Senior Education Specialist
Manila
- Organization: World Bank Group
- Location: Manila
- Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
-
Occupational Groups:
- Education, Learning and Training
- Closing Date: 2025-09-04
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visitwww.worldbank.org
East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Region:
The EAP is a highly diverse region, with countries of all income levels and wide differences in resource endowments, human capital, and institutional capacity. The Education Global Practice in EAP has a large lending and advisory services and analytics (ASA) portfolio. The EDU Global Practice is actively engaged in most countries in the region. The EAP EDU strategy aims at building a strong foundation for learning for all children in EAP that equips them with the relevant skills to thrive in the labor market and life in financially affordable and sustainable ways. The World Bank in East Asia: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eap
Education in the Philippines:
The EAP Region’s education strategy focuses on strengthening education systems, tailoring approaches to country needs, and using multi-sectoral solutions like conditional cash transfers. In the Philippines, the World Bank supports two major projects: Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project (TEACEP) and No Bangsamoro Child Left Behind, implemented by DepEd and the Consortium for Bangsamoro Civil Society. Two additional projects are under preparation—the Project for Learning Upgrade Support and Decentralization, which improves public elementary and lower secondary education, and the Skills Project, which enhances access to quality skills training. The System Capacity Grant (SCG) also provides technical assistance for education reform.
The World Bank addresses the Philippines’ learning crisis, where 91% of 10-year-olds struggle with reading comprehension. Only 10% of Grade 5 students meet reading proficiency, and 85–99% of Grade 10 students fail to reach proficiency in core subjects. The 2022 PISA results show that over 75% of 15-year-olds score below minimum proficiency in math, reading, and science. The Bank supports DepEd, PIDS, and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council through technical assistance, policy advice, and early education improvements to enhance learning outcomes.
We are seeking a Senior Education Specialist for a three-year local term appointment based in Manila, the Philippines. Reporting to the Practice Manager for East Asia and Pacific, the Specialist will play a key role in policy dialogue and education project management. The primary responsibility will be to lead specific projects and knowledge initiatives in the Philippines, working closely with World Bank teams, government counterparts, and development partners to improve the country’s education sector performance. This role requires strong leadership, technical expertise, and collaboration to drive meaningful education reforms and program implementation.
Duties and accountabilities:
• Lead and support teams in designing and developing new education projects, providing implementation support to clients, and monitoring project performance to ensure effective and timely delivery.
• Serve as a core contributor and leader in the analytical work conducted by the education team, providing insights and evidence-based recommendations to strengthen education policies and reforms.
• Lead and support the execution of the work program, ensuring effective project management and taking ownership of individual tasks as assigned, aligning with national education priorities.
• Support policy dialogue and interactions with government authorities, development partners, and civil society organizations, fostering collaboration and alignment on education sector priorities.
• Work with a diverse range of stakeholders in the Philippines to develop tools for assessing education outcomes and introduce innovative delivery approaches to enhance learning results.
• Proactively engage with human development sectors, the HD Management team, and the Country Management Unit to build synergies and identify opportunities to leverage education and skills development for equitable and resilient growth in the Philippines.
• Bring international and domestic best practices to strengthen education system accountability, inclusive access to high-quality learning, and skills development. Contribute to corporate tasks such as peer reviewing, policy input, and knowledge-sharing initiatives within the education sector.
East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Region:
The EAP is a highly diverse region, with countries of all income levels and wide differences in resource endowments, human capital, and institutional capacity. The Education Global Practice in EAP has a large lending and advisory services and analytics (ASA) portfolio. The EDU Global Practice is actively engaged in most countries in the region. The EAP EDU strategy aims at building a strong foundation for learning for all children in EAP that equips them with the relevant skills to thrive in the labor market and life in financially affordable and sustainable ways. The World Bank in East Asia: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eap
Education in the Philippines:
The EAP Region’s education strategy focuses on strengthening education systems, tailoring approaches to country needs, and using multi-sectoral solutions like conditional cash transfers. In the Philippines, the World Bank supports two major projects: Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project (TEACEP) and No Bangsamoro Child Left Behind, implemented by DepEd and the Consortium for Bangsamoro Civil Society. Two additional projects are under preparation—the Project for Learning Upgrade Support and Decentralization, which improves public elementary and lower secondary education, and the Skills Project, which enhances access to quality skills training. The System Capacity Grant (SCG) also provides technical assistance for education reform.
The World Bank addresses the Philippines’ learning crisis, where 91% of 10-year-olds struggle with reading comprehension. Only 10% of Grade 5 students meet reading proficiency, and 85–99% of Grade 10 students fail to reach proficiency in core subjects. The 2022 PISA results show that over 75% of 15-year-olds score below minimum proficiency in math, reading, and science. The Bank supports DepEd, PIDS, and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council through technical assistance, policy advice, and early education improvements to enhance learning outcomes.
We are seeking a Senior Education Specialist for a three-year local term appointment based in Manila, the Philippines. Reporting to the Practice Manager for East Asia and Pacific, the Specialist will play a key role in policy dialogue and education project management. The primary responsibility will be to lead specific projects and knowledge initiatives in the Philippines, working closely with World Bank teams, government counterparts, and development partners to improve the country’s education sector performance. This role requires strong leadership, technical expertise, and collaboration to drive meaningful education reforms and program implementation.
Duties and accountabilities:
• Lead and support teams in designing and developing new education projects, providing implementation support to clients, and monitoring project performance to ensure effective and timely delivery.
• Serve as a core contributor and leader in the analytical work conducted by the education team, providing insights and evidence-based recommendations to strengthen education policies and reforms.
• Lead and support the execution of the work program, ensuring effective project management and taking ownership of individual tasks as assigned, aligning with national education priorities.
• Support policy dialogue and interactions with government authorities, development partners, and civil society organizations, fostering collaboration and alignment on education sector priorities.
• Work with a diverse range of stakeholders in the Philippines to develop tools for assessing education outcomes and introduce innovative delivery approaches to enhance learning results.
• Proactively engage with human development sectors, the HD Management team, and the Country Management Unit to build synergies and identify opportunities to leverage education and skills development for equitable and resilient growth in the Philippines.
• Bring international and domestic best practices to strengthen education system accountability, inclusive access to high-quality learning, and skills development. Contribute to corporate tasks such as peer reviewing, policy input, and knowledge-sharing initiatives within the education sector.
We do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.