Education Coordinator

BACKGROUND

Present in Sierra Leone since 1999, IRC supports the Sierra Leonean institutions – government, civil society, community-based organizations and private sector – to provide improved social services, improve access to and quality of education and mitigate gender based violence. 

 

As part of IRC’s Child Youth Protection and Development (CYPD) program in Sierra Leone we are heavily focused on providing quality education and improving learning outcomes in reading and math for girls and boys enrolled in primary and junior secondary schools in three districts. The program also aims to increase the retention of girls in school and increase the number of women going into teaching. From previous and current programming the IRC has a very strong relationship with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and with other partners in education.

 

As part of IRC’s response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, the CYPD program has adapted its support to the education sector during the recovery cycle ensuring that children are returning to school, have access to safe learning opportunities now that schools have reopened and provide ongoing support to the MEST recovery planning.

 

SCOPE OF WORK 

The Education Coordinator provides key leadership to the IRC’s education program in Sierra Leone even more so as the country is working towards achieving zero cases of Ebola and moves into the recovery phase. S/he will be responsible for the overall strategic direction, management and implementation of the multifaceted education program.  The Education Coordinator reports to the Deputy Director of Programs.  This position requires a team player, experienced professional with a strong technical educational background, who has a dynamic approach to programming, who has experience in coaching and mentoring themselves out of a job and ideally comes with some experience in a similar context. This is a great opportunity to strengthen local and work with international partners and to be part of a sector that realizes greater quality teaching and learning outcomes for the children of Sierra Leone in a rapidly evolving context.

 

Technical Responsibilities:

• Provide technical support, coaching and mentoring to the experienced staff, new staff and partners implementing the projects in the field
• Contribute to reviews and evaluation processes which will inform project implementation and direction.
• Develop new/complimentary concepts/proposals to ensure sustained funding. The IRC is lead in a consortium and partner in a second consortium with mainly international partners.
• Work with the TU in HQ and the UK team in program design, reporting and compliance issues.
• Work closely with the Ministries to ensure that program activities are aligned to their priorities and they are fully informed of the project progress.
• Invest significant time in establishing/maintaining partnerships with key external stakeholders, to raise the profile of IRC’s education work in SL and to maximize everyone’s potential

• Work closely with the support teams (eg finance, logistics and grants team) to ensure quality programming is delivered

 

Strategic:

• Work the Country Program and the Regional Unit to develop the new Strategic Action Plan and support the integration of its objectives into the Child Youth and Protection Development sector
• Work with the Country Program and Technical Advisors to evaluate, review and plan the response and recovery plan for Child Youth Protection and Development programs.
• Fostering and manage donor relations within the education sector in country.

 

 

Team management, Leadership and HR :

• To provide management leadership and expertise to ensure education program provide the best value for money within consortia and IRC only projects
• Support the program managers in their oversight of the practical day-to-day management and implementation of the program while promoting the active participation and involvement of the MEST, district education officials and other stakeholders.
• Through coaching and mentoring support the development of the team to promote motivation and increasing staff capacity and experience.
• Lead the design and participate in assessments, surveys, evaluations, research and advocacy initiatives.

 

Program Monitoring and Integration:

• Conduct regular field monitoring visits to review program activities, and staff performance.

• Collaborate with and support other program coordinators (Women’s Protection and Empowerment and Health) to ensure knowledge and best practice are shared across the programs, ensuring that children’s education needs are addressed in a holistic manner across all sectors.

 

Requirements:

• At least five years of international experience in formal education with a minimum two years in a managerial position;
• Experience overseeing multiple education programs simultaneously;
• International experience, ideally in a similar context;
• Advanced university degree in education and/or relevant human development field;
• Strong networking and donor relations skills;
• Strong planning, monitoring and evaluation skills;
• Proven personnel management and capacity-building experience;
• Strong facilitation and training skills;
• Excellent writing skills including previous proposal writing experience;
• Demonstrated budget management;
• English written and spoken language fluency

 

Specific Security Situation /Housing: Long term, un-accompanied (currently), shared housing provided, Security code green     

 

 

The IRC is leading the way from harm to home.

 

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.  

Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=a2F0cmluYW1pbGxlci45OTA2MS40ODEwQGlyYy5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20