Position Title: Sr. Secondary Education Manager--- Somali Advancing
Girls Education (SAGE)
Duty Station: Hargeisa, Somaliland
(40%) with frequent travel to project field offices (60%)
This position is contingent upon funding
Program/Department Summary:
The SAGE Girls
Secondary Education Manager will provide technical assistance and oversight for
all aspect of the girls’ secondary education programming.
SAGE is a 3-year
program for to $30 million (£19.3 million) program to improve educational
outcomes, enrolment and retention of 25,000 vulnerable primary and secondary
school girls across Somalia.
SAGE will work with
girls between the ages of 6 to 19. SAGE will:
1) improve the quality
of teaching to increase girls’ learning outcomes,
2) increase enrolment
and retention of girls in formal and non-formal education,
3) improve Somali
families’ acceptance and ability to pay for girls education and
4) expand Ministry of
Education policies and capacity to integrate marginalized girls and ensure that
girls’ educational gains are sustainable. SAGE will work with the four
Ministries of Education operating across Somalia (Somaliland, Puntland, Central,
and Mogadishu).
General Position Summary:
General Position Summary:
The Girls Secondary
Education Manager will lead the development and implementation of secondary
education programming.
This requires being
responsible for the overall management of all aspects of SAGE secondary
education programming, including assessment, planning, implementation,
monitoring, capacity building of local government partners and Mercy Corps
staff, reporting, and ongoing evaluation.
These activities
should be in line with government policies, Mercy Corps strategic plan, and
education strategies as outlined in the Mercy Corps and DFID agreement.
Essential Job Functions:
Essential Job Functions:
Program Management
- Collaborate
with program, finance and administrative staff.
- Ensure
monitoring of secondary education activities is on time, target and
budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts in order
to assess the SAGE effectiveness and impact and propose recommendations
for improvements.
- Create
and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial
resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and
Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
- Implement
and model Mercy Corps’ philosophy of social entrepreneurship and leverage
Mercy Corps’ best practices.
- Manage
technical aspects of secondary education programming for SAGE including
developing incentives for girls to enter into secondary school, promoting
female teachers and administrators at school, improving teacher
performance and motivation, and tracking the development of female
teachers who are simultaneously completing their secondary degree.
- Design
and coordinate secondary education surveys, need assessments, data and
information collection for on-going monitoring.
- Review
teacher training materials and courses designed by the various Ministries
of Education, teacher training institutes, teachers in process, or at the
school level. Recommendations how these materials and delivery of
them can be improved to be more responsive to adolescent girls.
- Train
Education Ministries, teacher training institutes, teachers in progress,
teachers and school administrations.
- Liaise
closely with the SAGE personnel coordinating the delivery of the
conditional cash transfers for Grade 9 students.
- Maintains
links and keep current on up-to-date best practices around innovative
strategies of promoting girls education; disseminate technical information
and assistance where necessary.
- Coordinate
closely with other SAGE personnel to ensure all objectives of the proposal
and activities are met.
- Organizes
site-visits to the projects sites and host visitors and consultants, as
needed.
Representation
- Identify,
build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners,
sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
- Communicate
effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are
met.
- Participate
in education coordination meetings as requested by the Project
Director.
Team Management
- Create
and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive
to achieve excellence.
- Promote
accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback
via regular performance reviews.
- Recruit
and supervise SAGE secondary education staff members, including setting
program tasks to ensure the fulfillment of program goals.
- Contribute
to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem
solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into
relevant decision-making processes.
- Provide
team members with information, tools and other resources to improve
performance & reach objectives.
Supervisory Responsibility: National staff and coordinating with implementing partners.
Accountability
Accountability
Reports Directly To:
Project Director, SAGE
Works Directly With:
All SAGE Team Members
Knowledge and Experience:
Knowledge and Experience:
- MA/S or
equivalent in education, management, social sciences, international
development or other relevant field.
- A
minimum of 7 years of overseas experience in active conflict or
post-conflict environment including 3 years in a senior management or
technical advisory role on large, education focused program.
- Experience
advising Education Ministries.
- Strong
understanding of DfID compliance issues;
- Strong
written and oral communication skills in English required, including
report development, writing and editing.
- Strong
management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural
issues in high security environment. Experience managing a
multi-organizational team (international and national partners) is a plus.
- Somali
language skills preferred
- Experience
managing girls’ secondary education programs required. Prefer
expertise in at least one of the following areas: Ministry of Education
capacity building, teacher training (primary and secondary level),
community-based education targeting community acceptance of girl’s
education, and design and implementation of smart subsidies to increase
education enrollment and retention.
- Experience
working in the Horn of Africa is preferred, especially in Somalia
- Demonstrated
attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work
independently and cooperatively with team members.
- Demonstrated
experience working with country-level ministries and government officials,
Ministry of Education experience preferred.
Success Factors:
The successful Manager
will combine exceptional management skills and technical skills with a focus on
innovative interventions to enroll and retain Somali girls in school.
S/he will also have
proven experience with providing technical training, cross-cultural teams and
capacity building, individual staff development, and strong mentoring skills.
Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to
detail and strategic vision are essential.
The most successful
Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and
accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective
written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions:
Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions:
The Project Director
will be based in Hargeisa, and manage activities throughout the country with an
estimated travel of up to 60%. This is an unaccompanied post in an
insecure, conservative environment. Mercy Corps team members live in
group housing given security risks.
Mercy Corps team
members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when
deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting.
Team members are
expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws,
customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all
in-country venues.
To apply, please use the following link to our jobs page:http://bit.ly/S6kXEG
To apply, please use the following link to our jobs page:http://bit.ly/S6kXEG