Education Coordinator at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Requisition ID: req5153
Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria
Sector: Education
Employment Category: Fixed Term
Employment Type: Full-Time
Open to Expatriates: Yes

Job Description

• The Education Coordinator will be responsible for the overall strategy, management, coordination, and implementation of education activities across three states in northeast Nigeria.
• S/he will be responsible for monitoring and assuring technical quality, overseeing budget and grants management, the creation and dissemination of training materials, and managing relationships with external actors including government authorities, humanitarian working groups, and project partners.
• S/he will report to the Senior Program Coordinator (SPC) and will receive technical guidance from the IRC’s Education Technical Unit.

Responsibilities
Program Development and Design:

• Provide strategic direction, leadership and overall technical and management support to education programs in Nigeria
• Lead and/or contribute to project design processes for new or adapted education programming, including the development of budgets, proposal narratives, log frames, and other supporting documents
• Utilize the IRC’s Outcomes and Evidence Framework (OEF) and related theories of change in project design and promote understanding of OEF tools among education staff
• Coordinate closely and liaise regularly with the SPC, Deputy Director of Programs, and grants unit to ensure quality grant management
• Support the technical project team to produce high-quality reports and ensure timely submission.
• Coordinate with the M&E unit to produce a robust M&E system for the sector.
• Ensure that key learnings are extracted from education implementation, and incorporate them in program and staff development processes
• Coordinate education program activities with other IRC sectors to ensure program integration

Program Implementation and Management:

• Lead the education team to implement timely, effective, and high-quality project activities in line with identified needs, donor requirements, and strategic objectives and indicators
• In close coordination with the Senior Education Manager, SPC and Deputy Director of Field Management (DDFM), ensure all education projects have detailed implementation plans, detailed spending plans, monitoring plans, and procurement plans which are reviewed and updated periodically.
• Manage the projects budget in coordination with SPC and Assistant Finance Controller
• Monitor and oversee project budgets and performance and ensure that projects implementation is on course as per the detailed implementation plans and phased budgets.
• In coordination with the SPC and DDFM, conduct budget monitoring, suggest necessary revisions and prepare draft reports.
• Ensure that the budget monitoring reports are responded to in time and with accurate information.

Technical Quality:

• Ensure that all projects are implemented in accordance with global technical guidelines and best practices in the education sector
• Liaise with Education Technical Advisors regularly and proactively, and pursue technical guidance as needed
• Stay abreast of developments in the IRC Education Technical Unit and global working groups related to new tools and guidelines
• Identify, monitor and report on unmet needs and make informed recommendations to senior management on the capacity of the IRC to address identified needs
• Provide technical assistance including supportive supervision to IRC and partner education staff.
• Contribute to the technical interpretation of M&E data and apply output and outcome indicator findings to improve program quality
• Support the development and maintenance of a coherent education strategy across IRC’s areas of intervention in Nigeria

HR & Team Management:

• Supervise and provide technical support to Senior Education Manager and education managers,  and other education staff to implement IRC education programs to a high-quality standard
• Ensure timely recruitment, comprehensive onboarding, and the general growth and wellbeing of team members
• Maintain open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to perform in their positions successfully
• Ensure team members are aware of job expectations and have clear performance objectives; regularly review performance and initiate corrective action as needed
• Identify training needs and develop specific capacity building plans for education staff to promote progressive levels of management responsibility
• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures

Coordination:

• Regularly attend technical working group meetings and other relevant coordination structures to ensure harmonized implementation approaches
• Represent IRC in relevant forums/clusters, including with national authorities and donors
• Coordinate with the SPC, Deputy Director of Field Management (DDFM) and Field Coordinator to ensure field concerns and challenges are brought to relevant stakeholders for the development of improved standards and procedures
• Proactively collaborate with other sector technical leads to promote program integration and an outcome-based approach
• Play an active role in the execution of the country Strategic Action Plan

Other:

• Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of professional experience in the management of education programs in emergencies
• Masters degree in Education or other relevant areas
• Strong knowledge of technical tools, resources, and standards related to education in emergencies and post-conflict settings
• Competency in literacy, numeracy, and social and emotional learning methods for children affected by crisis, familiarity with the Healing Classrooms model an advantage
• Demonstrated experience developing training materials and facilitating workshops and training for adult learners
• Excellent budget planning and management skills, previous experience developing and effectively managing multi-million, multi-donor grants required
• Previous experience managing diverse teams to deliver results on short timelines, including the development of spending plans, procurement plans, and work plans
• Strong verbal communication skills and effective in representation and liaison with external actors
• Proven technical writing ability in English including skills in proposal and report writing
• Capable of applying skills and knowledge in a range of capacities, including direct implementation, advisory functions, training and the transfer of technical knowledge and management skills to others
• Promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle stress and pressure with professional grace
• Previous experience in an insecure or conflict-affected setting preferred
• Experience with remote management preferred

Working Environment:

• The position will be based in Maiduguri, Nigeria with frequent travel throughout Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states. The situation in northeast Nigeria continues to be volatile, and the security phase is orange or red depending on location. The Education Coordinator will be provided shared housing in a comfortable guesthouse with electricity and internet. This is a non-accompanied position.