Education Officer at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Job Title: Education Officer_Maiduguri

Sector: Education

Employment Category: Fixed Term

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: Not Applicable

Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria

Job Overview/Summary

The IRC Nigeria is currently expanding its education portfolio in the northeast of the country in line with its five-year Strategic Action Plan (SAP). A priority outcome for the country program is that girls and boys enroll in and attend safe, functioning, responsive education services. The IRC aims to both rebuild, reequip, and staff damaged school infrastructure and enhance the quality of education through curriculum improvements in formal and non-formal institutions, with a particular focus on social and emotional learning. 

The IRC EiE Extension project is expected to run from May 2019 to March 2021 and  reach 45,000 children in Borno and Yobe states with quality formal and non-formal education services, including literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills. 

The Education Officer will be responsible for the overall management of EiE education activities in Borno state. S/he will be responsible for providing technical leadership for all the education activities, including leading and coordinating the non-formal education program and systems support activities at the national and state level.  The position requires experience with teacher training policy and practice, designing programs for data collection and analysis, and personnel management. The position reports to the Education Manager.

Major Responsibilities

Program Management, Technical Quality, and Strategy

• Oversee the implementation of all EiE education activities in Borno State in both formal and non- formal schools.  
• Oversee training, coaching and on-going support of teachers, tutors and learning facilitators in order to improve instructional practices in literacy, numeracy and social and emotional skills.
• Ensure technical coordination of state-level activities related to teacher education and curriculum development, and obtain support from directorates and local government authorities as needed

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:

• Provide supportive supervision to non-formal learning facilitators and local partners  
• Other: Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs. 

Required for all positions with supervisory responsibility, if special considerations are needed (e.g. remote management), make this additive to the base language here.

• Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of team members in relevant technical and management competencies.
• Develop and implement remote management capacity building approaches to build the strengths of the team in Syria.
• Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Approve and manage all time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews..
• Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, at least monthly.
• Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths.
• As required identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.
• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate. As part of succession plan and nationalization goals, identify, train and develop capability and capacity of national staff to successfully transition role and responsibilities, by the end of assignment.
• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures, and communicates through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

Research, Learning and Analysis

• Oversee the selection of learning facilitators and tutors for the intervention and contribute to tools for selection such as assessment tools.  
• Oversee the initial training of learning facilitators, as well as their continuous professional development.  
• Monitor progress towards the objectives and intended outputs pertaining to teacher education using routine data, spot checks, observation, and other methodologies. 
• Provide regular written and verbal reports on education activities to supervisor, senior management, project partners and donors.
• Under the guidance of the Education Manager, provide technical supervision and guidance to implementing partners as required.
• Promote the quality of teacher education activities by setting up quality assurance mechanisms and checks in collaboration with other staff. 

Coordination & Representation

• Lead integrated state and LGEA, SUBEB, and SBMC technical working groups and steering committees pertaining to teacher education, curriculum and assessment. 
• Work closely with consultants as needed to ensure effective implementation and quality content. 
• Coordinate with colleges of education and NCCE for the contextualization and validation of curriculum. 
• Represent the project in major state meetings and events as appropriate
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders including government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors. 
• Represent IRC to local communities, government departments, international agencies, and local   

Key Working Relationships

• Position Reports to:  Education Manager
• Indirect/Technical Reporting: Grants unit; Finance, HR and Supply chain departments
• Position directly Supervises: CSOs, Learning Facilitators and Tutors
• Key Internal Contacts:
  • Country Program:  HR Nigeria
  • Region/Global: N/A
• Key External Contacts:  N/A

Qualifications

Education:

• University degree in education; advanced degree preferred. 

Work Experience:

• At least three years of relevant professional experience with an international or civil society organization, including direct implementation of education programming
• At least five years of experience related to teacher professional development. 
• Experience working with displaced or otherwise marginalized communities required

Demonstrated Technical Skills:

• Strong verbal communication skills and effective in representation and liaison with external actors
• Excellent spoken and technical writing ability in English, including report writing 
• Good computer skills in programs including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Ability to work under pressure in challenging working and living conditions

Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:

• Organizational Skills
• Decision-making Skills
• Technical Skill: ability and knowledge in using the techniques, procedures and equipment involved in performing specific tasks.
• Conceptual Skill: ability to see the entire picture of the whole organization and the inter-relationships among its parts.
• Human Skill:  ability to work effectively with other people both as an individual and as a member of a group
• Administrative Skill: ability of directing, supervising, coordinating and controlling various activities of the subordinates effectively with a view to implementing the planning and decisions of the enterprise
• Leadership Skill: Ability to provide leadership over the different work-groups. He/she  motivates the employees, guides them, and creates their confidence on him. 
• Behavioral Skill: The ability to form the attitude for realizing the needs, problems, grievances and feelings of the subordinate employees, making contact and good relationship with them is known as behavioral skill.
• Diagnostic or Analytical Skill: Diagnostic skills consist of the ability to determine the nature and circumstances of a particular situation by analysis and examination. It is the capacity to cut through unimportant aspects and quickly identify the heart of the problem

Languages:  English, Kanuri or Hausa (Preferred)

Computer/Other Tech Requirements:

• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.  Add position-specific (e.g. accounting software, statistical software, etc.).

Ability to Travel: 70 % of time if applicable. Willingness to travel extensively in northeast Nigeria, including to remote and/or insecure locations

Standards of Professional Conduct The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Working Environment

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.