Curriculum & Training Development Officer

Company Description

Virginia Tech is one of the top universities in the United States (ranked at #62) and has also become a leading global research institution dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and outreach within the Commonwealth of Virginia and around the world. Virginia Tech has an extensive network of public and private sector partnerships as well as international institutional presence, and has been translating world-renowned technical expertise into innovative approaches to international development for the last 40 years. The Center for International Research, Education, and Development (CIRED) links Virginia Tech to the world in support of the university’s global mission. As a university-wide center, CIRED has managed and implemented a multi-disciplinary portfolio of over $190 million over the last 50 years in externally funded projects in developing countries.

Virginia Tech is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce and ensuring an equitable and highly inclusive work environment. Virginia Tech offers a supportive work environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits. Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Anyone having questions concerning discrimination or accessibility should contact the Virginia Tech Office for Equity and Accessibility.

Project Description

The goal of the new USAID-funded Forsah TVET Program in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem is to enhance the responsiveness of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs and institutions to market needs, ultimately helping youth become more employable and find employment opportunities in technical areas that will be in increasing demand in the future. Virginia Tech’s role as a sub-awardee will be to lead in training Curriculum Co-design Teams from the TVETs and the private sector to review and improve existing curricula and develop new courses using best-practice methodologies (Universal Design for Learning, private sector engagement, etc.) and ensuring curricula is learner-centered, experiential, and inclusive. Virginia Tech will also lead the development of Instructor Training Programs providing TVET instructors with professional development opportunities to improve technical expertise and pedagogical practice, and an Administrator Leadership Academy to increase competence of TVET leaders and equip them to execute their Sustainability Roadmaps.

Job Description

The Curriculum and Training Development Officer will have chief responsibility of meeting Virginia Tech’s technical objectives on the program, managing financial resources, and managing partner relationships especially with TVET instructors and administrators as well as the private sector. The Officer will lead and manage the delivery and technical direction for Virginia Tech’s work under two main areas: 1) Curriculum Co-Development (review of existing curricula, training curricula teams in best practices for curriculum design, bringing the private sector and youth into the process, supporting the development of occupational competency profiles, developing learner-centered and experiential curriculum for each modernized training program and working with consortium partners to integrate digitization, greening, and entrepreneurship and life-skills into core curriculum or as new transversal modules, and developing work-based learning / apprenticeship opportunities for each modernized training program); and 2) Instructor and Administrator Professional Development (developing a training of trainers (TOT) for TVET instructors to improve their technical and pedagogical expertise, developing a Leadership Academy for TVET administrators/leaders to improve their core competencies culminating in a study tour to Virginia Tech and other U.S. universities, and fostering communities of practice between TVETs for continuous learning). The Officer will serve as an effective liaison between technical, support teams, counterparts, and partners. The Officer will report to Virginia Tech’s Technical Program Lead and work under the supervision of the program’s Performance Improvement Manager. The Officer will also directly supervise one part-time Curriculum and Training Development Assistant.

This position will be based in the program office in Ramallah. Only applicants with Palestinian citizenship or residency with work authorization will be considered.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and vision for programmatic efforts related to the project objectives, activities and outcomes.
• Create and implement a strategy and evidence-based interventions to strengthen the quality of instruction, curriculum and programs, leadership competencies, and private sector engagement at TVET institutions in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem.
• Ensure the program adaptively responds to changes in the operating environment to meet the desired objectives.
• Oversee day-to-day activities management including activities of any technical support staff, administrative procedures, financial resources, and partner relationships.
• Work with other project staff to strengthen TVET partnerships with appropriate stakeholders, private sector companies and service providers, and U.S. higher education institutions (HEIs).
• Support the project planning, monitoring, performance, evaluation, learning, communication and reporting.
• Ensure project operations comply with Virginia Tech policies and procedures, IREX policies and procedures, and USAID rules and regulations.
• Ensure that all project objectives and activities are achieved and that all deadlines are met.
• Other duties, as assigned.

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Required Qualifications:

• Palestinian citizenship or residency with work authorization
• Bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) in Education, Economics, International Development, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• At least 2 years of experience in managing/coordinating and delivering on international donor-funded projects, preferably in Palestine or the MENA region.
• At least 5 years of progressive experience in technical and vocational education strengthening, including experience in curriculum development approaches and methodologies applied in the local context, workforce development, youth development, and private sector engagement in Palestine or the MENA region.
• Knowledge and experience in planning and organizing curriculum development processes
• Knowledge and experience in planning and organizing technical and pedagogical training for trainers
• Strong understanding of the economic, educational, and youth contexts in Palestine
• Strong understanding of best practices in youth programming
• Strong team building, management, communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships and collaborate with a variety of stakeholders including youth, government ministries and officials, NGOs, donors, the private sector, and community-based institutions.
• Administrative and/or technical oversight experience that includes preparation of work plans and budgets.
• Fluency in English and Arabic

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of positive youth development (PYD) approaches and/or USAID’s Youth in Development Policy
• Previous USAID project experience

How to Apply

Job closing date: June 15th, 2023

To apply, please send a Cover Letter, CV, and 3 References by email to: [email protected], with “Curriculum and Training Development Officer, Forsah TVET” in the subject heading. This is an urgent recruitment and we will therefore review applications on a rolling basis, with the position open until June 15th, 2023. Applications submitted without a Resume or CV will not be reviewed. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment.

Due to the volume of applications submitted, only finalists will be notified. No phone calls, please.