Job Role
The World University Service of Canada seeks an experienced, dynamic individual to provide technical support and quality control to its education programs in Kenya. The current portfolio focuses largely on girls’ education, and includes the Kenya Equity in Education Project (KEEP) funded via DFID’s Girls Education Challenge, the Equity in Education for Refugee Communities in Kenya (EERCK), funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, and the Humanitarian Education Accelerator, funded by UNHCR’s innovation fund. It is expected that the Education Advisor will also provide sector-specific expertise in developing new project proposals, and will be responsible to support new education and gender projects as the portfolio expands. The role will require regular travel to field sites in Kenya, and occasional international travel.
Specific Duties
A)Technical input to project strategy and design
Apply knowledge from research and best practice to develop project strategies, new project designs, and to develop programming models for implementation.
Provide feedback and review technical documents and reports on project-related activities especially as related to education interventions and practice.
Engage with project teams in annual work planning and other key planning events to ensure that education strategies and practices are relevant to and reflect the reality on the ground.
Provide direct technical inputs at project level by leading training of trainer (TOT) workshops where relevant.
Ensure quality control by attending cascaded teacher trainings, field-level workshops and community events, and providing detailed feedback to staff responsible for knowledge transfer, including classroom observations for trained teachers.
Review project reports and communication with donors to ensure programmatic achievements are communicated accurately and appropriately
Work closely with the M & E team to ensure that monitoring and evaluation systems are designed to appropriately measure progress against education-specific outputs and results.
Work closely with consortium partners to ensure their outputs are technically sound and contextually relevant
Recruit, manage and work with external consultants to develop contextually-relevant programming materials when necessary
Support Program Development efforts for education proposals in other countries as necessary
B)Knowledge Management and Thought Leadership
Maintain expertise in education and gender related best practices, along with a high level of familiarity with research in the field of international comparative education (development)
Capture best practices and learning for institutional knowledge generation. Disseminate this knowledge to project teams for use in program management decision-making.
Lead WUSC’s efforts to support the Ministry of Education to develop evidence-based education policy
Contribute to the profile of WUSC as a leader in girl’s education programming via engagement with donors, partners, NGOs, academia
Participate in international policy and knowledge networks related to international education in the development context.
Organize and participate in knowledge-sharing workshops and conferences, both in Kenya and abroad.
Work closely with the M&E Team to develop and implement operations research components within WUSC education projects. This should ideally lead to publication of peer-reviewed journal articles.
Work closely with the gender advisor to ensure that gender analysis is carried out and mainstreamed in education programs
Line Managers
Kenya: Country Director
HQ: Deputy Program Director – Program Design, Quality and Learning (for support to Program Development and non-Kenya based projects)
Position Requires Close Collaboration with
Education Program Manager – Kenya
Evaluation and Research Advisor – Kenya
Gender Advisor – HQ office
Qualifications and Experience
Master’s Degree in Education, International Development, or another relevant discipline
At least 7 years’ experience in education programming for international settings, preferably with at least two years in Kenya
Experience with gender equity programming is an asset
Experience with education in refugee settings is an asset
Substantial experience leading workshops and training sessions is an asset
Competencies
Complete fluency in English is essential,
Ability to write articulately and cogently, and to edit at a similarly high level
Strong communication, mentoring and team building skills, all applicable in a multi-cultural work environment.
Commitment to gender equity and equality.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office software, Internet and email.
Commitment to organizational goals and functions of WUSC, both locally and internationally.
Other requirements
Ability to travel within Kenya (regularly) and internationally (occasionally)
Ability to work a flexible schedule
Background:
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization that works with and through its southern partners to promote sustainable development. Founded in 1957 and currently working in 22 countries worldwide with an annual budget of approximately $35 million dollars, WUSC’s mission is to foster human development and global understanding through education and training. Our internationally recognized programs target youth, women, and other marginalized populations, focusing on three thematic areas of education, employment, and empowerment. Globally, WUSC has a network of higher
Education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty, and community leaders that can be leveraged to support our work.
WUSC’s members are Canada’s most globally engaged post-secondary institutions. WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment and empowerment.
