturally straddles North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Only 0.5 percent of the land in Mauritania is arable, and with a population of about 4 million people, the density of 3.9 inhabitants per km2 makes it the fourth least densely populated country in Africa. Transhumance and semi-nomadic livestock raising dominate rural life, with productive irrigated agriculture concentrated along the Senegal River. ADD HCI INFORMATION

Mauritania has not yet achieved universal access to primary education, and access to secondary remains low. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) of the primary education age-group (6-11 years) has not been able to reach 75 percent, remaining well below the average of SSA. Despite a substantial increase by 38 percent since 2011, enrolment in secondary education remains below most comparators and regional average. The most recent MEN data (2018/2019) show a Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) of 45 percent in lower secondary with a wide disparity between regions: highest in Nouakchott West (100 percent) and lowest in Hodh Chargui (17 percent). Enrolment is even lower in upper secondary with a GER of 31percent for girls and 30 percent for boys. Internal efficiency of secondary education is low with high repetition rates: 7.3 percent in lower secondary and 12.5 percent in upper secondary, and very low success rates in national examinations: 32.7 percent at the Brevet after grade 10, and 29 percent at the Baccalaureat (2018) at the end of high school.

The World Bank is working with the government to prepare a project co-financed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), with the aim of improving the quality of teaching and of education services in selected regions.

The candidate will be the World Bank’s education focal point in-country, working closely with a team led by the Task Team Leader(s). S/he will also work with colleagues in other sectors on the ground to ensure a multi-sectoral collaborative approach to the World Bank’s development work.

The AFR-West (HAFE2) unit’s core objectives are to (i) expand coverage of quality interventions in the early years in a cost-effective manner; (ii) ensure universal access and completion of quality basic education; (iii) improve learning outcomes at all levels of education; (iv) expand access of all groups to quality secondary, TVET and higher education, with a focus on sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through the development of innovative approaches to education, including the use of ICT and results-based financing modalities; and (v) support the establishment of institutions and systems that help sustain the results achieved under development operations and analytics.

In light of the above, GED07 is seeking candidates for an Education Specialist/Economist position based in Nouakchott, Mauritania, to provide operational and analytical support to the education portfolio and to any relevant activities in other sectors and practice groups. The selected candidate will report to the Education Practice Manager for the unit.

Duties and Accountabilities :

Working under the supervision of the Education Practice Manager and under the coordination of the Task Team Leader(s) of the projects in Mauritania, the Senior Education Specialist/ Senior Economist will be based in Nouakchott and support the preparation, supervision, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects, technical assistance, and analytical and advisory activities.  While this will initially be for Mauritania, it is very likely that the work will extend to other countries in the Sahel, and possibly beyond.  Extensive coordination and liaison with key relevant government departments, service provision entities, development partners and non-state actors including community organizations is expected.  S/he will be expected to demonstrate the ability and the capacity of a :

• Problem solver:  able to identify and resolve implementation problems and bottlenecks, advance progress of various activities and components, based on a thorough understanding of the development objectives and design of projects ; 
• Trusted adviser:  Advise client and colleagues on technical matters in education and skills development; interact with government counterparts, local education group, and other partner organizations (civil society organizations, academia, etc.) on project related issues as required by the task team ;
• Innovator:  formulate and facilitate the implementation of Annual Work Plans (AWP) and procurement plans and provide IDA’s responses (‘no objection’) on key planning documents, reports and others as needed. Ensure that the results frameworks are updated every six months and use the results framework to guide project implementation ;
• Knowledge broker:  curate and share global knowledge relevant for the key challenges in the Mauritanian context; work with all key stakeholders to ensure updated education sector statistics and other information are available to serve as inputs for policy making ;
• Team leader and team player within and across GPs:  lead teams for impact in the delivery of operations and analytical work in Mauritania and possibly beyond; serve as a core team member in activities being carried out across the Bank’s portfolio and beyond; supervise the work of consultants and technical specialists to ensure consistency and conformity to Bank standards ;
• Integrator:  bring together operational and analytical competencies to deliver high-quality products in both projects and in the analytical work to be delivered in Mauritania; provide hands-on support for the design and execution of analytical work and technical assistance, including leading analysis of specific topics as assigned ;
• Mentor: Allocate time for the mentorship and coaching of more junior staff in Mauritania and elsewhere in the Bank, including offering guidance on professional growth opportunities ;
• Role model:  Model the behaviors that are key for the success of this role as underscored by the Bank’s stated own values:  impact, integrity, respect, teamwork, innovation.

In addition to the above, the Senior Education Specialist/Senior Economist will perform other duties and tasks, as specified by the Practice Manager and the Task team leader.

Selection Criteria :

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Education (economics of education, evaluation, etc.) or other related fields (e.g. economics, public policy, other human development or social sector-related areas, etc.) ;
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in education sector dialogue, leading projects, conducting analytics, development of education strategies, and/or evaluation of education systems. Excellent technical skills as well as demonstrated ability to produce high-quality reports under pressure ;
• Strong client orientation and proven ability to work with government agencies, and with partner organizations ;
• Excellent written and oral communication in French are essential, in English is preferred, and in Arabic is desirable; ability to identify problems, provide technical support, build consensus and arrive at solutions, as well as the ability to coordinate and work across different stakeholder groups is key ;
• Familiarity with development operations, including preparation and implementation support for projects, is essential. Knowledge of Bank and Global Partnership for Education (GPE) policies and procedures or any other relevant institution would be an added plus.

The behaviors and competencies the unit seeks are :

• Resourcefulness, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to take initiative and work with limited supervision and meet deadlines, with excellent judgment, communication skills and ability to interact with clients ; 
• Ability to juggle numerous competing demands and priorities, respond quickly to country and management requests, and set priorities for self and others ;
• Commitment to teamwork, both within the Bank (including with all relevant Global Practices and the Country Management Unit), and with all key stakeholders in government, in the development partner community, and in the country as a whole ;
• Strong commitment to and passion for working in development, and especially in fragile and/or conflict-affected countries ;
• Ability and willingness to work/live in fragile and conflict-affected countries ; and
• Strong results orientation, persistence, patience and a positive attitude.

Apply here