Senior Program Officer - Education

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. The IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war and disaster. Currently operating in over 40 countries, the IRC restores dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure across the world-leading the way from harm to home.

IRC has been working in Pakistan for nearly 40 years, managing and delivering large, complex programs in most difficult and hard to reach geographies of the country, to provide needs-based support including health, education, protection, environmental health, climate change, governance, and livelihood for displaced, poor, and disaster-affected communities. With continuous support from the federal and provincial governments, and generous donors the IRC is currently implementing projects to serve refugees, internally displaced people, marginalized and flood affected communities across the country. Working in close coordination with communities, districts, and provincial governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh provinces ensures IRC’s success in serving people in need.

Job Overview/Summary: Under the supervision of the Technical Coordinator Education and Project Manager, the Senior Programme Officers-Education will provide technical support and ensure quality in project implementation of the project and its interventions in select districts of Balochistan province. He/she will conduct capacity building and training for teachers, head teachers, education managers and field project teams aiming at improvement in students’ learning outcomes in target schools and ensure implementation of School Development Plans to monitor and report progress on regular basis while engaging community and ensuring inclusivity. The role will also involve monitoring, evaluation and site-based capacity development and ensure implementing measures for keeping a record of students’ learning outcomes, inclusive approach to offering education in schools especially those with disabilities. The position holder will support the Project Manager and Education Technical Coordinator conduct field visits and assist in human resource capacity development, scheduling, record keeping, knowledge sharing, reporting and other activities assigned by the supervisor. The incumbent will regularly attend meetings and any other tasks assigned by the line manager.

Major Responsibilities:

Planning and project implementation:

• Work in close coordination with the Project Manager, Education Coordinator and project team to achieve overall grant objectives, deliverables, and compliance within donor guidelines.

• Provide technical support to the partners in the development/updating of the work plan for education component of the project with clear objectives and achievement benchmarks.

• Any other assigned tasks by the line manager.

Quality Oversight:

• In consultation with the Education Coordinator, and the Senior MEAL Coordinator, coordinate the maintenance of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework, including quality control, project data and reporting.

• Conduct regular school visits, engage with the school staff , maintain a cordial relationship, and provide hands on support for the roll out of education activities in consultation with the project manager

• Work closely with the Project Manager and Education Coordinator to provide clear technical support, supervision, training, and mentoring to the education partners, including training needed to build specialized skills especially for school development plans.

• Stay well-informed of developments related to new tools and guidelines etc.

• Ensure integration of Education with other sectors (health, WPE, WASH, Nutrition, Cash, climate change and power etc.) especially in emergencies adhering to integrated project designs.

• Contribute substantially to development and implementation core education activities.

• Participate regularly in meetings and CEP related activities and trainings

• Ensure quality implementation

Coordination and Representation:

• Actively maintain effective working relationships with project teams and other stakeholders such as the headteachers, teachers and district and provincial level education managers for smooth implementation of project.

• Maintain a productive working relationship with key education actors working in the formal and nonformal education sector for knowledge sharing on standard methodologies and implementation across project areas.

• Ensure key field concerns are brought to the IRC team and relevant partners with proposed solutions.

• Participate in Local Education Sector Meetings and represent IRC and share project successes.

Reporting:

• The position will reports to the Project manager and administratively to the District manager

• Provide support to teams in delivering quality outcomes related to children’s learning, teaching, and learning environment and process, obtain and maintain key data from partners and reporting.

• Support Education partners/consultants in producing high-quality progress reports and document rationale for under achievement of project targets .

• Provide support on updating 5Ws and RRP (flood response and refugee response) using the activity info portal.

• Produce analytical reports on change in students’ learning levels at class, school, and accumulative levels.

• Document project learnings and support teams hold quality learning events

Position in the Chaman and Chagai districts report to: Project Manager

Position directly supervises: NA

Job Requirements:

Education:

• Master’s degree in education and/or social sciences preferably with a specialization in assessment for learning.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 5-8 years of working experience in an I/NGO in a similar position and providing technical support to education focused projects with strong knowledge of ECE, primary, elementary, and secondary school education and sports activities especially.

• Sound knowledge of assessment for learning approach, conducting student assessment, developing assessments, learning strategies, screening of learning difficulties and analytics.

• Good understanding on INEE standards and best practices in teaching and learning

• Experience of working with government and private schools, government teachers including teacher training and continuous professional development, school based coaching and mentoring.

• Clear concept of student assessment development and knowledge of government’s education service delivery system

• Sound knowledge of child protection, child rights , GBV and DRR principles

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Sound knowledge of the software (Microsoft Windows, MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint) and SPSS.

• Excellent report writing and editing skills

• Experience in training and workshop facilitation and manual development

• Proven track record of supporting teams to meet project timelines and quality assurance

• Ability to analyze data for project course correction

• Knowledge of teacher appraisal and assessment for learning

• Excellent communication and analytical skills, including the ability to develop and deliver presentations

• Strong leadership, negotiation and consensus building skills

• Ability to work with diverse teams, multitasking and manage competing priorities within tight deadlines

• Must be a team player and has the ability to manage competing priorities and deadline and working in high pressure situations

• Demonstrates keen interest in learning, professionalism, and high quality work ethics

Language Skills:

• Strong English language skills both written and oral; knowledge of local languages preferred.

Desirable criteria:

• Past work experience of teaching in primary and middle school, in Education in Emergencies, Livelihoods, and Skills Development project directly as well as through implementing or consortium partners.

• Sound knowledge of Pakistan’s education, social and political context

• Fluency in local languages would be an asset

The IRC Core Values and Commitments.

• The IRC and its workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality, and Accountability. According to these values, the IRC operates and implements policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation, and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

• IRC is committed to ensuring that IRC staff are suitable to work with children and have the knowledge s/he needs to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child Safeguarding Policy.

• Level of interaction with children: Frequent direct contact with children

• IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures, and actions demonstrate this dedication.