Education Officer (Internal /External) at Plan International Ethiopia Full Time

Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organization working for better lives for all children. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Our global strategy has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalized and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 100 million girls over 5 years, to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to reaching the sustainable development goals and in particular the goals of gender equality. Our organization is transforming itself to meet this enormous challenge everywhere we work. We need bold, forward-thinking and innovative individuals to lead our country operations, driving change and delivering results that will allow us to reach our target of 100 million girls.

In Ethiopia, Plan has more than 25 years of experience in implementing its programme. Currently, PIE mainly operates in seven geographical areas; Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR, Gambella, Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, and Addis Ababa City Administration on different projects funded by different donors including sponsorship.

This position is responsible to realize a rapid, proportionate and effective implementation process of this project as per the deliverables in the project document. S/he will need to coordinate with the EU Project manager, PLANs   Education/Child protection/Gender protection staff and other governmental & non-governmental stakeholders working in the refugee camps and host communities.

The officer may be expected to take a very active role in technical coordination, and support with the specific education Clusters and other stakeholders and technical agencies relevant to the sector.

Contract Duration: Six months with possible extension

Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

 Project Management and Implementation

·         Work closely with the Project manager to ensure that the implementation of project activities are progressing as planned and implemented in a phased and prioritized manner in full consultation and coordination with all relevant PIE staff and agencies both governmental and non-governmental

·         A well-demonstrated collaboration with Gambella regional and Woreda education sector bureau for relevant to the implementation of host community activities of the project. I similar manner responsible for coordination with ARRA & UNHCR education and protection units to ensure the smooth implementation of project activities in refugee camps

·         Active involvement in contributing inputs for any revision in the deep implementation plan (DIP) and phased budget  of the project as required

·         Expected to internalize him/herself with the logical framework, project documents(DIP & Phased budget ) , minimum standards for child protection & education and other relevant government policies/strategies to guide the project implementation process

·         Provide technical guidance and direction to the project for effective planning, implementation and monitoring of agreed education plans with special emphasis on the most vulnerable children and their families/primary caregivers

·         Make frequent field visits to the intervention areas (both refugee camps and host communities) to monitor the implementation of project activities, identify opportunities and constraints and any adjustments needed in consultation with the Project manager

·         Design and develop appropriate surveillance, monitoring and evaluation systems for education interventions in the target areas

·         Ensure child protection issues are properly integrated and mainstreamed in the education and other related sectors to create a safe and protective school and community environment.

·         Create child protection capacity, enable linkage and collaboration among the school community, the general community, parents, government and other service-providing sectors such as health, nutrition, police, kebele, justice and court, CCC etc. for better protection and response services.

·         Work closely with the school community to establish and strengthen school clubs to ensure proper child participation.

·         Establish and enable a referral pathway whereby children in the community will be better protected and responded through a network of service providers synergizing with each other.

·         Responsible to ensure the actualization of gender and child protection components of project activities in coordination with the Gender officer and Child Protection staff of PIE and further liaising with Gambella regional and Woreda women & children sector bureau(BWCA).

·         Ensure early and rigorous implementation of quality benchmarks  and accountability mechanisms (Compliance feedback and response mechanism )in collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation officer

·         Strengthening the capacity of existing community-based structures available both in the host and refugee communities ( both child protection and education community-based structures)

 Assessment

·         Provide educational expertise for  Regional Education Bureau and the Gambella Teachers’ Education and Health Science College (TEHSC) to conduct various joint assessments in the host community schools

·         Conducting Knowledge, attitude and practice assessment (KAP) to identify key gaps and barriers to accessing quality education in  refugee and host community schools thereby support on the development of gender-sensitive school improvement plans (SIPs)/school development plans (SDPs),

·         Coordinate with PIE education thematic lead to  ensure that teachers are able to deliver on agreed SIPs/SDPs to deliver quality learning and enhance the capacity of the responsible education authorities

·         Closely working with education thematic lead to identifying Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and other relevant training for teachers through conducting a transparent and ethical assessment on learning outcomes

·         Provide inputs for the project manager during the identification process of  school blocks, latrines and Hand wash construction site through active involvement in the assessment of gaps in the project intervention areas

·         Work jointly with PIE education thematic lead and Regional Education Bureau  to  review the Education Information Management System (EIMS)  and contribute to the development of  an assessment strategy to assess the gaps and identify the needs of the EMIS and the areas where additional support is needed

·         Work in  partnership with the responsible  government sectors and the schools, as well as the ECCD centers, to assess the  capacity building and learning/teaching materials  needs of target  school members both in the refugee  camps and host community, providing them with the relevant support according to the platform of  the project documents

 Planning and Reporting

·         Develop and share for the project manager  feasible annual, quarterly and monthly operational plan in reference to  the DIP, Phased budget and Procurement plan  of the project

·         Submit to the project manager a quality and timely  monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual project progress reports relevant to the project outcome, outputs and indicators

·         Draft detailed training and distribution plan and share respective reports complemented  through clear and logical supportive documentations/Means of verifications stated in the logical framework

Information and Co-ordination

·         Provide regular updates to Project  Manager on new developments, priorities and constraints – verbally/ in writing on an agreed frequency

·         Engage and follow up with relevant implementation manager(s)

·         Represent PIE to governmental and non-governmental groups as needed and agreed with the Project Manager

·         Support the implementation of the project  and represent PIE  in any education coordination mechanisms including any relevant cluster in consultation with the project manager

·         Co-ordination with the relevant government authorities, school directors, other stakeholders and Community based structures  to fasten the project implementation process

·           Regular follow-up and coaching of Community facilitators/assistants/National teachers who are hired to support the educational activities both in refugee and host community scenarios

 ·         Resolves many challenges which typically occur in the project implementation process at the PA level and external coordination level, while introducing innovations as needed to meet the demands of a dynamic and sometimes unpredictable operating environment while ensuring Plan systems and policies are adhered to

Educational Qualification and Experience

·         B.A. degree in Education, Community Development, Social Science, Development studies.

·         Two to three years of working in Education and Child protection programs both at a refugee camp and in a development context.

Knowledge

·         Knowledge of humanitarian activities at refugee camps and understanding of development program interventions

·         Awareness and sensitivity to gender and child protection issues

·         Comprehensive knowledge of minimum standards for education and child protection at humanitarian and development contexts. This includes familiarity with the government education and child protection policy.

Skills Specific to the Post

·         Competent in use of basic computer operating systems(Word , Excel , PPT)

·         Commendable writing and communication skill

·         Interest and love to work with children

·         Good command of the English language (both spoken & written)

·         Knowledge of Nuer and/or Anuac languages is an asset.