Vacancy: Program Officer - Research
Terms of Reference
Terms of Reference
1.0. Introduction
A Charter, establishing the AVU as an Intergovernmental
Organization, has been signed so far by seventeen (17) African Governments -
Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Mozambique,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Ghana, Republic of Guinea, Burkina Faso,
Niger, South Sudan, Sudan, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau.
The AVU has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and a Regional
office in Dakar Senegal with Host-Country Agreements and Diplomatic Status with
the two governments.
The AVU Business Plan 2009-2014 has two main thrusts: (a)
Educational and support services provided on a fee basis; and (b)
Not-for-profit development services.
The Not-for-profit development services aims at building the
capacity of AVU Partner Institutions (PIs) with an objective of increasing
access to quality education through the following activities: updating and
developing content; Open Educational Resources (OER) Development; AVU Capacity
Enhancement Program (ACEP); set up/upgrade ODeL centers; developing
professional networks through Communities of Practices; Research and
Development; and Quality Evaluation and Benchmarking.
Some of the Not-for-profit development services were delivered from 2005 to 2011 through the AVU Multinational Project I, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and implemented in 10 African countries.
The AfDB is funding a second phase of the Multinational Project
which will build on the first phase and will extend its benefits to more
countries.
The overall objective of the AVU Multinational Project II is to
strengthen the capacity of the AVU and a network of 27 institutions to deliver
and manage quality ICT integrated education and training opportunities in 21
African countries.
The project has the following activities:
(1) Establishment of new Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL)
Centers and/or upgrading of exiting AVU Learning Centers as well as Internet
connectivity provision at AVU Partner Institutions;
(2) Development and/or improvement, and delivery of four ICT
integrated Programs: AVU Capacity Enhancement Program (ACEP); Teacher Education
(TE), Computer Science (CS), and Peace and Conflict Resolution;
(3) Gender Mainstreaming,
(4) Research and Development;
(5) Promotion and development of Open Education Resources
(OERs); and
(6) Enhancement of AVU Capacity .
The AVU Multinational Project II will be implemented in 27 AVU
Partner Institutions in the following 21 countries: nine (9) Francophone
African Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic
of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal; three (3) Lusophone African
Countries: Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Mozambique; and nine (9) Anglophone
African Countries: Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, South
Sudan, and Tanzania.
To successfully implement the enhancement of the capacity of AVU, the organization wishes to engage a well experienced Program Officer - Research, who will be responsible for setting up a Research Unit at AVU and for the implementation of the AVU Research and Development Agenda.
2.0. Scope of Work
·
Provide support in the implementation of the AVU research and
development agenda.
·
Assist with writing, editing and research projects.
·
Process and track proposal and manuscript submissions for the
AVU conferences and online journal.
·
Conduct initial review of conference and journal submissions for
compliance with required guidelines and correspond with authors in a timely
fashion on their submissions.
·
Operate online peer-review software to facilitate the peer
review process including uploading files, and ensuring a timely peer review
process.
·
Communicate issues raised by editorial management to authors,
editors and reviewers.
·
Assist authors, reviewers, and editors by responding to queries
by email and phone.
·
Liaise with copy-editors, compositors and proof readers.
·
Troubleshoot routine conference proposals and manuscript issues,
provide input on discussions and escalate issues when appropriate.
·
Provide support as needed to the editorial board.
·
Assist with the organization and logistical support for the AVU
annual conference.
·
Assist with press, website updates and marketing of the
conferences and the journal.
·
Maintain and regularly update peer reviewer database.
·
Maintain relevant statistics on the conferences and online
journal.
·
Other duties as assigned by management.
3.0. Expected Deliverables
·
Online and open peer-reviewed journal supported.
·
Organization of annual conferences supported.
·
Conference and online journal submissions processed.
·
Peer-reviewer database maintained and updated.
·
Marketing and press on conferences and online journal supported.
·
Support provided to editors and editorial board.
·
Support provided to AVU Research & Development activities.
4.0. Qualifications
·
Master’s degree in Education with focus in any of the following
areas: Inquiry Methodology, Distance Education & e-learning, Adult
Education, Education Policy Studies, Instructional Systems Technology,
Educational Technology/Instructional Technology or Information &
Communication Technologies.
·
Educational training and some experience in conducting scholarly
research including skills in literature review, research design, data
collection, analysis and reporting.
·
Strong writing and editing skills, background in working for a
publication (preferably academic) would be an advantage.
·
Strong communication and organizational skills.
·
Problem-solving skills.
·
Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
·
Ability to collaborate with individuals from different location
and cultures.
·
Self-starter and able to take initiative.
·
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
·
Language: Bilingual French-English. Ability to write and
communicate proficiently in both French and English. Knowledge of Portuguese
will be an added advantage.
·
Computer Skills: Microsoft Office, Power Point, Excel, Access,
Internet Skills.
5.0. Modalities of Work: This is a full time
employment .
6.0 Duration: 2 years renewable.
7.0 Reporting The Research/ Editorial Assistant
will report to the Manager Academic Programs.
8.0 Payment
The salary will be commensurate with the qualification and
experience of the successful candidate.
The African Virtual University (AVU) www.avu.org is an equal opportunity employer.
The African Virtual University (AVU) www.avu.org is an equal opportunity employer.
The successful candidate will be appointed for 2 years
renewable.
Application must include a cover letter, detailed curriculum vitae and two writing samples.
Also required is a telephone number; email and residential
addresses; and names with contact addresses of three professional
references.
Applications should be sent to job@avu.org and must have Program
Officer - Research as the email subject.
All inquiries should be sent to avuhr@avu.org
The successful candidate will be based at the AVU Headquarters
in Nairobi, Kenya.
The closing date for this application is 29th July 2013 at 18:00
East African Time (UTC/GMT + 3)
Note: ONLY shortlisted candidates will be contacted.