Learning and Scaling Lead, South Africa

Job Posting Organization:
The Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) is a global initiative aimed at transforming how education and skills are financed and delivered. EOF partners with governments, donors, investors, and implementers to enhance the effectiveness, equity, and accountability of education systems. The organization is part of a broader movement to improve education financing, ensuring that investments lead to tangible learning and employment outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children and youth. EOF operates under the auspices of UNOPS, which supports various initiatives and funds focusing on sustainable development goals across more than 130 countries.

Job Overview:
The Learning and Scaling Lead will play a crucial role in supporting the Country Lead in developing and implementing a comprehensive learning, scaling, and evidence synthesis agenda. This position is designed to translate program evidence into actionable insights and policy recommendations. The successful candidate will be responsible for defining learning priorities, research questions, and validation mechanisms, as well as developing tools and systems to track progress against milestones. The role requires collaboration with various stakeholders, including government counterparts and implementing partners, to generate evidence on effective practices and facilitate knowledge exchange. The Learning and Scaling Lead will also contribute to drafting reports that consolidate evidence into actionable recommendations for strategic decision-making and government planning.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design and implement a Learning, Scaling, and Evidence Synthesis Agenda, including defining learning priorities and research questions.
• Develop tools and dashboards to track progress against learning and scaling milestones.
• Standardize reporting and data collection tools for real-time evidence sharing.
• Coordinate with government counterparts and partners to collect data and generate evidence on program delivery.
• Synthesize monitoring, evaluation, and operational data into policy-relevant insights.
• Facilitate cross-partner knowledge exchange through workshops and documentation of insights.
• Draft reports consolidating evidence for EOF strategic decision-making and government policies.
• Assist in identifying learning and sustainability priorities for program scale-up.
• Conduct market assessments to analyze system readiness for program expansion. 1
• Monitor and document scaling efforts, capturing lessons and emerging evidence.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in International Development, Public Policy, Education, Business, Economics, Political Science, Finance, or a related field is required.
• A Master’s degree in a relevant field is desired.
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience with a bachelor’s degree, or 5 years with a master’s degree in education, skills-for-employment, development, or policy programs.
• Experience working with national or provincial governments, preferably in education or development sectors.
• Strong understanding of education and skills-for-employment policy and systems strengthening is desired.
• Proven track record of producing high-quality analytical reports and policy briefs.

Educational Background:
A Bachelor’s degree in International Development, Public Policy, Education, Business, Economics, Political Science, Finance, or a similar field is required. A Master’s degree in a related field is preferred, indicating a higher level of expertise and understanding of complex issues in education and development.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience for candidates with a bachelor’s degree, or at least 5 years for those with a master’s degree. Candidates should have experience in education, skills-for-employment, development, or policy programs, with a strong understanding of education policy and systems strengthening. Experience working with government entities and familiarity with innovative financing mechanisms is highly desirable.

Languages:
Fluency in English is required for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, enhancing communication with diverse stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The position is classified as mid-level with an ICS Level of 1

• The contract type is ICA - LICA - Specialist - Regular, and the contract level is LICA 1
• The position is ongoing, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds, and satisfactory performance. UNOPS emphasizes diversity and equal employment opportunities, encouraging applications from underrepresented groups. The application deadline is set for midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.