View Vacancy - Head of Education, Skills and Digital - 22/23 PTA

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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)
Prosperity and Economic Growth

Main purpose of job:

Many countries, including middle-income countries still face considerable challenges such as youth unemployment, climate change, high and persistent inequality (including gender inequality) and digital exclusion, which can lower long-term growth prospects.

Education and Skills:

Roughly 8 out of 10 children can’t read for meaning by Grade 4. Higher Education excludes many: eg the cost of tertiary education in much of sub-Saharan Africa exceeds 60% of average incomes. The UK government is leading and mobilising global commitment and investment in education, including for marginalised girls; and working to deliver a joined-up UK international education offer.  Our two bold global targets – 40 million more girls learning, and 20 million more able to read by age 10. Within the British High Commission in South Africa, our top priorities in supporting education are through support for Higher Education, Technical, Vocational Education and Training, skills development and youth employment. 

Skills development and youth employment in particular, are key objectives of South Africa’s National Development Plan, top of the President’s agenda and are consistently woven into the fabric of policies across the government. Addressing the skills shortage is widely regarded as a key ingredient to reducing endemic poverty, which disproportionately affects women and young people from low income backgrounds in South Africa. We also run a flagship Chevening scholarship programme, offering 50 scholarships in South Africa to fully fund graduate studies in the UK.

Digital Access:

Access to the internet is a powerful catalyst to prosperity, reducing poverty and building inclusion – with a 10% increase in internet access linked to 3% growth in GDP, and a range of social and economic benefits. A key UK priority is to facilitate wider and more affordable, safer and more secure digital access for excluded and underserved populations, harnessing the power of digital inclusion and transformation to tackle poverty, build prosperity and enable millions of people - especially socio-economically disadvantaged populations - to benefit from digital services and opportunities.

Programming portfolio:

The British High Commission in South Africa delivers a portfolio of activities to support the broad-based and inclusive growth needed for poverty reduction. Our strategic priorities within the Economic Growth team include supporting trade and investment, improving business environment and economic reform, driving productivity in key sectors through education, employment and skills development, improving digital access, support for entrepreneurship and MSMEs and sustainable urban development.  This role will be expected to oversee a portfolio of programmes and activities that deliver against our priorities for supporting education, skills, employment and digital access including: 

Skills programme:  South Africa Skills is an innovative programme that supports education and skills systems. Focussed on improving the quality, relevance and equity of technical, vocational and education and training and wider skills development. This being delivered in partnership currently with two youth employment organisations and with the Presidency of South Africa. 

Scholarships: The Chevening Scholarship scheme enables students in South Africa with leadership qualities to undertake postgraduate study or courses in universities in the United Kingdom. 

Digital Access programme: The Digital Access Programme (DAP) aims to address the fundamental constraints to digital inclusion through a multi-pillar cross-government structure. This role will focus on the delivery of the ‘Models and Enablers’ pillar, which is the lead component (Pillar 1) of this centrally-managed multi-country FCDO-DCMS partnership. This pillar focusses on testing and validating innovative, sustainable and scalable models for affordable connectivity, digital skills, locally-relevant digital content and digital services for excluded or underserved communities; this is supported by key enablers of digital inclusion through enhancing the relevant policy and regulatory environment, and enhancing the capacity of key institutions; This role will also support the co-ordination and coherence of the Digital Access Programme across the British High Commission, working closely with Cyber and UK-South Africa Tech Hub colleagues (in relation to Pillar 2 and Pillar 3 of the DAP), and liaising with the DAP central team in London.

These programmes will also help deliver the UK’s commitment to support implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially SDG 8 “decent work and economic growth” and SDG 4 “Quality education” 1”, but also SGD 1 “No Poverty, SDG 5 “Gender Equality”, and SDG 10 to “reduce inequalities”. It also aligns with the UK’s International Education Strategy. 

The post-holder will be the lead for education, skills and digital access in South Africa, building and managing strategic stakeholders across all levels of government, including with the Presidency as well as with programme delivery partners, civil society and private sector. The holder will work as part of the BHC’s Economic Growth team and with the Scholarships, Tertiary Education and Partnerships Department and Digital Access teams in HQ. This role will report to the Head of the Economic Growth team and with other colleagues across the pillars of the South Africa Country Plan including the British Council. 


Roles and responsibilities:

Education, Skills and Digital- Policy co-ordination and strategy (40%)

  • Work across all programmes, FCDO campaign themes and with DBT and British Council, to develop, own and promote a collective narrative on UK support to Education, Skills and Digital Access and its role in driving productivity in key sectors in South Africa. This includes a shaping and delivering a joined-up UK Education offer internationally in line with the UK’s International Education Strategy.  
  • Monitor and report on South Africa's education, skills, youth employment and digital landscape including the emerging trends and developments in South Africa's approach to driving economic recovery and growth through these areas. This would include developing and reporting on the priority youth employment and skills development initiatives being led by the Government of South Africa.
  • Shape current and future programming drawing on a clear understanding of education, skills and digital priorities in South Africa (including an assessment of political economy) including the multi-million FY 23/24 portfolio pipeline in these areas. Currently estimated to be around 15 development projects.
  • Proactively develop, manage and strengthen UK-SA education, skills and digital contacts through effective stakeholder engagement.
  • Help to influence key decision making at national and sub-national government, in civil society and private sector - in support of the policy objectives in the area. This will involve building relationships that help to drive forward UK and SA priorities for education, skills and digital access, driving policy shifts through engagement and leveraging the programme and our wider levers to enhance progress.
  • Publicly represent the British High Commission as a credible voice on education, skills and digital priorities and as necessary lead on briefings, presentations, reporting and communications.

Portfolio delivery (50%)

  • Oversee the activities of the Skills, Digital Access and Scholarships Programmes in South Africa as delivered by the BHC and/or contracted implementing partners, in coordination with in-country Programme Management Unit and with central teams as relevant. This will require an ability to apply portfolio oversight, coordination, monitoring, risk management and stakeholder engagement skills.
  • The post holder will build relationships with the implementing partners to ensure delivery is monitored in coordination with the Programme Management Unit (PMU). This will include pre-empting risks and ensuring that project activities deliver the expected outcomes.
  • The post holder will act as focal point for internal and external communication on these programmes in South Africa, ensuring the Programme’s visibility is properly managed. The post holder will support the implementation the Programmes’ communications strategy as approved by the Programmes’ governance structure. The post holder will also support the organisation and delivery of key visits, related to the implementation and promotion of these programmes.
  • The jobholder will lead organisation of programme governance and coordination mechanisms; this means working as part of the broader South Africa Economic Growth and with the PMU, to ensure programme delivery is coherent with the BHC’s broader objectives, including those of economic growth and climate change.
  • The post-holder will be expected to regularly join key meetings and to provide regular updates on the portfolio’s progress.

Cross-cutting and Corporate support (10%)
  
As all other staff at post, the post holder is expected to participate in wider British High Commission activities. These may include being active on various committees and in other corporate roles.
The post holder will also need to ensure Gender Equality Act compliance and support BHC ambitions on women’s economic opportunities, inclusive growth and poverty reduction throughout the team.


Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Expected £5m (2023-2027) Skills budget 

£1m p.a. of Digital Access centrally-managed programming

£1.5m p.a. Centrally managed Scholarships funding

Expected 2 HEO's +1 EO +1 AO

  • University degree, preferably in education, public policy, digital, international relations, development, economics, public policy or related course
  • Minimum 5 years of work experience, ideally with education, skills or digital development policy insight and project/programme management experience, preferably with international stakeholders
  • Experience managing delivery partners
  • Understanding of education, skills and digital issues in South Africa;
  • Strong interpersonal, communication and relationship skills
  • Demonstrable experience of delivery and managing a large and/or complex portfolio of projects
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • Excellent presentation skills
  • Team player, driven by values
  • Policy experience in at least one of the following will be essential and awareness of / interest in a further areas will be highly desirable: education, curriculum and qualifications, pedagogy, education policy, international education, technical vocational education and training, higher education, skills development, lifelong learning, labour market, digital, cyber and technology.
  • Experience at policy, regulatory as well as field level will be considered relevant.
  • Experience of working in an international development context, including managing/working with development programmes, including in South Africa.
  • Experience of working in or with government in South Africa. Experience of working in the private sector or organised civil society in relevant fields (e.g. education, skills and digital).
Seeing the Big Picture, Delivering at Pace, Leadership, Working Together
23 June 2023
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Permanent
Africa
South Africa
Pretoria
British High Commission
1
R 791,673.47 (per annum)
1 August 2023

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

The FCDO offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities throughout the year.

The British High Commission pays in full for the Key Care Plus option on Discovery Health for staff including spouses/partners and dependants.

  • Once you have successfully completed your probation the British High Commission will contribute 9 % of your monthly salary to a Provident Fund.
  • Annual leave entitlement of 25 days
  • Working hours per week of 36.5
  • Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening
  • Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted
  • The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position
  • Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Pretoria are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in South Africa
  • All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit
  • The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;
  • Obtain the relevant permit
  • Pay fees for the permit
  • Make arrangements to relocate
  • Meet the costs to relocation 
  • The British High Commission do not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so
  • Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount
  • Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles. Please note:  AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5
  • Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates
  • Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’.  If during the reserve period of 6/12 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate”.
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This opportunity is closed to applications.