Education Specialist at Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)

Job Title: Education Specialist                                                           Supervisor: Head of Programmes 

Country of Assignment: Nigeria                                                       Regional Directorate: West Africa

Place of Assignment: Maiduguri                                                       Supervisor’s Seat: Mubi and Abuja

Introduction 
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), is an International Catholic Organization working across 56 countries whose mission is to accompany, serve and advocate for the rights of refugees and IDPs in conflict zones, detention centers, camp and urban settings, and on remote borders.

Job Summary
Under the guidance and general supervision of the Head of Programmes, the Specialist supports the development and preparation of the Education programmes and is responsible for managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting the progress of education programmes/projects within the country programme. 

The Specialist provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of results on education programmes/projects to improve learning outcomes and equitable and inclusive education, especially for children who are disadvantaged and forcibly displaced in society.

Key Responsibilities of the Position

Support to programme development and planning

• Leading a project in Maiduguri to build capacity  of School Based Management Committees.
• Conduct needs assessments to identify areas of strengths and opportunities for strengthening School Based Management Committees
• Organize, design and deliver training sessions for School Based Management Committees based on the needs assessment and best practices
• Ensure coordination of work with other related committees and stakeholders, such as Local Government Education Authorities, SUBEB, Ward Support Committees and others. 
• Integrate prior relevant research and assessments, such as Community Development Plans, into work with SBMC to ensure congruency
• Help supervisor set priorities, strategies, design and implementation plans. Keep abreast of development trends to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery.
• Participate in strategic programme discussion on the planning of education programmes. Formulate, design and prepare programme proposals for the sector, ensuring alignment with Strategic Plans and Country Programme and coherence/integration with the UNHCR, regional strategies and national priorities, plans and competencies.
• Work closely and collaboratively with internal colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies, and to determine national priorities to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes and to ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of programmes/projects with other JRS sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated.

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Plan and collaborate with internal colleagues and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators and other JRS system indicators to assess/strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector on education programmes.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and weaknesses in programme management.
• Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
• Actively monitor programmes/projects through field visits and surveys, and exchange information with stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
• Prepare regular and mandated programme reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with relevant government counterparts, national stakeholders, global partners, donors, and academia through active networking, advocacy and effective communication to build capacity, exchange knowledge/expertise and to reinforce cooperation to achieve sustainable and broad results on education programmes.
• Participate and/or represent JRS in appropriate inter-agency discussions on education and related issues to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on planning and preparation of programmes/projects ensuring organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in development planning and agenda setting.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best practices in education management. Assess, institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders to promote sustainable results on education and related programmes/projects.

Required Profile 

Have an advanced university degree in one of the following fields: education, economics, psychology, sociology or any related field combined with relevant experience

Experience and Qualification

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in education, community mobilization and facilitation/training.
• Experience of being a group facilitator or mediator.
• Experience in programme planning, management, and/or research in education is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a Non-Profit system agency or organization.

Qualities

• Adhere to JRS values and abide by the code of conduct and other policies.
• Demonstrate leadership skills, active listening skills, initiative and personal discipline, etc.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information.
• Have good computer skills and mastery of MS Office tools.
• Mastery of English (fluency in spoken and written languages).
• Have a knowledge of a local language preferably Hausa.