Refugee Education Transition Advisor

GIZ- Internal/External Vacancy Announcement

Project office- The Global Programme Refugee Inclusion Accelerator (RISE)

Contract duration-31.03.2028

Note: Please note that the position title will be changed to Advisor during the recruitment process

Brief Description of the Project

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working in Ethiopia for more than 50 years on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and other international partners. GIZ supports the Government of Ethiopia in strengthening public institutions and promoting inclusive and sustainable development.

The Global Programme Refugee Inclusion Accelerator (RISE) and the planned Joint Project with the UNHCR “Supporting the Inclusion of Displaced Persons and Host Communities in Ethiopia” are commissioned under BMZ’s Special Initiative on Displaced Persons and Host Countries. Both projects support the Government of Ethiopia in implementing the Makatet Roadmap and advancing the inclusion of refugees into national systems.

As part of this commitment, the Government of Ethiopia is leading the gradual transition of refugee schools from humanitarian management into the national education system. This is a complex reform process requiring strengthened institutional capacities, effective coordination among national, regional and international stakeholders, and the development of sustainable systems and approaches to support implementation. The Government is supported in this process through substantial financial support from the World Bank.

This position will initially be established under RISE and, subject to commissioning, is intended to transition to the Joint Project with UNHCR to ensure continuity of technical support throughout the education transition process. The Advisor provides technical advisory services to the Ministry of Education while leading the implementation of GIZ’s technical support for the education transition, with a particular focus on national coordination and implementation in Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State (BGRS).

Main Activities:

The Advisor provides technical advisory services to the Ministry of Education and other relevant government institutions and leads the design, coordination and implementation of GIZ’s technical assistance for the education transition.

 The Advisor is responsible for the following tasks:

• Provide strategic technical advisory to the Ministry of Education, the BGRS-Bureau of Education, the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) and other relevant government partners on the implementation of the refugee education transition in line with the Makatet Roadmap, including the strengthening of institutional coordination, governance and implementation arrangements.
• Support government-led systems development by facilitating the development of institutional frameworks, policy recommendations, operational guidelines and practical tools for integrating refugee education into national planning, budgeting, monitoring, quality assurance and other government systems.
• Coordinate technical assistance provided through the project, including national and international consultants, and ensure the quality and timely delivery of technical studies, assessments, technical concepts, policy recommendations and other knowledge products supporting government decision-making.
• Lead institutional readiness assessments and capacity development in BGRS by coordinating school, woreda and institutional assessments, analysing findings together with government partners, and designing and supporting the implementation of capacity development measures, including training programmes, technical workshops, coaching, peer learning and on-the-job advisory support.
• Lead the development of sustainable qualification pathways for refugee incentive teachers together with the Ministry of Education, teacher education institutions and relevant accreditation authorities, including accredited upgrading programmes, Recognition of Prior Learning approaches and other mechanisms supporting future integration into Ethiopia’s public education system.
• Facilitate coordination and partnership among relevant government institutions, development partners and humanitarian actors by supporting technical working groups and other coordination mechanisms under the Makatet Roadmap and ensuring effective collaboration throughout the education transition process.
• Ensure quality, learning and cross-cutting integration by mainstreaming gender equality, protection and social cohesion across all technical interventions, documenting lessons learned and good practices, and preparing technical concepts, policy papers, implementation guidelines, briefing notes and reports.
• Duty travel to BGRS and other refugee hosting areas required

Academic qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, Education Planning, Education Management, Teacher Education, Public Policy, Political Science or another relevant discipline.

Professional experience

• Five years of relevant professional experience in education sector development, education systems strengthening or education reform, including within the context of international development cooperation.
• Demonstrated experience in providing technical advisory services to government institutions, supporting the implementation of sector reforms, institutional change processes and capacity development initiatives.
• Proven experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder processes involving government institutions, development partners and implementing organisations, including the management of technical assistance and consultants.
• Experience in teacher development, education planning, education quality, education management or related areas is highly desirable.
• Experience with refugee education or displacement contexts is a strong advantage.

Competencies

• Sound understanding of the policy and institutional framework for the transition of refugee education into Ethiopia’s national education system, including the Makatet Roadmap and related education sector reforms.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate policy objectives into practical implementation approaches and technical solutions.
• Excellent facilitation, coordination and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build trusted working relationships across government institutions and development partners.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, take initiative and deliver high-quality technical outputs in a dynamic implementation environment.

Languages

• Excellent written and spoken in English and Amharic.