Senior Education Manager | Turkey / UK / Remote | 2024

Chemonics seeks a Senior Education Manager to support education programming in Northwest Syria. The project aims to provide children living in Northwest Syria with safe, inclusive, and quality education that meets their specialized learning, psychosocial, and protection needs. The Senior Education Manager will lead the development and implementation of integrated interventions to improve education access and quality for children. The Senior Education Manager will report to the Deputy Team Lead-Technical. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

Background:

More than 2 million Syrian children are out of school, and more are at risk of dropping out; more than 90 percent of Grade 3 children are not reading at grade level, and numeracy rates are similarly low. Nearly 6 million Syrian children need educational assistance. Helping communities, education authorities, and other service providers determine what quality and relevant education entails, and how to monitor and evaluate key learning outcomes, is a challenge in non-regime-controlled areas. Moreover, rebuilding and operating successful education systems is an ongoing and long-term challenge. While maintaining a humanitarian dimension to the education response, in opposition areas, a strategic shift is occurring toward a longer-term approach toward quality learning outcomes. This requires continued strengthening of systems and policy promotion frameworks. It also requires deliberate and specific planning to scale up access and adopt a strong focus on quality, inclusion, equity, and child protection.

Position description:

The Senior Education Manager will be part of the core Program team who will develop, design, and plan Chemonics’ integrated interventions to enhance access and quality of education for all children. S/he will identify, develop, and monitor the implementation of Chemonics’ instruction and pedagogy training modules. The Senior Education Manager will provide day-to-day oversight of technical activities related to quality education training modules and liaise closely with the Protection Manager to ensure that activities include safeguarding for children from potential adverse impacts.

The Senior Education Manager will adhere to and act in accordance with Chemonics’ professional code of ethics, “Living Our Values,” and will make the principles of the code a part of the programme’s culture and operating procedures. S/he will uphold the programme’s safeguarding standards at all times and will promote a safeguarding culture among partners, beneficiaries, and staff. S/he will also foster and maintain good relationships with potential and actual grantees, will disclose any affiliations that could be perceived as a conflict of interest, and will maintain confidentiality regarding program activities.

Responsibilities include:

  • Oversee day-to-day technical implementation of program’s education interventions
  • Lead the design of quality education activities, with a focus on enhancing methods of coaching and delivery, in collaboration with the Deputy Team Lead-Technical
  • Review deliverables received from partners to ensure accuracy and completeness
  • Support the education team in the day-to-day relationships with quality education activity partners including Education Directorates and NGOs to ensure effective implementation
  • Write key reports on quality education interventions to client and internally as needed
  • Work closely with Protection Manager to ensure successful integration of safeguarding and psychosocial support into quality education interventions
  • Work closely with the MERL director to develop monitoring and evaluation tools and plans related to quality education interventions and to incorporate feedback from the field and MEL into intervention design
  • Review the developed weekly school implementation plan for lead teachers/teacher to introduce practices following the Teachers in Crisis Context (TICC) framework
  • Develop Training and learning circles content including training package and assessments.
  • Develop self-reading materials and guidance for instructors, lead teachers and teachers related to the professional development priorities
  • Develop training materials for headteachers related to book looks, review of teachers’ lesson plans, collaboration with parents, safeguarding and attendance and staff care plans.
  • Review learning assessment results, prepare a summary and share with coaches to share at school level.
  • Design/Adapt activities as per results of learning assessment and conducted research.
  • Design activity plans for catch-up programs, review the weekly reports and provide the needed corrective feedback
  • Design assessment tools to measure improvement of children for the following types of activities (Summer club, catch up program, accelerated program and home-based activities) when needed
  • Participate in the policy discussion with the EDs and develop policy and procedures for accommodations and adaptations for school assessments
  • Repeat the yearly district level inclusion planning tool and write a final report to capture the annual progress
  • Other duties as assigned by supervisor

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required, or equivalent relevant experience
  • Demonstrated proficiency and experience in special education is preferred
  • Demonstrable experience in developing and implementing different education programs to improve education quality. Experience mentoring and providing technical oversight to staff is preferred
  • Knowledge of in-service teacher professional development in the context of literacy and numeracy
  • Strong understanding about the context, conflict and security situation in Syria, previous experience in Syria strongly preferred
  • Experience working with different levels of stakeholders; local actors, local and international NGOs
  • Knowledge of the political, humanitarian, and education sector dynamics within the Syrian context
  • Team player with strong communication and writing skills
  • Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
  • Fluency in Arabic, with strong speaking and writing skills in English

Period of Performance:

The assignment is 6 months, with a possibility of extension.

Location of the assignment: 

The assignment will be conducted in Gaziantep. However, we are open to applicants working in other parts of Turkey or the UK – please specify preference in your application. We are also open to considering remote applicants – please specify preference in your application.

Supervision and reporting:

The Senior Education Manager will report to the programme’s Deputy Team Lead- Technical

Application instructions:

Please send an email with your CV and cover letter attached and “Senior Education Manager” in the subject line to SYR-SEP-HR@chemonics.com by 4th October, 2024.

We will review the applications on a rolling basis. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact finalists.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

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