Global Strategic Education Advisor Project Development

VVOB is an international NGO with programmes and projects in 10 countries worldwide. Our head office is based in Brussels, Belgium. When you join VVOB, you become a key player in VVOB’s mission to ensure quality education as a key enabler for achieving the sustainable development goals. We implement our programmes and projects with one shared passion: to ensure the improvement of quality education. Our teams of national and international experts achieve this by providing technical assistance to governmental and other education actors. In doing so, worldwide we ensure capacity building of governmental and other education actors. Do you share our ambition to ensure that learners around the world can enjoy their fundamental human right to quality education, without exception? Are you convinced as well that quality education guarantees equal opportunities for everyone and is the key to a better world?

We are looking for a Global Strategic Education Advisor with a focus on project development for VVOB’s Head Office. Do you want to take on this challenge? Then continue reading!

Responsibilities of the Global Strategic Education Advisor

At VVOB’s head office, there are currently five Global Strategic Education Advisors, one per sub-sector we work in (early childhood education, primary education, secondary education and technical and vocational education) and one senior education advisor working on a specific global project. To realise the bold ambitions of our new Learning Unlimited. strategy, we now want to strengthen this team with an additional Global Strategic Education Advisor, focusing on the development and proposal writing of new projects.

As our new Global Strategic Education Advisor, you lead the formulation of new high-quality projects across our portfolio. You work closely together with our strategic advisors (education, M&E, research, partnerships) and our grants coordinators at head office, as well as with our country teams, You report to the global director of programmes. On a regular basis, you travel for limited periods of time to support our country teams and to network

You will:

• You design and develop relevant and scalable projects in close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• You provide both short- and long-term strategic advice, information, and guidance to VVOB and VVOB’s partners on new business development, in line with policy trends, new developments and the latest research and thinking in education and international development.
• You help guide the business development and pro-active marketing of VVOB’s flagships.
• You create and manage partnerships and strong networks with relevant partners, institutions and organisations.
• You represent VVOB in relevant platforms and proactively look for synergies and complementarities.
• You contribute to internal and external knowledge development and learning, by systemizing lessons learned on project and business development and sharing lessons learned with colleagues and partners.

If you’re our Global Strategic Education Advisor, your workweek at the office will include the following highlights:

• You start off your week by joining a meeting of the team working on VVOB’s skilling for sustainable futures flagship. Discussions include the possibility of developing a new proposal for a private foundation. You offer to take the lead in this and come up with a possible proposal outline and proposed back planning by the next meeting.
• Off to a lunch seminar where you present one of VVOB’s most impactful projects. You receive good feedback and leave with a few interesting new contacts.
• You have a meeting with the Global Director of Programmes to go over your agenda for your next visit to Kenya. In addition to team meetings, where you will discuss the specifics of the new project proposal, you are advised to meet with the potential partners to discuss task division. And why not use the opportunity to meet with some of our investors in the country too?
• Our success rate with one investor has been going up over the past few years, while it has been going down with another investor. Your insightful analysis shows that this can be partly attributed to how our proposals were written. You share your findings during a global meeting of VVOB colleagues.

Who are you?

Your expertise and experience

• A Master’s or PhD Degree in Education, Human Sciences, or related field; or equivalent by experience;
• At least 7 years’ work experience in education, by preference in an international context;
• At least 2 years’ work experience in international cooperation;
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of the education sector; teacher & school leader professional development; and capacity development of institutions;
• Experience in formulating high quality concept notes and full proposals for a range of donors/investors;
• Experience in presenting in international meetings and fora;
• Experience with working in a multicultural team;
• Excellent writing and presentation skills;
• Language: strong command of English;
• Preferred: work experience in low- and/or middle-income countries.

What we’re offering:

• A dynamic working environment in an international context
• An exciting job in a growing organisation with varied responsibilities and opportunities for professional development
• A fulltime contract of indefinite duration
• Salary according to salary scale A111 (cf. Flemish government) and an attractive benefits package
• Your Office: Preferably VVOB’s office in Lusaka. Alternative options include VVOB’s offices in Kampala, Kigali or Pretoria