Education Manager (Content development)

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The Ukraine crisis could become the worst humanitarian crisis Europe has seen in decades. More than 5.3 million people have fled across borders to seek safety in the 1st month since the escalation of conflict in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and over 6.5 million people are reported to be displaced. Reports indicate almost all arrivals in Poland are women and children, including those that are unaccompanied and separated, as well as older persons.

Between February 7-23, 2022, an IRC team undertook a scoping mission covering Poland and Ukraine to better understand the context, humanitarian and civil society landscape, and anticipated service gaps in the event of an escalation of conflict in Ukraine and consequent displacement into neighboring Poland. As of February 24th, the IRC has pivoted to emergency response, and has identified partner agencies in Ukraine and Poland to facilitate immediate assistance that can be used where it is most needed. Simultaneously, the IRC has established operations across Ukraine and Poland offering a robust humanitarian response to complement partner response services either in breadth or scale.

Position Overview:

IRC’s education program in Poland seeks to foster social cohesion within diverse school communities to ensure a successful integration of refugee children, to mitigate potential conflicts, and maintain the quality of education for all children with their diverse needs. This is achieved through equipping the teachers and school management with tools for working in a multicultural classroom, who will then work with the pupils to empower them to be part of the school community. IRC uses Healing Classrooms which is teacher training program aiming to help educators to support children’s recovery from trauma by creating safe and stable environments in schools.

We are seeking a dynamic and motivated individual to join our team to further develop Healing Classrooms Curriculum and to lead workshops for educators. You will collaborate with partners to identify programmatic gaps, develop complementary actions, and support concept note and proposal development in Education programs.

Key Responsibilities:

– Healing Classrooms Curriculum Development (40%):

Design, develop, contextualize and update educational curricula, ensuring alignment with educational standards and organizational goals (in Polish and English). Create clear and comprehensive educational materials, including lesson plans, flashcards, posters, assessment tools and digital resources.

– Workshop Facilitation (30%):

Lead workshops and training sessions (in person and online) based on the Healing Classrooms curriculum, ensuring delivery of engaging, interactive, and effective learning experiences (in Polish). Adapt workshop content to cater to diverse audiences, tailoring presentations and activities as necessary. Responsible for the recruitment and promotion of workshops to ensure broad and effective participation. Key target group: school teachers, intercultural assistants, school pedagogues and students. Facilitate a community of practice among workshop participants.

– Partnership Collaboration (10%):

Collaborate with internal and external partners to identify programmatic gaps in our educational offerings. Foster relationships with subject matter experts and industry professionals to bring in valuable insights and resources.

– MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) Activities (10%):

Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the curricula and workshops to make continuous improvements, driving outcome orientation in projects. Collect human stories and document best practices.

– Concept Note and Proposal Development Support (10%):

Assist the Education Coordinator in the development of concept notes and proposals for funding opportunities.

Qualifications

Requirements:

– Education: A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Education, Pedagogy, or a related field. A background in psychology or trauma-informed education may be advantageous.

– Languages: proficiency in Polish and English both written and spoken. Knowledge of Ukrainian and/or Russian is an additional asset.

– Experience:

o Proven experience in curriculum development, including creating lesson plans, flashcards, posters, and assessment tools.

o Previous experience in facilitating workshops and training sessions.

o Demonstrated experience in monitoring, evaluating, and improving educational programs.

o Previous experience of working in a school is an additional asset.

– Adaptability: The ability to adapt workshop content to diverse audiences, ensuring that it caters to the specific needs of teachers, intercultural assistants, and school pedagogues.

– Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills to create clear and comprehensive educational materials and to effectively facilitate workshops.

– Partnership Building: A track record of successful collaboration with internal and external partners, and the ability to build relationships with subject matter experts and industry professionals.

– Content Design Skills: Experience in content design, which involves structuring and presenting information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner. Familiarity with graphic design software, even if not at the level of proficiency, is considered an added advantage.

To apply for this position, please include samples of your work, such as educational materials you have produced, including guidebooks, cards, and lesson plans. Please note that any evidence of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

Selected candidates will be invited for an interview where they will be asked to simulate a training session, demonstrating their workshop facilitation skills and their ability to engage and instruct participants effectively.

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and makes sure policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons, and several others.

Gender Equality: The IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: At the IRC, our diverse clients, partners, and staff have the power, voice, and agency to shape programs and operations. We actively work to end all forms of systemic discrimination and foster an inclusive working environment where everyone feels respected, heard, valued, and supported. The IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. The IRC encourages women to apply and work with us to reach the people most in need of humanitarian assistance, such as women, widows, and children. The IRC is committed to providing a decent and safe work environment that considers needs of women in the workplace, including through maternity leave and safety protocols.