Education Specialist

RE- ADVERTISEMENT

Save the Children is seeking a qualified candidate to fulfil the following vacancy in its Ramallah Office:

NOTE: Candidates previously applied please make sure not to apply again.

The role: 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, linked with SC’s Quality Learning Framework (QLF). 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 and Child Protection specialists will both be responsible for ensuring the development and implementation of integrated quality programming across those two sectors. The Education Specialist will be the technical lead on developing high quality concept notes and proposals in close coordination with partner organizations and the wider SCI team. The specialist will develop 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 the SCI advocacy and communications team.

The Education Specialist will ensure strategic and technical links to the regional, global and Member thematic technical capacity groups for strategic alignment and advocacy purposes.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Programme Development and Support:

• Lead on developing a full spectrum Education Strategy and an integrated Education/Child protection strategy, and contribute to Save the Children’s country strategy, based on the SC Quality Learning Framework and Education Common Approaches. 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 and teams (Program operations, AMU, 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 with a specific focus on child wellbeing across sectoral lines (Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Child Poverty etc).
• In coordination with Awards Management Unit, be the technical lead on fundraising for the Education sector, including development of high quality concept notes and proposals, and engagement with donors’ technical advisers in country and in the region.
• Contribute to and ensure quality programme and donor reports in compliance with internal Save the Children requirements and any relevant external donor requirements.
• Develop risk assessment and mitigation strategy for the organization’s operations in the education sector.
• 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 the MEAL team lead on designing Education technical assessments in coordination with other SC thematic areas and other external sector agencies, ensuring assessments (needs and outcomes) are documented, programming is evidence based or evidence generating, and that all assessments include a specific analysis of children’s needs.
• Working closely with the MEAL team to put in place a national Education sector MEAL plan, ensuring this links to reporting requirements, and build the capacity of the 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 participation principles are 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, including internal SC capacity building initiatives and regional training initiatives.
• 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 needed.
• 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 the Child Rights Governance team, 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 English and Arabic communications and media priorities on Education 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.
• Identify research opportunities and gather evidence to develop innovative, child protection and gender transformative programs.

 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.

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Qualifications and experience

• Master’s Degree in Education, International Relations, Development studies or similar field, or 8 years work experience in relevant technical field.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience of working in Education programmes in a humanitarian or development context.
• Previous experience of working with a large Education team of international and national staff with capacity building experience.
• Capacity to support the development of monitoring & evaluation systems in large complex programmes.
• Willing and able to travel and/or spend time in Gaza.
• 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 and familiarity with Minimum Standards and Conflict Sensitive Education.
• 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.
• Work experience internationally will be positively weighted.
• Understanding and knowledge of SC’s global Quality Learning Framework, focusing on literacy, numeracy and wellbeing of children
• Experience of working with Education team and with direct training of trainers (ToT).

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 120 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the rights of children and to ensure their voices are heard.  

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.  We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information:

Applications should be submitted to the Apply Now Option on the website, please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. 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.

Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.