English Component Lead, Kano Literacy and Mathematics Accelerator (KaLMA) at British Council

Role Type: Policy, Advisory & Expertise
Pay Band:7
Duration: Fixed Term, until 30 September 2020, with possibility of renewal subject to donor funding
Reports to: KaLMA Technical Team Lead

Role Purpose

• To provide technical leadership of the English Component of the Kano Literacy and Mathematics Accelerator (KaLMA) Accelerated Learning Intervention working to improve foundational literacy and numeracy for 50,000 primary 4-6 students in Kano State.       

Project Overview

• North West Nigeria faces a perennial problem of low learning outcomes. Data from the Nigeria Education Data Survey 2015 and the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) Composite Survey 2012 and 2016 indicate not only low attainments in literacy and numeracy but also declining trends. The ESSPIN Composite Survey 3 Gender and Inclusion Report, 2016, also points to gender gaps in learning outcomes, with boys significantly outperforming girls on all tests except P2 numeracy.
• KaLMA aims to build foundational Hausa and English literacy and numeracy skills for primary 4 (P4) to primary 6 (P6) children using the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, equipping them with foundational literacy and numeracy skills before they leave primary school.
• KaLMA is a partnership between the British Council and TaRL Africa. TaRL Africa is a newly formalised partnership between Education NGO Pratham, and research centre J-PAL, who have been working together developing cost-effective, scalable literacy and numeracy interventions for more than 15 years. The fruits of these efforts have been the development of what we now refer to as the TaRL approach.
• The KaLMA project will be delivered in all 240 public primary schools in Wudil and Dawakin Tofa LGAs of Kano State. KaLMA will target all P4-6 children (23,559 in Dawakin Tofu and 28,152 in Wudil) and teachers (approximately 256 in Dawakin Tofa and 418 in Wudil). We have purposefully chosen to pilot in all schools so that we develop and learn about models which can be easily replicated and scaled across Kano and other North Western states.
• Implementation of KaLMA is expected to begin in September 2019 and a fixed term employee contract for this post will be issued only after the contract with the donor is signed. A total of 230 working days have been allocated for this position, to be delivered over a period of 15 months. The British Council reserves the right to withdraw this post at any time until the employment contract is signed.

Main Opportunities/Challenges for this role

• Working with the KaLMA delivery team, this role will provide technical leadership of the delivery of the English literacy component, working closely with three other Component Leads for Hausa Literacy; Numeracy; and Research, Measurement and Monitoring within an integrated project under the leadership of the Technical Team Lead.
• This role will support management of senior relationships in the public sector and civil society to aid delivery of KaLMA and create new opportunities for English work in Northern Nigeria.
• Challenges for this role include security, safeguarding and financial compliance.       

Main Accountabilities

• Working with Regional and Global colleagues, leading on the development and delivery of a training programme for teachers and student teachers aimed at accelerating English literacy acquisition for students in upper primary school
• Managing inputs of international and national consultants to agreed standards, budgets and timelines
• Overseeing delivery of training courses for Master Trainers and Teacher Trainers by national and international consultants
• Providing quality assurance of cascade training and mentoring of teachers and student teachers by Master Trainers and Teacher Trainers
• Working with the Team Lead and Operations Manager in ensuring full and effective compliance with British Council and donor project delivery standards, particularly around safeguarding, security management and financial compliance
• Supporting the alignment of the English component with other KaLMA components as designed in the project logframe and workplan
• Supporting the Technical Team Lead and KaLMA Team Lead in preparing technical and programme reports (including financial reports) for the KaLMA Project Board and donor
• Supporting effective identification and management of a range of geopolitical and operational risks and making appropriate changes to component delivery workplans and resource as necessary to mitigate potential challenges and optimise performance
• Working with the Research, Measurement and Monitoring Component Lead on producing evidence of the impact of the KaLMA delivery model and content on improving foundational English literacy and supporting the production of case studies, policy briefs and other impact communication products
• Supporting the management of key relationships with stakeholders in state and national education systems, particularly the Kano State Ministry of Education, Kano State Universal Basic Education Board, Local Government Education Authorities
• Developing and maintaining a strong relationship with the British Council Education and Society Strategic Business Unit in country, region and the UK, ensuring alignment with relevant strategies and plans.

Key Relationships
Internal:

• KaLMA Technical Team Lead
• KaLMA Team Lead
• KaLMA Project Delivery Team
• British Council English for Education Systems regional leadership
• KaLMA Delivery Consortium partners

External:

• Kano State Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Board
• Local Government Education Authorities in Kano
• Master Trainers and SUBEB/LGEA Teacher Development Teams (SSSOs, SMOs, SSOs)
• Teachers and student teachers
• Community members and parents

Role Requirements
Threshold requirements: Assessment stage       

• Passport requirements/ Right: All applicants should have a pre-existing legal status to live and work in Nigeria.       
• to work in country: British Council will facilitate / sponsor visa applications and work permits.       
• Direct contact or managing staff working with children?: Appropriate child protection assurance checks in accordance with British Council policy: N/A
• Notes: Some weekend and unsocial work required
• Travel around Northern Nigeria, Nigeria and other locations will be required from time to time       

Person Specification
Language Requirements:

Essential:

• Bilingual proficiency in English and Hausa
• Fluency in written and spoken English will be demonstrated by either presentation of an agreed English language certificate or sitting an IELTS test and achieving a minimum of Band 7
• Proficiency in Hausa will be assessed at interview

Desirable:

• As the post holder will need to be culturally sensitive to norms and operating practices, familiarity with Kano or Northern Nigeria is desirable

Assessment Stage:

• Shortlisting and Interview

Qualifications
Essential:

• Relevant postgraduate Degree or equivalent professional experience

Desirable:

• Formal Programme Management qualification

Assessment Stage:

• Shortlisting

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience
Essential:

• Significant (minimum 7 years) recent professional experience working in the basic education sector in Nigeria, preferably Northern Nigeria; with experience in at least two of the following areas: teacher education, language in education, English language materials development, English language curriculum development, English as a Second (Additional) Language       
• A well-developed network among (Northern) Nigerian education stakeholders in the public and private sectors
• Demonstrable experience of managing diverse public, private and civil society stakeholders in education sector       

British Council Core Skills:

• Managing People: Leads a large and varied team: Level 4*
• Managing Projects: Leads larger projects: Level 4*
• Communicating and influencing: Is creative and adaptable in communications: Level 3
• Managing Finance and Resources: Supports budget management: Level 3*
• Managing Risk: Develops the culture: Level 3*
• Planning and Organising: Develops annual plans: Level 3

Assessment Stage:

• Shortlisting and/or Interview*       

British Council Behaviours

• Connecting with others - More Demanding
• Actively appreciating the needs and concerns of myself and others
• Being accountable - More Demanding
• Putting the needs of the team or British Council ahead of my own
• Shaping the future - More Demanding
• Exploring ways in which we can add more value
• Making it happen - Most Demanding*
• Achieving stretching results when faced by change, uncertainty or major obstacles
• Creating shared purpose - More Demanding*
• Creating energy and clarity so that people want to work purposefully together
• Working together - Most Demanding
• Creating the environment in which others who have different aims can work together - Interview.