Director, Education (Maternity Leave Cover)

Job Description

Department/Division: Program Quality & Impact

Work Arrangement: A combination of in-office and remote-working in accordance with Right To Play’s work arrangement and the operational needs of the department. Possibility of remote-working pending management approval.

Authorized to work in: One of the countries listed above (eligible to work legally without visa or work permit sponsorship)

Target Hiring Range: Local salary scale applies (Grade 10). Hiring range and benefits will be shared with applicants as part of the recruitment process.

Target Start Date: Mid-February 2024

Contract Duration: Full-time / 13-14 months fixed term contract

Application Closing Date: January 5, 2024 23:59 EST

ABOUT US:

Right To Play is a global organisation that protects, educates and empowers children to rise above adversity through the power of play. We help millions of children each year to stay in school and out of work, to prevent life-threatening diseases and to stay safe from exploitation and abuse. We are the leading global development organization that uses play to transform the lives of children and youth impacted by poverty, war, disease and inequality.

Established in 2000, Right To Play reaches children through experiential programming in 15 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. These programs are supported by our headquarters in Toronto, Canada; London, UK and seven national offices across Europe and North America.

With a shared passion for our mission, our Culture Code guides how we act and interact based on five core pillars:

• Accept Everyone – Be intentional about inclusion
• Make Things Happen – Seek opportunities to lead and innovate
• Display Courage – Act with integrity
• Demonstrate Care – Look after yourself and one another
• Be Playful – Have fun at work

Please visit our website to learn more about who we are and what we do, and watch this video to find out about the five pillars of our Culture Code.

ROLE SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Vice President (VP), Impact & Quality, the Director, Education drives excellence in education programming and is responsible for the leadership, oversight and support for implementation of the global education strategy and theories of change. You will facilitate internal and external learning for continuous improvement, leading and mentoring a global team to deliver education programs that improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for children and young people.

You will lead and guide technical and training/ resource development specialists in the design and delivery of quality education programs, including early childhood education, primary education, girls’ education and education in emergencies. Central to this role is providing leadership and strategic direction to strengthen education program quality by supporting country offices and staff in designing, managing and implementing education programs and projects.

You will work with other Program Quality & Impact (PQI) Directors and the VP, Impact & Quality to provide programmatic insights to support and steer organisational priorities. They also work closely with country teams, national offices and HQ to identify and implement key program development initiatives.

The position is required to travel to Right To Play (RTP) program countries (10-15% of time).

___________________________________________________________________________________________

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

#1: Strategic program development (25% of Time):

• Ensures alignment of education programs to the goals set in the global strategic plan and global Theory of Change
• Leads the development of the education strategy and portfolio implementation plan
• Takes a lead in decision making related to the go/no go process for new education programs/ projects, involving specialists in decisions where needed
• Collaborates with the MEL team to align Education ToC and strategies with appropriate indicators and measurement approaches
• Advises during the development of country strategic planning and global strategic planning for education program priorities
• Provides programmatic inputs to support decision making by executive team on funding priorities
• Works with Advocacy and Policy team to analyse trends and changes related to education priorities within the international development sector and communicates these to ensure RTP education strategy and programs integrate current thinking and international best practice
• Works with the Lead, Training & Skills to develop systems and processes to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in development and delivery of education resources and trainings both internally and with external education stakeholders
• Leads the development of education program strategies for new countries of operation
• Provides leadership and technical advice, in collaboration with Policy & Advocacy specialists, on country efforts to influence Ministries of Education and other education stakeholder policies, plans and position related to play based learning.
• Collaborates with Policy and Advocacy specialists to strengthen connections between education strategy, organisational scale efforts, donor priorities and country context

__________________________________________________________________________________________

#2: Team leadership, management and coaching (25% of Time):

• Creates a clear and compelling vision for the global Education team’s work, engaging them to develop ambitious but achievable goals and supporting them to integrate and collaborate effectively within the whole organisation
• Leads change processes in education programming across the organisation to align with RTP’s strategic objectives
• Leads and nurtures a high performance culture within the PQI team
• Develops and manages strategic and operational plans for the global Education team
• Ensures appropriate resourcing of the global Education team to deliver on strategy and projects
• Creates and sustains a continuous improvement culture of innovation, achievement, support, learning and professional development within the team and the global PQI function
• Provides ongoing leadership and mentorship for the team including core management duties (performance management, development planning)
• Assesses organisational education programming capacities and works closely with Country Directors and country-based programs teams to provide strategic and technical capacity strengthening, mentorship and support
• Establishes and maintains knowledge of key education capacity building priorities and guides the development of professional development support plans to ensure relevant education technical specialism is developed across RTP countries in collaboration with Training & Skills Lead
• Organises and promotes thematic communities of practice to share learning across the organisation

____________________________________________________________________________________

#3: Program quality (20% of Time):

• Leads the development and implementation of tools to assess program quality, which may include quality checklists, program audit tools and updated program development and design manual
• Manages and facilitates organisational consultation to develop key education program strategies with focus on partnership, sustainability, climate integration etc.
• Collaborates with Research & Innovation team to the develop and implement the process for design and approval of project models with contextualized fidelity markers and critical design elements
• Advises the Global Partnership Team in developing high quality education project proposals
• Collaborates with Global Partnership Team to identify appropriate consortium partners for major grants
• Reviews major proposals from an education program quality and standards lens
• Integrates best practices in proposal development and communication with external stakeholders
• Contributes to the development of learning agenda with MEL team to identify best practices and programs
• Works closely with policy and advocacy team to inform the development of content for policy and advocacy efforts

____________________________________________________________________________________

#4: Internal and External Representation (15% of Time):

• Serves as a member of the Senior Management Team of the PQI Unit, ensuring evidence and learning are at the core of decision-making for the team
• Leads on the development of strategic partnerships and networks with key universities, research institutions, and international NGOs for the purpose of advancing RTP’s education program quality strategy and contributing to a broader sector-level knowledge base
• Organises RTP representation in key strategic education working groups and networks
• Represents education team views in the development of strategic organizational initiatives
• Represents PQI team in building and stewarding strategic partnerships to raise revenue
• Represents the voice of PQI team in presentations to Executive Team and the International Board of Directors

____________________________________________________________________________________

#5: Promotes and upholds high standards for working with children and young people (5% of Time):

• Promotes and upholds high standards of child and youth safeguarding, participation and accountability across all of RTP’s work
• Understands and embeds the principles of gender equality and social inclusion into project and program design, implementation and quality assurance
• Upholds a commitment to learn about, promote and embed play-based approaches to learning
• Engages in ongoing learning and upskilling related to gender equality and social inclusion through play-based learning

___________________________________________________________________________________

#6: Other Tasks as Assigned (5% of Time)

___________________________________________________________________________________

WHAT YOU’LL BRING (ESSENTIAL):

EDUCATION/TRAINING/CERTIFICATION:

• University degree in education, or social sciences, public policy, international development/affairs, or other relevant areas
• Training and/or additional certification in thematic areas of education, play-based learning, child protection, gender equality and social inclusion.

EXPERIENCE:

• 10 years of relevant professional experience in role(s) with progressively senior levels of leadership in international development at a global level
• 5 years of experience working in a low HDI country context
• 5 years of experience in managing and developing staff within a cross-functional organization
• Experience with planning and implementation of multi-country education projects funded by governments and foundations.
• Demonstrates strong affiliation or engagement with global/local development networks

COMPETENCIES/PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Demonstrates leadership and models RTP’s culture code
• Consistently communicates a com­pelling vision that generates excitement, enthusiasm and commitment to the group’s mission, purpose­ and goals.
• Critically reflects and explores new knowledge, theory, perspective and practice to support evolving leadership in an education role.
• Demonstrates ability to adapt, learn and change through self-awareness and management of emotions and ability to develop supportive and productive work relationships.
• Contributes to development of annual departmental budget and oversees and tracks spending of global education portfolio budget
• Sets priorities and takes calculated risks in order to optimize resources and improve operational effectiveness and program/service delivery. Reviews and modifies contingency strategies to address potential issues.
• Assesses impact (cost, risks, etc.) associated with changes to current processes, systems, services or operations. Considers the wider implications to the organization, partners, donors, governments, etc.
• Ensures approved change initiatives are implemented and sustained. Manages key user/client expectations.
• Champions the culture of continuous improvement that promotes organisational learning, innovation, achievement and support. Ensures these attributes are given priority attention while conducting the business of the organization.
• Identifies and pursues opportunities to build and strengthen partnerships and alliances that are mutually advantageous and support the strategic interests of Right To Play.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Coach and mentor others
• Manage finances
• Training and facilitation skills
• High quality representational skills
• Critical analysis and reflection
• Clear writing and communication
• Cultural sensitivity

SECTOR SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE:

• Strong knowledge of issues related to quality education in development and humanitarian program design, planning and implementation
• Strong understanding of international education bodies and policy

LANGUAGES:

• Fluency in oral and written English.

BONUS IF YOU’LL BRING (NOT ESSENTIAL):

• Professional expertise and experience of working in various domains of Education (e.g. global education policy, child-centred methodologies, curriculum design and implementation, social emotional learning, child protection, gender equality, school-improvement programs, after school programs, teacher training, education in emergencies, early childhood education, adult education, play-based learning)
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of donor government assistance policies and global initiatives influencing international education trends
• Fluency in Arabic, French or Portuguese

WHAT YOU’LL GET:

The opportunity to collaborate with an innovative global team who are passionate about working with children and youth. You will gain experience working for a globally recognized organization with a healthy culture premised on our Culture Code (accept everyone, make things happen, display courage, demonstrate care and be playful). You will be immersed in an environment where learning and development is encouraged and valued, and “play” is appreciated as a core avenue to building community.

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Flexible work arrangements (e.g. work from home and flex hours)
• 5 personal learning and development (L&D) days per year
• Annual learning week
• Annual staff recognition awards
• Opportunity to connect with employees across our offices (Global Buddy Chat, Facebook Workplace)
• Opportunity to engage in global projects and initiatives
• Wellness programs
• Playful activities and events