Education Officer (Better Learning Program) -Shire

Position:                                          Education Officer (Better Learning Programme)

Reports to:                                      Education Coordinator when in duty station, on deployment will report to Area Programme Manager of the area.

Supervision of:                               N/A

Duty station:                                  Shire Office

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organisation’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes and believes shall guide our actions and relationships.

Job Overview

NRC programming aims to ensure that vulnerable, displacement-affected people (returnees, refugees, as well as people internally displaced by conflicts or natural disasters) are able to meet their essential needs – in terms of quality, diversity and quantity – both in times of emergency and in situations of protracted displacement. The NRC Education programme seeks to enable vulnerable displaced-affected people, particularly children, to access safe, inclusive, quality education.

The Education Officer (BLP) with direct supervision of the Education Coordinator within the Education Core Competency will be responsible primarily for training education staff and teachers in integrated psycho-social support (PSS) activities through NRC’s Better Learning Programme syllabi in targeted and assigned active education grants. This will include designing and improving training materials, leading Trainer of Trainers, supporting and observing BLP programming, monitoring BLP programming, and providing regular reports on the progress of BLP capacity building.

The Better Learning Programme aims to address the acute psycho-social needs of children affected by conflict-induced trauma. It was developed by NRC and the University of Tromso in 2007 and is an evidence-based programme. The Better Learning Programme reaches out to all pupils with classroom-based strategies to cope with stress using practice and adaptable exercises that are integrated into classroom activities and regular learning.

Please note this position requires a large amount of travel to NRC’s education projects in different provinces across the Tigray regional state.

Generic Responsibilities

1. Ensure compliance with NRC policies, guidelines and standards.

2. Develop, improve and utilize training materials for continuous ongoing professional development of education staff and NRC teachers to implement the Better Learning Programme (BLP).

3. Lead Training of Trainers (ToT) for education staff across NRC’s education offices, successfully training and developing the capacity of BLP trainers across the Tigray.

4. Support and monitor teacher training carried out by BLP trainers, ensuring high quality facilitation and provide reporting on training progress.

5. Support the education team to develop BLP curriculum materials including teacher manuals, parent sessions and peer-to-peer supervision.

6. Support the education team with ongoing technical guidance to field staff implementing BLP, in particular with monitoring and reporting.

7. Support evidence-based learning for programme development and ensure that lessons learned are properly documented, effectively disseminated and where appropriate, incorporated into wider design and advocacy initiatives.

8. Conduct regular field visits to provide supportive supervision to all BLP Programmes.

9. Provide support with the proofreading and translation of the BLP related materials.

10. Manage all logistical responsibilities of the field visits and trainings.

Specific Responsibilities

1. Manage annual BLP calendar including training, distributions, surveys, teacher supervision and monthly and end of year reporting.

2. Continuously develop and update training materials to meet the needs of Tigray when rolling out BLP.

3. Support the strengthening of psychosocial support and child protection referral systems in all field offices.

4. Support with needs assessments and community and parent sensitization regarding BLP.

5. Provide technical support to teams working with parents and with supervision for teachers.

6. As part of the education team, actively support preparation of progress, regular and donor reports related to the BLP.

7. Prepare lessons learnt and success stories of successful programme implementation.

8. Prepare BLP related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other needed documents to ensure programme quality.

9. Provide support to broader education programming as needed, particularly during project start-up phases.

Critical Interfaces 

The relevant interfaces for this position are as follows:

Project planning: Education Coordinator

Area operations: Area Programme Manager

Staff development: Education team members

External engagement: project participants and stakeholders including teachers and parents, and Education Sub-Cluster partners on themes related to PSS

 Scale and Scope of Position

Human resource management: None.

Stakeholders: Government through school authorities, international and local NGOs, UN agencies, local authorities, civil society actors, community leaders, parents and caregivers, other community members, teachers, and education administrators.

Budget: None.

Information System: Aggresso, Office 365 and managing BLP data through Excel.

Legal Aspects: NRC code of conduct, terms of employment, Ethiopian labour law, donor rules and regulations, safety and security plan and procedures and government regulations.

Competencies  

Generic professional competencies for this position: 

• 2 years’ experience in humanitarian response within the education sector
• Familiarity with psychosocial support (PSS) for children
• Experience in training teachers
• Experience in developing and delivering capacity-building packages.
• Demonstration of the ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders and develop consensus and joint working.
• Excellent knowledge of English and Tigrigna languages
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Context-related skills, knowledge, and experience: 

• University degree in either Education or Psychology or a closely related field (significant experience in lieu will be considered)
• Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Understanding of child protection concerns within the context.
• Understanding of education challenges within the context
• Knowledge and experience in psychosocial support in humanitarian settings
• Knowledge of relevant legal and policy frameworks, international and domestic
• Flexible and creative

Behavioural competencies 

• Handling insecure environments
• Managing resources to optimize results.
• Empowering and building trust.
• Managing performance and development
• Planning and delivering results
• Building relationships with diverse stakeholders