Education in Emergencies Specialist / Spécialiste de l’Education dans les Situations d’Urgence

Organization: Right To Play International

Department/Division: Global Program Unit

Work location: One of Right To Play offices (Burundi, Canada, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda or United Kingdom)

Work arrangement: A combination of in-office and remote-working in accordance with Right To Play’s work arrangement and the operational needs of the department. Possibility of remote-working pending management approval.

Authorized to work in: One of the 16 countries listed above

Target Hiring Range: Local salary scale applies (Grade 8)

Target Start Date: Immediate

Contract Duration: Full-time, fixed term contract

Closing Date: Open until position is filled

RÉSUMÉ DU POSTE:

Le/La Spécialiste de l’Education dans les Situations d’Urgence (ESU) relève du Responsable Technique Global de l’Education et soutiendra le Développement des programmes, des politiques, du plaidoyer et d’initiatives de recherche au niveau global. Vous assurerez le leadership technique sur les questions d’éducation dans les situations d’urgence, l’appui technique et le renforcement des capacités au niveau pays, tout en travaillant en étroite collaboration avec une équipe diversifiée de spécialistes des programmes au sein de l’Equipe Globale de Développement des Programmes pour assurer la qualité de la programmation.

TRAVELLING:

Traveling time up to 40% is required to country offices where harsh conditions may exist. You may be required to travel sometimes on a short notice.

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AN EXAMPLE OF PROJECTS YOU WILL SUPPORT:

EMPOWER:

This project aims to enhance the literacy and life skills of internally displaced and host community children aged 6 to 12, particularly girls and children living with disabilities in Gao and Mopti, Mali, and thus increase equity and inclusiveness in their communities. The project is centred on building the capacity of IDP- and women-led organizations financial support through grants and empowering them to promote the educational rights of host and internally displaced children. The project engages local education authorities, parents and community and religious leaders in addressing the intersectional barriers preventing host and internally displaced children from benefiting from quality education. The project expects to reach 37,550 children from IDP and host communities, including 5,260 children living with disabilities, and 69,350 parents, community and religious leaders and other community members.

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PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

#1: Program Design and Development (45% of Time):

• Support country staff to design programs and projects aligned with RTP’s global strategy, education strategic direction and education theories of change, with focus on education in emergencies and protracted crises.
• Lead the development of technical guidance on programming in crisis settings.
• Support the review and development of RTP education resources and tool kits focused on education in emergency settings.
• Continually stay abreast of research, external trends on play-based learning and education, and coordinate with country program teams to ensure best practices in play-based learning and education are integrated into country programs.
• Support country teams to influence relevant policy development and planning processes to ensure inclusion of EiE and play-based approaches.
• Promote cross-country learning by sharing and documenting best practices on literacy and collate periodic reports on the status of education programs and propose strategies to address shortfalls
• Support country staff to design EiE response interventions and review submissions to ensure that such interventions align with RTP’s Children’s Emergency Fund and allow further growth of RTPs EiE portfolio
• To collaborate Child Protection team to ensure mainstreaming of CPiE interventions, including PSSiE in Education in Emergencies programs when needed.

#2: Capacity Building (25% of Time):

• Lead ongoing efforts to assess and address the organization’s capacity needs in education, especially related to program development, planning and implementation in crisis settings
• Develop internal technical guidance notes, tools and resource packages on technical areas, including EiE themes, to support effective education program design, planning, implementation and learning
• Provide direct support to country teams and local CSO partners and build technical capacity to ensure effective, quality implementation of education programs while leading continuous improvement initiatives that will ensure ongoing success of the programs.
• Facilitate technical trainings for and provide coaching to country program staff on education outcomes and theories of change.

#3: Strategic Program Planning (10% of Time):

• Support the development/implementation of the strategic program framework for education
• Lead the development of program Theories of Change in Education include crisis settings
• In collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation team, support the development of measurement indicators for education programs that align with global education indicators and data sets

#4: Research (10% of Time):

• Lead the development of research, case studies and policy briefs on education for internal and external distribution.
• Consolidate learning from country programs to inform strategic direction, priorities and cross-country learning.
• Input into RTP’s research agenda as it relates to education research and learning

#5: Advocacy and Policy (5% of Time):

• Support collective advocacy initiatives at the global level, to advance key education positions and contribute to policy papers, standards and tools in collaboration with networks globally.
• Support country teams to position Right To Play in Education Cluster and Working Group meetings, coordination and activities

#6: Other Responsibilities as Required (5% of Time).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (Must have):

EDUCATION/TRAINING/CERTIFICATION:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in education, education psychology, human development or relevant field
• Training and/or practical experience in education and research

EXPERIENCE:

• 6 years’ professional experience advising on or implementing EiE programs (including programs in crisis settings; can include child-centered pedagogies, play-based learning, psycho-social support and social emotional learning, IDP/refugee education, non-formal and alternative basic education, teacher education in crisis settings)
• Experience working at field level in Africa, Middle East or Asia within a humanitarian or international development setting
• Experience working on projects funded by major institutional donors such as Global Affairs Canada, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, LEGO Foundation
• Experience in leading staff capacity-building efforts within a cross-functional organization
• Experience working in a range of cultural contexts and in developing countries

COMPETENCIES / PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Demonstrates a high level of interpersonal and cross-cultural skills including the ability to build collaborative relationships internally and externally with sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, social and political issues.
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure, working with a wide range of stakeholders
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities
• Excellent influencing, negotiation, coaching, diplomacy and engagement skills
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral), interpersonal, public relations and report writing skills
• Good analytical, problem solving and project management skills
• Willingness and ability to travel (sometimes on a short notice)

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

• Strong technical skills in international education
• Solid knowledge of international development and EiE programming and humanitarian principles and standards
• Strong knowledge of issues related to conflict sensitive education, cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration, integration of child protection and education in emergencies, and localization approaches
• Strong representation skills and ability to develop relationships with NGOs, multilateral and government agencies

LANGUAGES:

• Fluency in spoken and written English and French

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS (An Asset)

• Experience implementing education programs on the ground in Africa, Middle East or Asia

WHO YOU ARE:

The ideal candidate comes with strong technical skills in international education coupled with several years of experience advising on or implementing EiE programs. They enjoy building relationships and cultivating collaboration and sharing among country teams around the world, and are comfortable with mission travel. They are highly self-motivated, a self-starter that can manage competing priorities and continuously adapt their individual work plan to match the organization’s needs.

WHAT YOU’LL GET:

The opportunity to work with a passionate, innovative and collaborative team where you have the ability to make things happen. You will gain experience working for a Great Place to Work® Canada Certified and globally recognized organization with a healthy culture premised on our Culture Code (accept everyone, make things happen, display courage, demonstrate care and be playful). In addition, we offer a competitive salary and benefits package including flexible work policy (e.g. work from home and flex hours), personal learning and development days and summer/winter hours.