Organization Summary
RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Our staff of nearly 6,000 works in more than 75 countries—tackling hundreds of projects each year to address complex social and scientific challenges on behalf of governments, businesses, foundations, universities, and other clients and partners. Through independent research and science-based programs, we are making positive impacts on people and communities around the world. Our diverse team embraces challenges in an inclusive atmosphere that values work-life balance and creates global opportunities for career development. If you’re looking for a dynamic workplace culture, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities to grow, join our team and discover the RTI Difference.
Division Summary
IDG’s International Education Division supports education development around the world by strengthening education policy, management and practice in order to achieve measurable improvement in teaching and learning. From our well-established reputation in education system strengthening, to innovative work in early grade assessment and learning, RTI is improving education quality, relevance and efficiency through implementation of projects funded by USAID, The LEGO Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other donors and clients.
Project Summary
The Primary Education in Crisis Activity in Ethiopia is a five-year initiative funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and LEGO to help meet children’s essential demand for education in Ethiopia. The purpose of this Activity is: improved learning outcomes, wellbeing, and systems resilience for the most vulnerable primary school age children affected by crisis in Ethiopia.
Achievement of the purpose is dependent on success in the areas of the following three Intermediate Results (IRs)
- IR 1: Improved federal and regional capacity to prepare for, coordinate and oversee play based targeted instruction during acute crisis through to recovery
- IR 2: Educators, school and classroom environments, formal and informal, have improved capabilities to support children’s holistic foundational skills and wellbeing
- IR 3: Communities and caregivers have improved capabilities promote children’s holistic foundational skills, wellbeing, and resilience
Position Summary
The Teacher Professional Development & Instructional Lead will oversee the design, implementation, and monitoring of teacher capacity-building initiatives for the Primary Education in Crisis Activity in Ethiopia. The position will collaborate with other technical leads to ensure the effective delivery of play-based and targeted instruction for children affected by crises, fostering holistic foundational skills, wellbeing, and resilience. This role will work closely with federal and regional stakeholders and will support and collaborate with regional team members to engage Woreda-level officials and stakeholders, educators, caregivers, and community leaders to build an adaptive and inclusive education system, in both formal and informal learning contexts, aligned with the project’s objectives.
This position will be based in Addis Ababa and will report to the PECA Technical Advisor.
Responsibilities
Your primary responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
- Lead the development and implementation of evidence-based teacher professional development programs that incorporate play-based learning and targeted instruction for crisis-affected children, while working closely with other PECA technical leads.
- Design training on High-Impact Teaching Strategies for the Teachers’ and Educational Leaders’ Development Department of the MOE and REBs, and for our local partners.
- Collaborate with federal and regional authorities to strengthen capacity-building frameworks for educators and ensure alignment with national education strategies.
- Serve as a technical expert in instructional methodologies, ensuring they address children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physical needs.
- Design and facilitate training-of-trainers (ToT) initiatives to equip local education officials and school leaders with tools to cascade training effectively.
- Develop inclusive and culturally relevant instructional materials, toolkits, and guides to support teachers and school environments in delivering holistic foundational skills.
- Foster the integration of play-based learning strategies within formal and informal educational settings to enhance learning outcomes and wellbeing.
- Ensure all instructional content is gender-sensitive, trauma-informed, and adaptable to diverse crisis contexts.
- Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to assess the impact of teacher training and instructional programs on student outcomes.
- Use data-driven insights to continuously improve training methodologies and materials.
- Document lessons learned and best practices for replication and scale-up in similar crisis-affected contexts.
- Collaborate with cross-sectoral teams, including health, nutrition, and psychosocial support specialists, to promote a holistic approach to child development.
- Represent the project in key education forums, workshops, and policy dialogues at the federal and regional levels.
- Contribute to work-planning and regular program reporting.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree and 12 years of experience, Master’s degree and 10 years of experience, PhD and 6 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience designing and implementing teacher professional development programs, including within the formal education system.
- Demonstrated experience working with play-based and child-centered instructional methods in primary education.
- Strong knowledge of holistic child development, including cognitive, social-emotional, and physical domains.
- Expertise in developing and delivering trauma-informed, inclusive, and culturally relevant training programs.
- Familiarity with crisis and conflict-sensitive education approaches.
- Excellent training, facilitation, and coaching skills, with a proven ability to engage diverse audiences.
- Strong project management skills, including work planning, budgeting, and reporting.
- Proficiency in data-driven decision-making and adaptive learning approaches.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with government officials, educators, communities, and other stakeholders.
- Fluency in English required; knowledge of local Ethiopian languages is an asset.
- Commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and child-centered approaches in education.
- Flexibility and adaptability to work in dynamic and challenging environments.
- Strong interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity.