Partnership Specialist, Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) and Education Out Loud (EOL), GPE

Are you a very passionate advocate for education? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? The Global Partnership for Education Secretariat (GPE) would like to hear from you.

Who We Are 

GPE is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency. 

What We Do 

GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries to build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We currently support nearly 90 countries where the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Since 2002, 160 million more children in GPE partner countries have set foot in classrooms for the first time, more than half of them girls. GPE is also the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19 response, providing partner countries with vital resources to ensure that learning can safely continue. 

How We Work 

Now, GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Between 2020-2025, GPE will support transformative change in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact at scale. GPE sets out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality. 

Raise Your Hand 

In July 2021, the Global Education Summit put GPE firmly on the path to be fully-funded by 2025, by raising a record US $4 billion from donors for GPE’s Raise Your Hand campaign. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government from partner countries made historic commitments to education financing and GPE also mobilized an unprecedented number of pledges from businesses, private foundations and development banks.

A fully funded GPE would support transformed education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in GPE partner countries, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect 2 million girls from early marriage.

Governance And Organizational Arrangements 

The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the Partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is HE President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Dr Susan Liautaud. The Board of Directors, with its three standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions.

The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C. and the European office is in Paris with a satellite office in Brussels and a support office in Chennai.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Partnerships Team of the Secretariat is charged with ensuring internal coordination and strategic engagement of partners to achieve education system transformation in our partner countries.

The Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is a GPE asset through which partner countries develop and share relevant knowledge, experience, and evidence, with the aim of improving outcomes for children through more informed policy dialogue and reform processes. KIX was launched in 2019 after a comprehensive design process, comprising consultations with all of GPE’s constituencies, and under the oversight of the GPE Board. The current phase of KIX runs to 2027 and is being implemented by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), an organization headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, who acts as the grant agent, co-funder, and core implementing partner for KIX. 

Education Out Loud (EOL) is the Global Partnership for Education’s fund for advocacy and social accountability. It supports civil society to be active and influential in shaping education policy to better meet the needs of communities, especially of vulnerable and marginalized populations. Implemented by Oxfam Denmark, Education Out Loud is the biggest fund in the world supporting civil society education advocacy, with grant support to civil society partners in more than 60 countries. 

ABOUT THE JOB

This position will be based initially in Paris France but may be relocated if business needs arise that make it necessary to do so.

Description

The Partnerships Team seeks to recruit a Partnership Specialist to strengthen its collaboration and engagement with strategic partners to address common challenges across GPE partner countries. The candidate will report to the Team Lead for the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) with co-supervision by the Team Lead for Education Out Lound (EOL). We are seeking a Partnership Specialist to support the effective implementation and help grow the KIX and EOL programs. This position will be key to effective program management, development and learning. The role will also be central in ensuring cross-fertilization and mutual support for both programs. Key responsibilities include:

Duties And Accountabilities

Program Management, Development, and Operations 

• In close collaboration with country teams, facilitate discussions on new or strengthened engagement with KIX and EOL in partner countries with ministry of education representatives, local education group stakeholders (including donor and multilateral representatives) and other strategic partners.
• In collaboration with GPE country teams and consultation with other Secretariat teams, develop and implement cooperation engagements with country level stakeholders to effectively link KIX and EOL with GPE’s broader engagement in partner countries 
• Lead the development of effective communications assets and engagement strategies to accelerate program objectives of KIX and EOL, including management of a communications consultant 
• Broker collaboration with regional partners on KIX (including universities, policy think tanks, research outfits) and EOL (including CSOs and civil society networks)
• Support the development of opportunities for KIX and EOL in additional partner countries
• Support the GPE KIX and EOL teams to ensure timely, synchronized operations, including budget management, monitoring, and technical work across various program work streams
• Lead the development of regular Secretariat and external updates and maintain regular reporting schedules on KIX and EOL for GPE committees and external partners where relevant

Knowledge Management and Learning 

• Manage the development of KIX and EOL learning initiatives (including publications, online training, and workshops) on evidence use and inclusive policy dialogue, and link these to the broader Secretariat learning function
• Coordinate learning loops and engagement processes of both programs in the GPE operating model and GPE 2030 strategy
• Inform lessons learned and adaptations for KIX by assessing program performance and being aware of research and good practice in knowledge mobilization, evidence-informed policy making, scaling innovations, and comparator initiatives
• Contribute to the development of an EOL evidence base to inform GPE’s practice, grant-making and grantee support, including by analyzing the EOL partner portfolio, collecting lessons from proposal reviews, and staying abreast of research and evidence in the fields of advocacy and accountability
• Find and strengthen opportunities for sharing learning and exchange of knowledge among program participants 

Other contribution and support 

• Represent KIX and EOL in certain Secretariat meetings and tasks
• Undertake periodic mission travel to support KIX and EOL work at country, regional or global level 
• Respond to needs in the above areas arising from the adaptive management approach for KIX and EOL, including outcomes from regular Executive Committee/Coordination Group decisions and meetings with grant agents

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