GRADE: 2

TEAM/PROGRAMME: POD/Education

LOCATION: Bardibas, EFO

CONTRACT LENGTH: TBD

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: Level 2: either the post holder will have access to personal data about children and/or young people as part of their work; or the post holder will be working in a ‘regulated’ position (accountant, barrister, solicitor, legal executive); therefore a police check will be required (at ‘standard’ level in the UK or equivalent in other countries).

ROLE PURPOSE: 

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children. We save children’s lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential. We work together, with our partners from civil societies and government, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. We reach approximately two million population and invest over 30 million US dollars annually to reach more children than ever before, through programmes in Health and Nutrition, Education, Child Rights and Governance and Child Protection, Child Poverty, HIV and AIDS, and Humanitarian.

The Technical Manager - Education is responsible for ensuring high quality child-focused programs reaching the most vulnerable and deprived and is primarily responsible for the continued development and quality of SC’s education works in respective Field Offices. Responsibilities include but not limited to defining strategies and thrive for learning. The position will provide technical oversight to all ECCD and Basic Education Programs and projects at the Provincial and Palika Level. 

At the provincial level, s/he will support SC’s management team to establish and maintain functional collaboration and coordination with government counterparts, development partners, and donors; at the national level, s/he will engage in program development and quality assurance with the Kathmandu-based Program Development and Quality (PDQ) team. S/he will engage in communication with donors and member countries for ECCD and BE programs under her/his purview. The position holder will work closely with other departments, including advocacy team and ECCD and BE Advisor/Specialist required technical support is provided to the SC team and partners in a timely manner. 

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that key organisational principles and approaches (such as GESI, child participation and accountability) are well integrated throughout the project cycle and in advocacy. S/he will also be responsible for ensuring that lessons derived through implementation of projects are well articulated, documented and disseminated both internally and externally and fed into strategic development of the overall portfolio. 

The position holder will ensure that research and quality programming forms the basis upon which we advocate for changes in policy and practice by key duty-bearers at local, provincial and national levels. Play a leading role in designing projects in field offices, programmes and research, including approaches to partnerships and advocacy and building field office (and partners’) capacity and reputation to deliver technically sound ECCD and BE programming and policy work. S/he will also be responsible for representation and networking with donors and government (local, provincial and national), as well as key internal stakeholders from across SCI. S/he will contribute to the development and implementation of SC’s global policies and strategies on ECCD and BE as a member of the SC community of interest on ECCD and BE 

Supports Save the Children’s dual mandate of development programmes as well as being the leader in emergency preparedness and response for children. 

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: 

• TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING (30% LOE) 
  
• Ensure that core education Common Approaches, training modules, and other education approaches are rolled out effectively and with fidelity to education theme staff and partners 
  
• Introduce innovative ideas and approaches to support improved learning and development outcomes for children and education system strengthening. 
  
• Identify needs and opportunities for programs through situation analyses/feasibility studies, networking, and leveraging research and evaluation findings from both internal and external sources. 
  
• In consultation with POD colleagues, ensure that education activities (as relevant) contribute to education goals and meet agency significant benefit standards.
  
• With PDQ, build and nurture a community of practice to foster technical knowledge and growth within the decentralized education theme 
  
• Provide on-going and one-off technical support and advice to programs and partners as needed.
  
• Coordinate with Line Managers to identify internal and external capacity building needs, opportunities, and resources to provide high quality technical assistance to Health and Nutrition projects, supporting technical staff, partner agencies and others to build knowledge and technical competence.
  
• Support partner organization identification process, ensuring that partners have robust and proven thematic excellence, implementation structure, human resources required for quality program delivery. Work with education team including sponsorship team to build a responsive capacity building program for partners to ensure fidelity to core education approaches.
  
• Provide oversight and support to project managers while developing quality implementation plan, annual project activities, well-coordinated kick-off meeting.
  
• Takes lead on developing project activities, work plan, budget, and human resources required for new project proposal writing. 

• With the Kathmandu-based PDQ team, pursue opportunities for synergistic, inter-sectoral programs to address the holistic needs of children, especially the most deprived. This will include continuously developing and packaging concepts for a range of donors, both for proactive and reactive fundraising efforts, as well as proposal development. 
  
• Ensure consistent design, methodology, and quality assurance across thematic programs. 
  
• Ensure multi-thematic approaches to program design and methodologies; ensure that cross thematic objectives (gender equity and social inclusion, disaster risk reduction, child participation) are included in program design and monitoring
  
• Lead the continuous assessment of ECCD and BE program needs in the field and ensure that these are appropriately reflected in thematic strategies, proposals and programmes at both PDQ and POD levels.
  
• Supports in developing new programs/proposals in ECCD and BE in close consultation with other departments, PDQ and the team.
  
• Ensures that the ECCD and BE program/project meets and /or excels Minimum Operating Standard of key programmatic interventions including Gender and Social Inclusion principles.

PROGRAM QUALITY AND ASSURANCE (10% LOE):

• Ensure timely quality donor reports are generated and finalized at the Field Level before submission to Awards/PDQ
  
• Provide technical support for field teams – observation, finding gaps and feedback (reflection) and facilitates TA for education programs. Make at least 2 visits in a year to each local Palikas where our education interventions are ongoing.
  
• Develop planning/reporting guidelines, innovations, and program review and technical capacity building plans (for partners and SC staff) for quality project implementation

POLICY AND ADVOCACY (15% LOE):

• Helps define SC’s advocacy agenda in the Province, as informed by SC’s Country Strategic Plan (CSP), experience in Nepal, and experience globally. Lead in networking and articulating Save the Children’s position, policy and strategy in provincial forums and meetings. Engage in key debates related to provincial education sector policies and programs, in coordination with technical colleagues and other relevant staff.
  
• Lead in translating national messaging to provincial and palika-level policy and action plans. Work with the PDQ team to develop provincial and palika-level policy and action plans.
  
• Engage in policy development with provincial authorities and local authorities as per the CSP, advocacy plans, and relevant policy concerns. Develop policy briefs and position papers, ensuring the inclusion of technical input from the relevant project managers and PDQ team. 
  
• With provincial management team, identify appropriate strategic partnerships for joint advocacy initiatives on education issues at the provincial or palika level as relevant.

MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND LEARNING (MEAL) (10% LOE):

• With MEAL team, ensure that interventions are evaluated using appropriate methods, including process and impact evaluations, and that evidence is rigorously maintained, documented and disseminated internally and externally, to contribute to improvements in programme quality and advocacy efforts.
  
• Ensure partners engage in the knowledge management cycle (capture, store, synthesize/analyze, share and apply).
  
• Ensure the incorporation of quality assurance systems at multiple levels (strategy, design, implementation, proposal, monitoring processes, evaluation and learning, reporting) 
  
• Identify and pursue opportunities to disseminate technical materials, learning and best practices, such as workshops, targeted communications materials, etc. 
  
• With the MEAL team, ensure Quality Benchmarks are appropriate and applied to all education programming. 
  
• Support field teams to identify and carry out operational research related to education.

REPRESENTATION AND NETWORKING (10% LOE):

• Maintain working relationships with relevant provincial education authorities; connect Save the Children’s flagship programs with government and other non-government interventions
  
• Ensure that SCI has effective representation on provincial and local level networks and fora related to education programming, and that we participate in conferences/meetings that will enhance our reputation and programming
  
• Actively participate in technical coordination meetings to ensure synergies with other agencies in our development work and emergency responses 
  
• Maintain excellent relationships with donors, both in terms of strategic positioning and program delivery

STRATEGIC DIRECTION (5%):

• Participate actively in the Country Annual Planning and Country Annual Reporting, providing oversight and compiling the reports for the Education sector. 
  
• Ensure education programs will address gender and social inclusion and DRR
  
• Ensure close cross-functional collaboration with relevant themes for a broader and holistic education programs

OTHER:

• Other tasks as requested by the Associate Director, Eastern Field Office 
  
• Support the Save the Children Humanitarian responses where appropriate, ensuring timely and quality responses in line with international standards and technical best practice. 
  

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice):

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
  
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
  

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
  
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
  
• Future orientated, thinks strategically.
  

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
  
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
  
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to
  

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
  
• Willing to take disciplined risks
  

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency
  

QUALIFICATION:

• Master’s degree in Education or related fields
  

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

• At least 7 years of working experience in relevant field, including at least 3 years in senior leadership position.
  
• Strong leadership abilities, leading and inspiring others
  
• Excellent understanding of key issues and strategies for education sector programs, specifically ECCD, early grades reading, and/or education in emergencies programming 
  
• Excellent skills on process facilitation and coordination with high standard. 
  
• Excellent inter-personal communication skills
  
• Good presentation skills including policy briefing 
  
• Good supportive supervision skills, developing self and others
  
• Excellent English communication skills, specifically written 
  
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results, engage in effective and collaborative problem solving and decision making, and foster program innovations and adaptations 

Desirable: 

• Advanced knowledge about education sector policies and context in Nepal