Regional Education Officer

The Organisation
JRS began working in the MENA region in July 2008, responding to the needs of Iraqi refugees. Today JRS accompanies, serves, and advocates on behalf of refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, and vulnerable host community members in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. JRS programmes in the region deliver multisectoral interventions including home visits, emergency assistance, child and adult education, mental health and psychosocial support, social services, protection, health care, livelihoods, community building and advocacy programmes.

Job Purpose
The Regional Education Officer supports the design and the implementation of JRS education projects in the MENA region in order to guarantee the quality of formal and non-formal education programmes provided to refugees and other forcibly displaced people. S/he serves as a resource to the Regional Director and the Regional Programmes Officers to evaluate and assess new education initiatives and the direction of existing education projects. S/he also leads or coordinates contextualized training of teachers and education coordinators and ensures that the Country Offices are aware of JRS policies, strategies, and resources relating to education as well as global strategic directions in the domain of education in emergencies.

Main Responsibilities of the Position

1. Planning

• Under the supervision of the Regional Director, and in collaboration with the International Education Coordinator and the rest of the regional team, defines the strategy and priority actions of the educational programmes in the region;
• Technically supports the annual review and planning of JRS educational projects taking into account regional and international strategies and guidelines, as well as international standards for education in emergencies;
• Conducts needs assessments for new educational projects and proposes innovative strategies or approaches to tackle them;

2. Project Implementation

• Defines and coordinates actions that guarantee the implementation of strategic priorities in the region;
• Coordinates with JRS educational teams;
• Supervises educational activities and the implementation of projects;
• Prepares key documents in order to implement and harmonize key interventions and support interventions (information regarding educational systems, key documents, INEE, etc.);
• Plans and implements trainings to reinforce the capacities of the educational teams;
• Develops a formation plan for education program staff in the region with the Regional Director;
• Coordinates with other actors in the educational sector in the region;
• Ensures effective exchange of information, technical support, and advocacy regarding education in emergencies in the region among JRS and other key actors (beneficiaries, NGOs, UN Agencies, Education Cluster, Ministries of Education, etc.);
• Supports the technical work of the teams in the field and coordinates their interaction with local authorities;

3. Coordination

• Ensures regular formation/training for staff as a whole;
• Considers internal formation/development programmes;

4. Reporting

• Supports the Regional Office in the consolidation of educational reports coming from the field;

5. Evaluation

• Monitors and provides ongoing supervision of educational projects;
• Proposes and creates tools to evaluate impact indicators and the quality of JRS educational projects;

6. Flexibility

• Works independently and prioritizes tasks;
• Plans for both long term project development as well as immediate needs;
• Ensures prompt execution of other tasks that are within the ambit of the position as requested by the Regional Director or his/her nominee.

Qualifications, Skills, and Personal Attributes

• Advanced University degree in Education or any other related discipline;
• Proven experience of at least eight years in the sector of education, preferably in complex humanitarian environments;
• Experience in education in emergencies;
• Working experience with faith-based organizations and forcibly displaced people are an asset;
• Solid knowledge of the INEE Minimum Standards for Education and the SPHERE Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response;
• Knowledge of current education systems in the MENA region;
• Demonstrated experience in managing or supporting complex education programmes within multi-sectoral interventions;
• Experience in linking education programmes to protection, mental health and psychosocial support, or livelihoods;
• Solid experience in designing and conducting training for teachers, education coordinators, and education project directors;
• Experience in initiating and establishing partnerships with ministries of education, local education institutions, and other stakeholders;
• Knowledge of safeguarding principles and processes in education programmes;
• Strong experience in designing education projects, including providing specialized support to education needs assessment;
• Fluency in verbal and written English and Arabic. French is an asset;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel;
• Demonstrated ability to work in limited resources settings;
• Demonstrable experience of, and capacity for, working collaboratively as part of a team;
• Demonstrated ability and experience of working in a multi-cultural environment;
• Excellent interpersonal skills that build trust and instill confidence;
• Excellent time management, coordination, communication, planning, and organizational skills;
• Service-oriented, collaborative, creative, and charismatic;
• Highly organized and diligent;
• Capacity to take initiatives and bring innovative ideas;
• Capacity to research and elaborate reference documents and to coordinate and work with teams as well as independently;
• Ability and willingness to travel to JRS project sites and adapt to modest living and working conditions.

Core Values and Ethics

• Commitment to JRS’s mission, vision and values; ability to convey with enthusiasm JRS’s role in accompanying and serving forcibly displaced people and to advocate for their right to protection and a life in dignity;
• Trustworthy and good listener;
• High sense of discretion in dealing with confidential matters at all times;
• High integrity and honesty; ability to deal tactfully and discreetly with people, situations and information;
• Acceptance of diversity and inclusion as core values.