Director for the Center of Excellence

Position Objective

The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) in Timor-Leste, collaborating with the Government of Timor-Leste and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the Government of the United States of America, is responsible for implementing the $420 million Timor-Leste Compact, which, together with an additional contribution of $64 million from the Government of Timor-Leste, represents a total $484 million investment in Timor-Leste. The Compact aims to address human capital development as a binding constraint to economic growth in Timor-Leste through two projects: the Water, Sanitation, and Drainage (WSD) Project and the Teaching and Leading the Next generation of Timorese (TALENT) Project.

The TALENT Project aims to improve student learning outcomes by investing in teacher and school leader education and training. The TALENT Project will establish Timor-Leste’s first formal pre-service teacher training and certification institution for secondary education: the Center of Excellence (CoE). The project will also seek to increase the number of women in secondary school teaching and leadership positions through a Women’s Economic Empowerment in Education (WEE) activity.

The Director of the Center of Excellence (CoE) will play a critical role is the establishment of the Center of Excellence. They will be responsible for working with a Training and Institutional Support contractor on the legal establishment of the center, setting up a board of directors, staffing, accreditation, development of HR policies and procedures and liaising with key government entities ensure successful sustained implementation of the center. Additionally, the Director of the Center of Excellence will be charged with the oversight of staff working on the construction of a new building for the CoE, including the CoE Infrastructure Manager, to ensure that the building design aligns with the training needs while meeting Environmental and Social Performance Guidelines. The Director of the CoE will also work closely with a Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist at the MCA-TL to develop processes and procedures that will support the efforts to increase the number of women in teaching and leadership positions both at secondary schools and the CoE.

The Director of the CoE will continue in his/her role as the head of the CoE, until a permanent director is hired, at which time, they will continue as a member of the MCA-TL supporting the development of the CoE. It should be noted, the CoE Director will not be prohibited from applying for the permanent Institutional Director position. When a permanent Director of the CoE is hired, MCA oversight duties of the CoE Director will remain for the duration of the Compact to ensure consistent support of the contractor’s work to fully establish the new educator Training Center.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support and advise the Managing Director of Education on a range of issues for the Center of Excellence, including the status and performance of project activities, risks, impacts of risks, progress on milestones and timeline impact for all investment activities, budget updates and their compliance with MCC requirements and applicable local standards.
• Oversee activities tasked to the Training and Institutional Support Contractor related to the institutional set up of the CoE. The Development Director will be responsible for assisting the contractor in setting up a board of directors for the CoE, developing the organizational structure, creating a staffing structure, identifying steps for legal formalization, and outlining the financing necessary to keep the CoE operational.
• Oversee the Program Manager for the Design and Construction of the CoE. Ensuring on time delivery of the construction of the CoE building that matches with the identified training, staffing and resource needs.
  • Manage the day-to-day work of the Program Manager CoE Construction. Assist TALENT Project Staff in making timely decisions, resolving conflicts or uncertainties, addressing issues and risks that arise during implementation, achieving milestones on time and within budget, and ensuring that Compact projects and activities deliver established results.
• Coordinate with the MCA-TL Gender and Social Inclusion Team on tasks related to increasing the number of women in teaching and leadership positions and ensuring that training materials are inclusive.
• Manage the development and execution of appropriate implementation plans, including procurement plans, budgets, work plans, and design and construction schedules.
• Meet with and provide regular updates to the Managing Director of Education. Updates should include reporting on progress towards meeting milestones in the work plan, resource allocation and budget, procurement planning, identification of successes and challenges, risk assessment and mitigation.
• Contribute to the development of a collaborative, teamwork environment within the TALENT Project Team of MCA and with external stakeholders and implementing entities.
• Identify necessary technical resources, including technical support from the Managing Director of Education, MCC and external consultants, to support the proper implementation of compact projects and activities.
• Liaise with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Public Works, UNTL, INFORDEPE, teachers, students and families to ensure buy-in and support of the Center.

Requirements (Education, Experience, Technical Competencies)

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in education or a related field, preferably in the areas of educational leadership, organizations/institutions of higher education and teacher education, Master’s degree preferred

Experience:

• At least ten years of prior experience the establishment of new institutions, preferably institutions involved in the training of educators.
• Project management certification preferred but not essential.
• Demonstrated experience developing policy frameworks, organizational structure, planning for the recruitment and management of students, designing and supporting implementation of systems and structures that will support student and teachers and encourage attendance and advancement.
• Demonstrated experience in educational leadership. Experience working with post-secondary institutions domestically or overseas preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and persuasively in English both orally and in writing, required. Ability to write, read and communicate effectively in Portuguese, strongly preferred as Portuguese is the legal language of instruction at the secondary level in Timor-Leste.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting legal recognition of a Center of Excellence or similar size institution and supporting modifications of legal statutes.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated similar work experience in Timor-Leste and experience coordinating with government institutions is an advantage.