Non-Formal Education Technical Advisor – Mogadishu, Somalia

 Vacancy Announcement

Somalia Bar ama Baro, BAB “Teach or Learn” Program

Position Title: Non-Formal Education Technical Advisor

Position Location: Mogadishu, Somalia

Background:

Creative Associates International is a dynamic, fast-growing global development firm that specializes in education, economic growth, democratic institutions and stabilization. Based in Washington, D.C., Creative has a field presence in more than 25 countries with a strong client portfolio that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, among others. Since its founding in 1977, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.

Program Summary: 

The USAID/Somalia Bar ama Baro, BAB “Teach or Learn”Program works to increase access to quality education for a targeted number of out-of-school children and youth (ages ~8-15 years) in specific regions of Somalia. The program will work to increase student enrollment in accelerated education program (AEP) sites, improve their safety, monitor acquisition of literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotionallearning (SEL) skills among the learners who enroll in them, and enhance the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education’s (MoECHE’s) capacity to regulate them.

Position Summary:

Evidence shows that more than half of all children and adolescents in Somalia have never attended formal education or are currently out-of-school for a range of different reasons.  TheNon-Formal Education (NFE) subsector aims to address this issue and improve learning for those who have never benefited from formal education or for those who have dropped out of school. The MoECHE is committed to its set objectives, including the need to establish and strengthen the capacity of the NFE& TVETDepartment to ensure development of specific policy regulations and coordination between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the Federal Member States (FMSs), as well as partner organizations.

Creative Associates and partners will jointly work with the MoECHE to continue supporting the NFE sub-sector in the Alternative Basic Education (ABE)/Accelerated Education Program (AEP) component. The USAID/Somalia-funded and Creative Associates implemented ‘Bar ama Baro’ (Teach or Learn) program works to increase access to quality education for a targeted number of out-of-school children and youth (age ~8-15) in specific regions of Somalia. The program will work to increase student enrolment in AEPsites, improve their safety, monitor acquisition of literacy, numeracy and socio-economic skills among the learners who enroll in them, and enhance the FGS’ capacity to regulate them.

The Non-Formal Education Technical Advisor (NFE-TA), henceforth TA,will work in tandem with and support the Deputy Chief of Party – Policy, Curriculum, and Government Liaison (DCoP-PCGL) and the MoECHE Non-Formal Education/Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NFE/TVET) Director, as well as the Reading/Education in Conflict or Crisis Advisor (RECCA),DCoP-Programs and Teacher Training, among other BAB team members. The TAwill be responsible for providing technical support for all policy and curriculum assessment and development activities, including facilitating and coordinating design, development, and implementation of the NFEAEP teaching and learning materials.

The TA will also support the DCoP-PCGL who will lead BABProgram supported efforts to facilitate development of national NFE AEP policies and corresponding quality assurance measures with the FGS MoECHE through theuse of collaborative and capacity building approachesthat use data to build national AEP policies and to design quality learning materials. The TA position requires a technically qualified and experienced individualwith appropriate interpersonal and mediation skills to mobilize actors at all levels of the MoECHE in supporting a comprehensive program to better serve Somalia’s out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY).

TheTAis required to undertake a collaborative and capacity-building approach withthe BAB team, partner organizations, most notably Save the Children International (SCI), Charlie Goldsmith Associates (CGA), SIL LEAD, and ORB International, as well as the primary stakeholder MoECHE at the federal level and respective Ministry of Education (MoE) representatives at the state and regional levels. This willensure a co-creation and inclusive collaborative approach that will result in the final AEP-approved curriculum and associated materials, as well as fulfillment, in a quality-oriented and timely manner, of all deliverables and tasks as highlighted within this job description.

Reporting and Supervision:

The Non-Formal Education Technical Advisor (NFE-TA) willbe supervised by the Deputy Chief of Party – Policy, Curriculum, and Government Liaison (DCoP-PCGL) and have an established line of communication with the NFE/TVET Director.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide technical support to the DCoP-PCGL in fulfillment of respective deliverables and tasks.
• Work with the NFE Director to constitute, lead and coordinate the establishment of the NFE Technical Working Group (TWG) across all the stakeholders at the federal and state levels to regulate the development of the NFE policy, curriculum and teaching/learning materials.
• Lead the development and finalization of the draft NFE policy, building on achievements of the NFE Policy Workshop held in February 2020.
• Lead and support the translation of the national NFE Policy into Somali language and subsequent dissemination to all federal state members.
• Support the design and development of policy implementation guidelines and strategy and ensure equity and inclusivity of diverse national values. The policy and or the implementation guidelines must include a student certification framework for NFE/AEP.
• Work closely with the BAB team to support in the design and development of AEP curriculum, teaching/learning materials (TLMs), textbooks, teacher guides, and evaluation tools; assist in conducting situational analysis, and piloting assessment of curriculum and T/L materials.
• Work closely with the BAB team to support the design and development, as well as the implementation, of the Teacher Professional Development Plan, including teacher certification and performance requirements.
• Support the design and development of policy and teacher regulatory systems and lead data linkages for certified teachers’ information entered in the teacher service data bank.
• Work closely with the NFE/TVET Director, BAB team and other partners, as appropriate, to establish systems that would facilitate proper implementation and accountability of AEP to the target areas.
• Work with relevant program stakeholders and local officials to provide support to sustain policy initiatives and facilitate development and implementation of policies, particularly in the areas of systems, access, attendance, reading instruction, assessment, and accountability.
• Facilitate policy review meetings regardingreading and access to track progress in implementing new policies, identify corrective actions to speed implementation, and develop tools to assess impact.
• Lead the planning and implementation of capacity-building plans for education officials and local stakeholders to develop leadership, managerial, and supervisory skills to effectively implement policies and regulations regardingaccess to education and improved learning outcomes.
• Provide capacity-building support on data analysis and evidence-based decision-making, monitoring, and staff mentoring.
• Support various means and methods for the dissemination of new policies and opportunities for bottom-up feedback at all levels through state-level workshops involving federal and state government education officials and other federal, state, and local level actors supporting education service delivery.
• Promote inclusivity, gender equity, and conflict mitigation and peacebuilding throughout all policy design and implementation and consensus building processes.
• Ensure all materials developed are gender-sensitive and inclusive, promote student and teacher well-being, and promote peacebuilding and conflict mitigation.
• Be a primary on-the-ground representative in Mogadishu city of CreativeAssociates interacting with the MoECHE, et al. in-person, when appropriate and permitted, to advance the objectives of BAB Program.
• Interact with relevant stakeholders at the MoECHE and FGS ministries on a regular basis to keep them abreast of the BAB Program and engage them in furthering program objectives.
• Engage in regular communications, with to be determined frequency and medium, with the supervisor DCoP-PCGL and associated BAB and Creative colleagues to keep everyone apprised of ongoing information sharing, including issues and opportunities as concerns BAB Program, with the MoECHE and MoEs, et al.
• Willing and able to train and be trained.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Education, Bachelor’s degree in education, or related field is preferred.
• At least six(6) years of demonstrated technical and management experience in the education sector, having a similar scope to this activity, with progressively higher positions of authority and responsibility is preferred.
• Must have experience in curriculum and policy development with relevance to education, specifically grades 1-8, and youth issues.

• Must have good analytical, oral and written communication skills.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Must be fluent in written and spoken Somali language.
• Working knowledge of written and spoken Arabic language is preferred.
• Must be able to demonstrate leadership and team-building skills.
• Must be able to engage positively and productively with a diverse population of team members, stakeholders, and government counterparts.
• Must be currently based in and working from Mogadishu.
• Must have a valid Somali passport, or at least valid Somali national ID card,or obtain within 90-days of contract signing, to facilitate living and working in Somali and work-related travel throughout BAB Program area of implementation.
• Experience working on donor funded projects, preferably with USAID, is preferred.

HOW TO APPLY 

How to apply: 

Application Instructions:

Send electronic submissions of updated resume & cover letter to Recruitment@crea-bab.com  before 5 PM on Sunday August 23, 2020. Please include the Job Title in the subject line by writing Application forNon-Formal Education Technical Advisor – Mogadishu Somalia. 

 Only finalists will be contacted. Creative Associates International Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.