Education Specialist

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children, we work in 120 countries. We save children’s lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfill their potential. We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. 


Save the Children is seeking qualified candidate to fulfill the following vacancy in its Ramallah Country Office:
 

Education Specialist
Position Ref.: SCI/ EDU SPEC/oPt

As a member of the Programme Development & Quality (PDQ) Team, the Education Specialist will be responsible for developing and articulating a full spectrum Education strategy including both development and humanitarian elements. In close coordination with the program operations team, the Education Specialist will provide technical guidance and oversight in the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of all education activities, ensuring they are implemented in a high quality and timely manner. This includes developing and implementing technical capacity building plans for SCI and partner teams. The Education Specialist will be a lead on developing high quality concept notes and proposals in close coordination with partner organizations and the wider SCI team – developing strong relationships with Government, UN, Ngo and local partner counterparts.  In addition to ensuring program development and quality, the Education Specialist will represent SCI and ensure ongoing coordination in the humanitarian Cluster/working groups and with the Palestinian Authority, closely collaborating with SCI advocacy and communications team.

Main Responsibilities:

Programme Development and Support:
-Lead on developing a full spectrum Education Strategy and contribute to Save the Children’s country strategy. Collaboration should include the education team and key stakeholders such as government officials, UN and national education counterparts. 
-Cultivate a strong education team across various departments (Program operations, MEAL, Advocacy and Communications) to ensure a unified Education Strategic vision.
-Through close collaboration with other sector specialists, ensure Education Strategy efficiently integrates with other sector approaches, ensuring holistic child development across sectoral lines (Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Livelihoods etc).
-In coordination with Awards Management Unit, lead on fundraising for the Education sector, including development of high quality concept notes and proposals, and engagement with donors’ technical advisers.
-Contribute to and ensure quality programme and donor reports in compliance with internal Save the Children requirements and any relevant external donor requirements. Strategic thinking and analysis finalization strengthening.
-Working closely with the HR team, lead on identifying Education staffing needs (national and international) and ensure rapid recruitment, induction and training of new staff.
-Working closely with MEAL team lead on designing Education technical assessments in coordination with other SC thematic areas and other external sector agencies, ensuring assessment   are documented and that all assessments include a specific analysis of children’s needs.
-Working closely with the MEAL team, put in place a national Education sector MEAL plan, ensuring this links to reporting requirements, and capacity build technical field staff in carrying out the work across county office and between field offices ensuring comparable and aggregated quality indicators and data.
-Working closely with MEAL team, support information management and lead technical analysis of data including all MRM data.
-Provide technical support to Education teams and conduct regular monitoring visits to ensure quality programming is being implemented.
-Ensure child participative principles is institutionalized within education programming.
-Ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Sphere Charter, INEE and Red Cross Code of Conduct.

 Capacity Building:
-Develop learning needs assessment and capacity building plans for both SC and partner staff, linking capacity building initiatives to wider opportunities identified via coordination and networks.
-Coach and mentor partner staff, Education Team and national level counterparts and link in to wider organisational talent development mechanisms.
-Oversee development and delivery of technical training material that will improve aspects of Education work within partner organizations and across Save the Children.

Representation, Advocacy & Organisational Learning:
-In close coordination with program teams, represent Save the Children in Education in Emergencies Working Group and Cluster, working closely with UNICEF counterpart contributing to the development of high quality sector strategy documents and representing the sector in regional and national forums. This may involve taking on a co-chairing role where needs demand.
-Work in close collaboration with Gaza education team in representing Save the Children in the Gaza Education Sub-Cluster, ensuring nationally unified Save the Children representation.
-Ensure that Save the Children's planning and work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies and Government, and take a leadership role within Interagency Coordination forums (including the Inter Cluster Coordination Group and Education in Emergencies Advocacy Working Group), ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed.
-In collaboration with Child Rights Governance, lead key policy and advocacy initiatives and turn these into action with local and national stakeholders feeding into international advocacy efforts.
-Play a leadership role in shaping Education English and Arabic communications and media priorities in line with thematic priorities and collaborate with Communications, Advocacy and Program Operations to ensure quality communication products and visibility.
-Take the initiative in linking global SCI resources with Country office, documenting lessons learnt, best practice and case studies to shape in-country strategies and programme approaches, and contribute to broader sector learning.

 
 General:
Demonstrate leadership in relation to Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safe guarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Applications will be considered based on the following essential criteria:

Essential

-Master’s Degree in Education, International Relations, Development studies or similar field.
-Minimum 5 years’ experience of working in Education programmes in a humanitarian or development context including at least 1 year working internationally with technical specialities in ECD and inclusive education.
-Previous experience of working with a large Education team of international and national staff.
-Capacity to support the development of monitoring & evaluation systems in large complex programmes.
-Demonstrated ability to set up learning and development processes for a large Education team.
-Previous experience of implementing awards funded by institutional donors with medium to high levels of compliance requirements, e.g. ECHO, CIDA, USAID, OFDA, DFID, European donors, European Commission or Scandinavian experience is preferred.
-Knowledge of key education standards, in particular INEE.
-Proven ability of mentoring, coaching and training on Education related topics.
-Experience of senior level representation.
-Experience of developing and negotiating successful partnerships with institutional donors.
-Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports.
-Excellent communication skills.
-Proven ability to influence change at an operational and strategic level.
-Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.
-Arabic language fluency and a high level of written and spoken English is required.
 
 Desirable
-Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts.


Application Process:

Applications should be submitted to the
 

Apply Now

no later than December 20, 2016, please make sure to mention the position ref. in the subject.  The selection committee will review all applications as they are received. All applicants must meet the minimum requirements described above, and those unable to meet these requirements will not be considered.

Application package should include the following:

Cover letter with the applicant’s current contact information and position applying for in the subject.

Resume including Professional References (minimum of three, with complete contact information).

Applications not including all of the above information will not be reviewed. Only short listed candidates will be contacted. All applicants will also be subject to Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding Policy and reference checking process.

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