Job Posting Africa Education Specialist

Transcription

1 Job Posting Africa Education Specialist Closing Date: June 9, 2016 Organization: Department/Division: Work location: Authorized to Work in: Right To Play International Africa Office Kampala, Uganda Uganda BACKGROUND: Right To Play is a global organization, using the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. Through playing sports and games, Right To Play helps over one million children learn through play to create better futures, while operating in more than 20 countries each week. Founded in 2000 by social entrepreneur and four-time Olympic gold medalist Johann Olav Koss, Right To Play is headquartered in Toronto, Canada and has national fundraising offices in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Regional offices are in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Our programs are facilitated by more than 600 international staff and 14,400 local volunteer Coaches. Visit us at JOB SUMMARY: The Africa Education Specialist reports directly to the Regional Program Manager. He/she is responsible for providing technical advice and guidance on the development and implementation of education programs implemented across 10 African Countries. He/she works to integrate Right To Play s methodologies into the curriculum of provincial and national boards/agencies in countries where Right To Play implements education initiatives. This includes supporting country teams to develop materials and resources as necessary, in collaboration with the Regional Training and Capacity Building Officer. The incumbent also provides solutions to promote activity-based learning and other effective tools to enhance knowledge and skills among children and youth in Right To Play s project locations in order to improve the quality of the teaching and learning process. The Africa Education Specialist is also responsible for analyzing education related results from Right To Play s interventions and bringing innovative knowledge to organizational approaches. The Africa Education Specialist will be based in Uganda with up to 12 weeks spent travelling to Right To Play program countries.

2 PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: Job Responsibility #1: Program Planning, Implementation and Delivery (60% of Time): Leads the design and development of education program strategies across the region and coordinates with the Regional Program Manager (RPM) and program teams to ensure alignment with RTP strategies. Supports and leads the delivery of technical planning and implementation of RTP education program(s) in line with the organization s strategic plan, the Ministry of Education plans, and donor requirements. Works with the Regional Program Officers, provides technical input into program implementation plans and ensures that annual, quarterly and monthly work plans are in place to achieve targets and expected results. Supports the RPM and country teams in developing education focused project proposals for new projects. In coordination with Regional Program Manager and program staff ensures that issues of gender equality, inclusion, child protection and safeguarding, accountability, risk and vulnerability are addressed and monitored throughout all education programs. Leads in developing curricula and resources for basic education programs (pre-primary and primary) as needed, working in collaboration with the Regional Training and Capacity Building Officer. Provides technical support to ensure linkages, synergy and cross-learning with all RTP country programs across the region. Provides the technical lead in researching new initiatives that lead to improved education outcomes for children. Provides technical leadership on the procurement and/or development of appropriate teaching and learning materials, training manuals and education resources, and ensures that distribution and monitoring plans are developed for their use in schools. Develops and promotes support-materials for incorporating activity based learning methods for teachers. Assesses the needs of teaching methodologies to design training for education departments, teachers and Education District Officers, where applicable. Works closely with teacher training and curriculum development institutions to integrate RTP methodology into curriculum, text books and classroom teaching. Leads the development of a specific resource for teachers to promote use of sport and play in academic learning practices. Provides quarterly updates of lessons learned and best practices to the RPM and stakeholders, ensuring that program lessons are being used to promote improved program delivery. Supports the budget planning processes to ensure that program funds are expended according to procedures and plans. Collaborates with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer to develop appropriate systems, tools and procedures for the monitoring and evaluation of education programs.

3 Job Responsibility #2: Advocacy and Policy Engagement (15% of Time): Leads RTP s advocacy and policy effort across the region by participating in national coordination forums as applicable, and supporting country teams in engaging in national coordination forums, national strategic planning for the education sector and curriculum development technical working groups. Supports country teams in their efforts to engage and collaborate with government and education stakeholders at national levels to ensure that programming is jointly planned and that the sustainability of the interventions is maximized. Works with country teams in coordinating research and advocacy interventions related to the program at national and international level, using data from school-level interventions to advocate for national-level policy development/implementation. Leads and develops RTP s analysis and best practices in education programming across the region and disseminates through documents and position papers within the education sector as necessary in order to promote learning and sharing with wider stakeholders. Job Responsibility #3: Capacity Building Support (10% of Time): Contributes to communicating the program vision to the program team and directs them toward achieving program goals and objectives. Ensures that country staff are properly supported with the technical knowledge and skills necessary to deliver education program interventions and devises interventions for staff who are found to be under performing. Conducts regular visits to the field to provide technical support to program teams. Job Responsibility #4: Representation and Collaboration (10% of Time): Facilitates linkages, collaboration and networking with education stakeholders across the region including civil society organizations, government and other relevant institutions to enhance RTP s visibility and its role in enhancing education quality. Represents RTP in various platforms and maintains positive relationships with governments and other relevant stakeholders regarding RTP activities. Identifies and develops new partnerships with local education-focused NGOs, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and communities. Supports country teams to conduct capacity assessments and capacity building plans for local partners with a focus on quality education programming; Provides support in ensuring strong coordination between local partners in the implementation of education programs Job Responsibility #5: Perform Other Duties (5% of Time): Perform other duties as assigned.

4 EDUCATION/TRAINING/CERTIFICATION: Required (must have): Masters Degree or equivalent in Education, International Development Studies, or related discipline EXPERIENCE: Required (must have): 5 years experience implementing and providing technical guidance on basic education programs and liaising with government officials and donors. Proven experience in project planning, proposal development, report writing, resource mobilization, networking, partnership-building and working with NGOs. Desired (an asset): Other language skills, particularly French and/or Portuguese Experience in sport and play programming Experience in quality improvement Experience working in child protection Experience in strengthening civil society organisations Coaching background Child protection and gender mainstreaming and governance background Knowledge of adult learning KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS REQUIRED: Fluency in written and spoken English Strong MS Office and program management tools and procedures Budgetary control and financial management, including ability to read and understand financial data Knowledge and understanding of best practices in basic education programs, including technical experience in teacher training and resource and curriculum development Understanding of the concept of sport for development Understanding of community development processes COMPETENCIES / PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES: Superior organizational skills and ability to multi-task on a constant basis Excellent interpersonal communication skills to build rapport with staff, partners, government officials, donors and community leaders Ability to work under pressure meeting deadlines in a fast paced fluid environment Creative and flexible with problem solving skills Demonstrated professionalism and diplomacy Ability to confidently represent oneself and Right To Play to high level officials

5 Strategy planning skills People management particularly influence management SPECIAL CONDITIONS: Ability to travel internationally is required Compensation: Employment Start Date: We offer a competitive salary and benefits package Immediately Contract Duration: Full time, contract position until September 2017 HOW TO APPLY: If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your resume and cover letter to: UgandaHR@righttoplay.com and kindly include Africa Education Specialist and your name in the subject line. Please indicate your salary expectations in the cover letter. While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Right To Play is a child-centered organization. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children in our programs. The successful candidate will be required to provide a satisfactory police record check as a condition of employment. To learn more about who we are and what we do, please visit our website at Right To Play - Human Resources Philosophy Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses the power of sport and play to improve the lives of children in the disadvantaged areas of the world. We believe that all children have the right to play. Right To Play s human resources philosophy reflects the spirit that drives the organization. The philosophy influences the kind of people who are interested in working for us, the kind of people we recruit and how we treat our people. Right To Play s culture is entrepreneurial, where employees are encouraged and empowered to perform in the context of rapid international growth, and to aim for the highest quality and adopt global best practices in delivering our programs. Our employees are global citizens who are passionate about improving the world we live in through value-based grassroots activities. We work on the ground with and through people in the communities we serve to improve the lives of their children. By having a constant presence in these communities and helping them develop the resources and skills they need to help themselves, we aim for sustainable, long-term development. To translate our vision into action, our philosophy for delivering our programs is LOOK AFTER YOURSELF, LOOK AFTER ONE ANOTHER. Our employees are the backbone of this delivery, and the philosophy supports them by defining the desired outcomes of our human resources philosophy. This means that we pay competitive salaries, provide comprehensive benefits, encourage employee social events, provide development opportunities and a great work environment. We measure the success of this philosophy by indicators such as employee satisfaction surveys and staff turnover rate, as well as the overall success of Right To Play.