Private Sector Engagement Specialist Consultant (Roving) at Creative Associates International

Responsibilities:

The specific tasks that the PSE Specialist will be responsible for, and supervision and coordination arrangements are described below.

Task 1: Assist the OAI PSE Advisor in providing technical assistance and guidance to SUBEB counterparts to develop their private sector engagement strategies. The PSE Specialist will work closely with the PSE Advisor and LEARN to Read project team to provide technical support and guidance to SUBEB counterparts in the project’s implementation states to develop their strategies to advocate for and leverage cash and in-kind resources from the private sector to expand or accelerate early grade reading program coverage and outcomes. The PSE Specialist will travel with the PSE Advisor to the implementation states to meet with SUBEB counterparts and LEARN to Read project staff to discuss public private partnership policies and plans, government early grade reading resources available for leveraging, resource needs and opportunities, partnership concepts, and potential private sector partners. The PSE Specialist will help the PSE Advisor facilitate a process of assisting the SUBEB counterparts develop the strategy including reviewing and providing comments on draft versions of the strategy.

Task 2: Provide technical assistance and capacity building support to SUBEB counterparts to implement the PSE strategy. Under the supervision of the PSE Advisor and in collaboration with LEARN to Read project staff, the PSE Specialist will provide support to the SUBEB counterparts to implement the PSE strategy. This will primarily involve providing technical support, guidance, and capacity building to SUBEB counterparts to present and discuss the partnership concepts to potential private sector partners and begin the partnership negotiation process.

Task 3: Provide technical assistance and capacity building support to SUBEB counterparts to negotiate the partnership concepts. The PSE Specialist will provide support and training, when required, to help the SUBEB counterparts negotiate the partnership concepts with private sector actors. Points to be negotiated might include but are not limited to the number schools and student beneficiaries, geographic locations, the kinds and amounts of recourses SUBEB is willing and able to contribute, and the kinds and amounts of resources the private sector is willing and able to contribute. The negotiation process will end with a signed agreement between SUBEB and the private sector actor stating the objectives of the partnership, roles and responsibilities, and contributions of the private sector and SUBEB.

Task 4: Conduct meetings with potential private sector partners to gage their interest in entering into partnerships with SUBEBs to support early grade reading. OAI identified a range of corporations and foundations that expressed interest in collaborating with LEARN to Read on early grade reading activities during the private sector alliance assessment. The PSE Specialist will work closely with PSE Advisor and PSAG, when appropriate, to conduct follow-up or new meetings with these private sector actors to understand their corporate social responsibility strategies and investments and gage their interest in partnerships with SUBEBs that leverage each other’s resources.

Task 5: Provide technical assistance and capacity building to SUBEB counterparts so they are able to effectively manage the partnerships with the private sector. Under the supervision of the PSE Advisor and in collaboration with the LEARN to Read staff, the PSE Specialist will provide technical support to SUBEB counterparts in managing the partnerships, which involves resolving any problems and providing updates on the use of resources, activities, and any impact on reading. The partnership management process will provide information to the private sector on how resources are used to improve learner performance. At times, the PSE Specialist will be required to facilitate dialogue between SUBEB counterparts and private sector representatives to ensure effective sharing of information about the partnership.

Task 6: Provide support to LEARN to Read project staff to identify and document partnership success stories. The PSE Specialist will work closely with the PSE Advisor to identify and document successful partnerships. Successful partnerships are those where SUBEB counterparts and the private sector partners worked in partnership to provide the necessary resources to effectively implement partnership concepts. The documentation will include not only a description of the partnership but also include success factors as well as any obstacles and how SUBEB and the private sector worked to overcome the obstacles. The documentation will provide the basic information so the project can develop success stories or cases.

Task 7: Prepare monthly work plans and progress reports. The PSE Specialist is responsible for preparing and submitting a work plan during the last week of the month for the up-coming month. The PSE Specialist is also responsible for preparing a progress report on the status of the work plan (achievements) during the month. The progress report should be submitted during the first week of the month. In addition to the work plan and progress reports, the PSE Specialist is responsible for sending brief e-mail summaries to the PSE Advisor of meetings with SUBEB, private sector, LEARN to Read staff, and other relevant actors. The work plans and progress reports are considered key deliverables that are required for payments to the PSE Specialist.

Supervision and Coordination

The PSE Specialist reports directly to the OAI PSE Advisor. The OAI PSE Advisor is responsible for supervising the PSE Specialist, assisting in the development of monthly work plans, assessment of the monthly progress reports, and providing information and support to the PSE Specialist required to successfully implement the tasks described above. The LEARN to Read office in Abuja will be responsible for contracting the PSE Specialist and administrating the contract, which includes salary payments, travel advances, and reimbursements. The LEARN to Read office will also provide travel support to the PSE Specialist that includes airline and hotel reservations. 

The PSE Specialist is expected to coordinate closely with the LEARN to Read Deputy Chief of Party and the appropriate LEARN to Read staff depending on the nature of the technical assistance and partnership concepts. The PSE Specialist will work closely with the corresponding state level LEARN to Read project staff when undertaking technical assistance and capacity building activities with SUBEB counterparts.

The Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party should be copied on the monthly work plans, progress reports, and other key communications with SUBEB and the private sector. During trips to Abuja, the PSE Specialist should make an effort to meet the Deputy Chief of Party and other relevant staff, depending on their availability, to provide updates on the partnerships.

Requirements:

• BA degree required in Public Administration, Project Management in related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• At least 6 years of prior work experience (6 +years of general work experience and including least 4+ years of specific experience related to the position required).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.  
• Excellent record keeping and documentation skills.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite including Excel and Word.
• Advanced knowledge of Spoken and Written English required.