Programme Manager at Creative Associates International

Project Summary

• The North East Nigeria Transition to Development program (NENTAD) aims to deliver an effective response to the basic needs of vulnerable people impacted by the crisis in the north east of Nigeria.
• The Education in Emergencies component of NENTAD will focus on addressing immediate needs by providing education support to conflict affected children and adolescents, while contributing to the learning on what is needed to support early recovery and transition to development.
• In order to achieve this output, we will support up to two projects that include well-targeted, innovative, and results-oriented activities.

Position Summary

• The Education Manager will be responsible for the overall management of DFID EiE education activities in Borno state.
• S/he will ensure that project activities are delivered on time, contribute to strategic objectives of the program, and meet global and IRC technical standards for education in emergencies.
• The Education Manager will supervise a team of education officers, providing supervision and guidance in line with agreed performance objectives.

Reporting & Supervision:

• This position reports to the Education Coordinator with an indirect reporting line to the Senior Consortium Coordinator.

Primary Responsibilities
Program Development and Management:

• Oversee the implementation of all education activities in Borno state, including formal and non-formal school interventions
• Ensure that the identification, set up and management of formal and non-formal learning opportunities expands access to education for IDP and out-of-school children and is conducted in a responsible manner, adhering to relevant policies and standards, and mitigating risks to harm.
• Oversee training, coaching and on-going support of educators and learning facilitators in order to improve instructional practices in literacy, numeracy and social and emotional skills.
• In collaboration with Education Officers, develop actionable workplans to ensure the timely implementation of project activities.
• Monitor progress towards the objectives and intended outputs of projects using routine data, spot checks, observation, and other methodologies.
• Contribute to the development of robust data collection systems to ensure that the education program is data-driven and that programmatic decisions are grounded in evidence.
• Keep abreast of the changing operational environment, including organization of assessments and identification of changing beneficiary needs.
• Provide regular written and verbal reports on education activities to supervisor, senior management, project partners and donors.
• In collaboration with the supervisor, review Budget vs. Actual expenditures on a monthly basis, providing relevant feedback to the finance department and adjusting activities as required.
• Enforce stewardship and accountability by ensuring that resources are efficiently and effectively utilized within the project for the intended purpose

Technical Quality:

• Under the guidance of the Education Coordinator, provide technical supervision and guidance to Education Officers and implementing partners as required.
• Ensure that all education activities adhere to agreed technical standards, protocols, policies and guidelines, as outlined by the IRC, the Federal Ministry of Education and related State Ministries, Agencies and Departments.
• Promote the quality of education activities by setting up quality assurance mechanisms and checks in collaboration with other staff.

HR & Team Management:

• Provide supportive supervision to Education Officers
• Lead the development of performance plans for all Education Officers based on job descriptions, project objectives/work plans and past performance reviews. Review performance evaluation of direct reports on a bi-annual basis and oversee the performance review cycle for all direct reports.
• Actively build the capacity of education program staff, ensuring each staff member has a specific capacity development plan, receives opportunities for training, mentoring and on-the-job learning opportunities.

Coordination:

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders including government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors.
• Closely collaborate with all project partners
• Develop strategic partnerships with local organizations
• Represent IRC to local communities, government departments, international agencies, and local partners as required.
• Coordinate education program activities with other IRC sectors, particularly water & sanitation and child protection.

Other:

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

Required Skills & Qualifications

• University degree in Education; advanced degree preferred.
• At least three years of relevant professional experience with an international or civil society organization, including direct implementation of education programming
• At least one year of experience in a managerial position and demonstrated capacity in team leadership and capacity building
• Experience working with displaced or otherwise marginalized communities required
• Demonstrated experience in project management, including financial, HR, and grants management
• Strong verbal communication skills and effective in representation and liaison with external actors
• Excellent spoken and technical writing ability in English, including report writing
• Excellent computer skills in programs including MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook
• Ability to work under pressure in challenging working and living conditions
• Willingness to travel extensively in northeast Nigeria, including to remote and/or insecure locations