Access to Education Lead at Plan International

Location: Maiduguri, Borno

Role Purpose

• Plan is seeking applicants for an Access to Education lead for the anticipated USAID-funded Opportunities to Learn activity in Nigeria. The Opportunities to Learn activity aims to equip out-of-school children and youth in northeast Nigeria with the foundational skills needed to progress to higher levels of education, training and/or engagement in the workforce. This position is contingent upon award by the donor.

Accountabilities:

• Responsible for ensuring technical excellence of the project’s approach to ensuring access to quality basic education for out-of-school children and youth, working with project staff leads on safety, quality, and inclusion to ensure harmonized implementation
• Leads the design of the project’s access to education approaches, with contributions from consortium technical leads for complementary results (e.g., safety, teacher’s professional development) to ensure a cohesive implementation strategy
• Works with key staff focused on inclusion to promote equity of access to accelerated basic education, as well as monitoring and evaluation staff to measure success in this area
• Ensure that issues of gender, protection, and conflict sensitivity are factored into the program design
• Work with government authorities and community stakeholders to identify out-of-school children
• Responsible for oversight of the project’s approach to accelerated basic education / non-formal learning spaces, including site identification, establishment, and technical quality oversight
• Oversee project staff working with state authorities to institutionalize processes of education information management and coordination, and identify new opportunities to shape and inform quality equitable education policies/programs with data, evidence, and lessons learned from non-formal education in Nigeria
• Enhance coordination, documentation, and reporting to support information management within the education sector, providing information to the Ministry of Education as needed
• Work with other program staff to develop detailed work plans and spending plans for all accelerated basic education program (ABEP) spaces that will ensure organized, efficient work and on-time completion of activities
• Conduct program site visits to ensure activities are implemented as planned and are high quality, relevant, and safe
• Coordinate with OTL Deputy Chief of Party – Operations for relevant administrative, financial, and operational support to design and implement activities
• Develop the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of local staff and other stakeholders in key aspects of the project’s access to education approach
• Participate in external meetings with key stakeholders and/or USAID to discuss programmatic collaborations and/or present project progress
• Organize necessary programmatic and operational information to ensure quality program records are in place
• Prepare program reports and donor reports as required; perform other reporting tasks, as required

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, education, international development, or related field is required; Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum seven years of experience in a technical role designing and implementing projects that work to promote access to quality education for children and youth; technical expertise in education in emergencies, accelerated learning programs, and/or education access for out-of-school children preferred
• Minimum five years of project management experience; previous experience with USAID-funded programs preferred
• Knowledge and experience in the design, implementation, and replication of approaches and interventions for improving education for marginalized learners and/or learners with disabilities desirable
• Familiarity with early grade reading and mathematics assessments and/or other education-related assessments
• Familiarity with education structures, systems, entities, and EMIS in Nigeria desirable Work experience in Nigeria required; experience working in northeast states of Nigeria highly preferred
• Proficient English oral and written communication skills required; proficiency in Kanuri and Hausa desirable
• This position is open to Nigerian nationals only; women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.