Technical Advisor-Education

Dakar

Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
Location: Dakar
Grade: Senior level - Senior
Occupational Groups:
- Education, Learning and Training
- Project and Programme Management
- Malaria, Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases
Closing Date: Closed

Background/IRC Summary:

The IRC’s vision is to lead the humanitarian field by implementing high-impact, cost-effective programs for people affected by crisis and by using our learning and experience to shape policy and practice. To achieve that vision, the IRC’s Technical Excellence (TE) provides technical assistance to IRC’s country program staff and shares what we learn to influence policy and practice.

TE has three central objectives that we work towards:

1)Guide program design to achieve outcomes by incorporating the best available evidence

2)Build technical capacity of country program staff to implement, measure and continuously improve programs

3)Influence the IRC, peer agencies and donors to use proven interventions and generate new evidence to achieve change in peoples’ lives

TE is comprised of seven Technical Units, all of which have deep expertise in their respective sectors: Education, Economic Wellbeing, Gender Equality, Governance, Health, Violence Prevention and Response, and Research and Innovation (R&I).

In 2017-18, the IRC reached over 1.6 million children in 20 countries with education programs. We ensure that even the hardest to reach children in the most challenging places are able to go to school and thrive. In the midst of conflict and disaster, education is one of the first things parents and children say they need. Education is a human right. It also helps keep children safe and gives them the skills needed to be resilient, do well now, and later in life. Education offers a glimmer of hope. The IRC defines success with six education outcomes from infancy to young adulthood, ensuring results for all girls and boys, regardless of age. These outcomes are: access to safe, functional and responsive education, across all ages; early childhood learning and nurturing care; primary school-aged learning; post-primary learning; safety in school; and gender equality across all education outcomes.

Position Summary:

The Education Technical Advisor (TA) will be responsible for an ECHO-funded grant titled Protective and Adaptive Education Approaches for Children in Emergencies (PEACE), that will take an integrated education and child protection approach to support school-aged girls and boys in Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to access educational opportunities and improve their academic and social-emotional skills in safe, functional schools and learning spaces. The program has a strong focus on adaptation and innovation. The TA will guide the program design, provide direct technical support, and build technical capacity to implement, measure and continuously improve the proposed project in Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, working in close collaboration with the Child Protection Technical Advisor.

In addition to PEACE, the TA will be the primary education advisor for Cameroon, and the TA will act as an advisor to other IRC education programs as is requested and feasible. Depending on the successful candidate’s technical background, global work related to an area of focus (e.g. reading, math, inclusive education, or edtech) could also be a part of their portfolio.

This is a primarily field-facing position with the central responsibility focused on program quality. The remaining 0-20% of their time is spent on influence, advocacy, research and internal initiatives at the discretion of their supervisors, including to support PEACE. The Technical Advisor’s specific responsibilities are as follows:

PEACE:

•Provide technical leadership to ensure a shared regional framework, as well as context-appropriate adaptation, for program design, material development and adaptation, field-testing, assessment, innovation, influence, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning for the PEACE project;

•Support country program staff to undertake PEACE activities, ensuring that they are aligned with the project strategies which include contextualizing education outcomes and including interventions chosen based on best available evidence;

•Help analyze data to inform periodic review and course correction to ensure that the PEACE Program is based on evidence and is evidence-generating;

•Provide support to ensure proposed activities are responsive to client needs and preferences based on sound context and gender analysis;

•Document and share cross-context learning internally (with country program staff in Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon) and externally (in relevant meetings, conferences, etc. in national, regional, and global fora);

•Regular communication and coordination with the Project Manager and key home office staff as well as other regional Technical Advisors on technical and project management issues;

•Support senior technical country program recruitment and onboarding;

•Conduct technical training and ongoing technical coaching for country program staff, including on outcomes, theories of change, evidence and indicators, with a particular focus on technical support to the education specialists in all 3 countries, including the creation of a community of practice for them;

•Give technical input to relevant communication materials such as fact sheets, briefs, papers, and presentations that can be disseminated and used for influence at the national and global level;

•Produce technical inputs to internal and external reports, as needed;

•Act as lead technical focal point for education in emergencies technical questions with the donor.

Additional responsibilities for projects and country programs outside of PEACE :

•Act as primary education technical advisor for all education projects in Cameroon (years 1-2), and additional countries as requested;

•Support country program staff to design programs and projects;

•Engage in business development for new opportunities;

•Build technical capacity of country program staff to ensure ongoing program quality and innovation;

•Technical leadership and development of materials and approaches, based on specific areas of expertise within education in emergencies;

•Work with country colleagues to support data analysis and use;

•Influence the IRC, peer agencies and donors to use proven interventions and generate new evidence; and

•Representation and thought-leadership.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Education Technical Advisor, based in the US

Position directly supervises: This position could potentially supervise or mentor one specialist team member and on occasion consultants and/or interns. The position has a dotted line to education specialists in all 3 PEACE countries.

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Regular communication with education, violence prevention and response, health, economic recovery & development, governance, research and innovation, and gender equality technical unit teams. Close relationships with regional and country program teams. Interacts with IRC internal departments, including business development, external relations and advocacy departments, to keep them informed of program activities.

External: Serve as IRC program representative in outside regional meetings and global meetings and academic forums with donors, other non-governmental organizations, inter-agency groups and foundations.

Job Qualifications:

Education: Master’s/post-graduate degree in education or relevant field or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Participate in ongoing training courses and share knowledge and skill sets within the unit.

Work Experience: A minimum of 6 to 8 years of implementing and/or managing large education programs and teams is required, within a humanitarian or international development setting, as are at least 1—2 years acting in an advisory capacity on education programming. Experience in technical tools and materials development, monitoring and evaluation, innovation, and research in relation to education is highly desired. Expertise in one more technical areas of focus within education preferred (e.g. reading, math, edtech, inclusive education, etc.). Experience in strategy development and working across sectors or disciplines is highly desired.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: Demonstrated expertise in program design, monitoring and evaluation, with the ability to turn concepts and strategy into measurable action. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Demonstrated commitment to renewing and maintaining currency with best practices.

Language Skills: Fluency in English and French required.

Working Environment: Up to 40% travel may be required. This position will be based in Dakar, Senegal, or Berlin or Bonn, Germany. However, other locations can be considered for the right candidate.

All IRC staff are required to adhere to THE IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.

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