Education Technical Coordinator

Job Summary:

The Education Technical Coordinator (education TC) is responsible for the provision of coordination and support as well as strategic planning and technical guidance on activities within the area of education in ACTED Afghanistan. S/he plays a leading role in providing technical inputs to the education strategy and project development at the local and national level. Moreover, s/he supports the Project Teams in the planning, design, implementation, supervision, and potential expansion/development and administration of technical education interventions.

The Education TC will be based in Kabul, with regular visits to the field (up to 40% of the time), particularly in the North West, North East, and East of Afghanistan.

Duties & Responsibilities:

1.   External Positioning

1.1.   External Relations

a)   Act as key ACTED representative on education in Afghanistan

b)   Ensure external representation of ACTED in education sector, vis-à-vis country and local authorities, other project stakeholders, donors and partners

c)   Participate in and report (internally) on education technical and sectoral meetings, clusters and working groups involving all relevant stakeholders such as donors, NGOs, UN Agencies, inter-governmental institutions

d)   Ensure effective coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders and partners, i.e. NGOs, civil society organizations, community groups, and government counterparts who are working on education

e)   Identify opportunities to collaborate and coordinate efforts with other organizations to ensure our activities build upon - rather than replicate - the work of others.

1.2.   Project Development

a)   Collect and analyse primary and secondary data related to the education sector in the Afghanistan;

b)   Analyse the activities in the education sector and relevant stakeholders

c)   Identify the needs of the most vulnerable populations through regular visits and literature review, and through the design and implementation of relevant needs assessments in close collaboration with AMEU

d)   Lead education project conceptualization workshops

e)   Provide technical inputs into proposal design and ensure new or adapted projects for the education sector focus on maximizing efficiencies, impact and integrated approaches

2.   Internal Education Technical Support and Coordination

2.1.   Coordination

a)   Coordinate the development and maintenance of a coherent education strategy across ACTED's areas of intervention in Afghanistan

b)   Promote harmonization of approaches and methodologies across the different education projects by developing and monitoring use of common tools, as well as creating opportunities for experience sharing and learning

c)   Organize internal education coordination meetings on a monthly basis, and ensure flow of information to PMs, other program staff, and ACTED coordination on main education issues and developments in Afghanistan.

d)   Coordinate ACTED’s Education portfolio activities with the U.N. clusters and working groups involving all relevant stakeholders including Ministry of Education (MoE) and Directorates of Education (DoE) at the provincial level.

2.2.   Technical Leadership

a)   Define education project implementation modalities and methodologies (including, but not limited to technical specifications, identification and registration of beneficiaries, distribution and sensitization)

b)   Lead the development of all technical tools related to education projects (ToRs for consultants and evaluators, ad hoc reports, capitalization reports…);

c)   Analyse the appropriateness, adequacy and potential impact of all interventions in the education sector based on known contexts and needs

d)   Provide technical support to the Project Managers and other education staff to implement the ACTED education projects to a high quality standard;

e)   Liaise with education technical staff on a regular basis to ensure technical assistance is provided to projects when needed

f)      Disseminate tools, research, best practices and lessons learned internally and externally through publications, networks, working groups, events, and conferences.

2.3.   Staff Capacity Building

a)   Participate in the recruitment and training of education sector staff members

b)   In coordination with Project Managers identify individual training needs and ensure access to training and professional development opportunities appropriate to the skill gaps and needs

c)   Provide training to projects teams on ACTED activities and education best practices

d)   Develop training material for different trainings to share within the education project teams

e)   Develop capacity-building programmes for local actors (including partner NGOs and relevant local services providers) on education

Job Requirement:

•   University degree in Education, International Development, Social Sciences, Education, or other relevant field;
•   4-6 years of experience in implementing and managing education-related projects for children and youth (incl. projects on basic or higher education, vocational and life skills and/or youth training programs); teacher training experience or vocational and life skills development experience is an asset;
•   Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Dari, and the ability to prepare and synthesize lengthy and complex documents. Knowledge of Pashto may be considered an advantage;
•   Good understanding of the context and the education sector in Afghanistan;
•   Good computer skills and experience and ability in Microsoft Office (MS Word, MS Excel and MS Power Point);
•   Familiarity with the aid system, and ability to understand donor and government policies and requirements;
•   Strong report and proposal writing and drafting skills;
•   Strong program planning, organizational and communication skills;
•   Experience in training and capacity building of staff, specific experience training for field teams and local partners considered an asset;
•   Strong team player, with ability to work with culturally diverse groups of people;
•   Ability to travel to the field as required, and to work in difficult conditions and under pressure;

Job Location: