Education Programme Coordinator - EU at Save The Children

ROLE PURPOSE:

Save the Children is a leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need around the world. With its headquarters in London, UK, SC works in over 120 countries globally, including Nigeria, helping children survive, learn and be protected by improving their education, health, nutrition, protection and economic opportunities, and in times of acute crisis, mobilizing rapid life-saving assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters.

Save the Children International in consortium with Plan International have been selected as implementing partners to implement education and youth empowerment project funded by EU over a 36 months period in the North-West Nigeria across states of Sokoto, Kano and Jigawa. The project is focusing to provide youth, in particular girls in rural underserved and nomadic communities, with access to inclusive gender transformative and conflict sensitive equitable quality education and skill development. The project will support the governments’ efforts to address the challenge of Out of School Children and Youth (OOSCY) to access Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP) in the 3 states. The project will also support the efforts of the Federal and respective State governments to empower youth with green jobs and vocational skills through vocational training as well as address the barriers that girls and women face to access education and livelihood opportunities.

The Education Programme Coordinator will lead the delivery and implementation of the EU funded project while providing technical guidance to the implementing partner(s) on the project. S/he will provide both operational and technical oversight on project management delivery of results of Education component synergy and integration across other thematic areas. S/he will provide operational and technical support to the team under the leadership of the Deputy Consortium Manager to implement all Education activities for the project. Further, the job holder will provide capacity strengthening, monitoring and evaluation and reporting both internally and externally, the development of the Detailed Implementation Plan, participating in stakeholders’ meetings, and contribute to narrative reporting in line with donor requirement.   S/he will be responsible for ensuring stakeholders are involved throughout the project management cycle while ensuring collaboration with other consortium members.

Under the operational guidance of the Deputy Consortium Manager and the technical guidance from the Head of Education, the Education Programme Coordinator will ensure that the EU-INTPA project is implemented in a coordinated, harmonized and aligned manner, in line with SCI standards, donor requirements, project agreement and commitments.  S/he will ensure that quality reports are submitted in timely manner.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Project Coordination & Management:

• Oversee the coordination and implementation of the EU-INTPA Project in Kano and Jigawa State, Nigeria in line with the design of the project and donor requirements.
• Lead the education team on assessments, community mapping and identification of schools/learning centres and ABEP facilitators for the implementation of the ABEP programme in collaboration with stakeholders in line with the project design.
• Ensure accurate project documentation, including collection of impact stories, monitoring data, and tracking progress on output indicators and utilize data appropriately to report it in project reports.
• Establish, maintain, and strengthen linkages in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation on the project As well as contribute to assessments (baseline, needs, market).
• Guide project team on community entry meetings and project stakeholders’ engagement to ensure buy-in for project and Do No Harm to children in project locations.
• Sustain positive working relationships with the implementing partner, government officials at state and LGA level, local communities, and other key stakeholders and strengthen their capacities. 
• Ensure submission of timely and quality reports (Narrative and Financial) as per the reporting requirements.
• Ensure that project is implemented with the highest consideration to security and safe programming standards of Save the Children.

Operational Planning and implementation

• In collaboration with the Deputy Consortium Manager, support the development, implementation, monitoring of project detail implementation plan, procurement plan, phased budget, MEAL Plan with documentation and reporting for EU-INTPA Project in Kano and Jigawa States.
• Lead the planning for the implementation of the ABEP activities and other education interventions with the project team within SCI’s Education portfolio.
• Recommend technical solutions to speed up the implementation and budget performance in line with the project plan and budget.
• Work with the Deputy Consortium Manager to ensure integration of other sectors like Youth, Green Jobs and Vocational Training into Education activities.
• Maintain high standard of transparency and accountability during programme design and support in expediting implementation while ensuring integrity and timeliness of project duration and meeting programme objectives, compliance with donors & Save the Children policies.
• Provide regular operations and implementation updates as it relates to the Education component to the Deputy Consortium Manager on project progress and challenges to allow for timely interventions and corrective actions by the management.
• Ensure the timely reviews and adjustments for the project operational and implementation plan and budget as may be required from time to time. 
• Work to ensure coordination across all other consortium partners in the implementation of the Education activities.

Finance and Budget Management

• Support the Deputy Consortium Manager in budget monitoring, suggest necessary revisions and prepare draft reports for corrective actions. 
• Support the Deputy Consortium Manager in ensuring that the budget variance analysis (BVA) is monitored and reported as per in time and with accurate information.

Programme/Project Narrative and Financial Reporting.

• Preparation of timely and high-quality progress and end of project narrative and financial reports which are in accordance with the donor reporting schedule and formats.
• Participate in reviewing all programme financial reports ensuring that donor guidelines have been followed and high standard met. 
• Participate in progress review meetings to address key performance issues from the reports.
• The project deadlines met in reporting and keep a track record of reporting (Narrative and Financial).

Safeguarding

• Ensure safe programming in the planning, implementation, monitoring, training of teachers and construction/rehabilitation of classroom environment across the project period.
• Adhere to the Do no Harm principles across the entire steps of the project within the Programme Management Cycle.

Internal and external engagements

• Ensure that the program experience is represented and given recognition at stakeholder meetings, workshops, donor, networks and any other engagements. 
• Develop and maintain regular channels of communication with other consortium partners and key stakeholders at all levels (LGAs, States and National).

MEAL

• Effectively support team members in MEAL aspects, which include assessments, baseline, and evaluation studies, putting in place a functional Activity Tracking Table.
• Ensure that the projects’ quality benchmarks are followed up and implemented in project interventions.
• Collecting and managing complaints and feedback in close coordination with MEAL team and Education Team.
• Ensure regular monitoring of projects results, documentation of projects case studies, lessons learnt, significant changes and best practices and coordinating learning and reflection meetings/sessions. 
• Ensure an effective programs/ projects monitoring, and evaluation systems is in place.
• Monitor programs/ projects activities to ensure quality, timeliness and adherence to both Country Office and Save the Children policies and procedures.

Human Resources Management and Development:

• Working together with the Deputy Consortium Manager to identify learning needs and develop specific plans to address the learning needs. 
• Support implementation of Save the Children performance management system, by supporting, supervising, and reviewing performance of Education Officers.
• Setting and managing staffing targets, performance, and priorities for the project team.
• Coaching and mentoring the project team on the provision of technical support and implementation of quality programmes.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in education or other related fields. Experience in managing integrated programmes across different thematic areas such as education, teacher education, Teacher Professional Development (TPD), child protection, child rights or governance is an advantage.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• At least 5 years of accrued working experience in program implementation with an International NGO and those applying partnership approaches is desirable. 
• Experience in strategic thinking and planning skills, be able to set priorities, prepare manageable plans and to evaluate progress.
• Experience of working on ABEP, Teacher Professional Development and with Out of School Children (OOSC) with local partners and Local Government and State Authorities in Nigeria is desirable.
• Knowledge on the use of learner’s assessment tools such as ASER is an added advantage.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic planning abilities.
• Ability to establish and maintain conducive collegial relations and perform effectively as a member of a team.
• Ability to coach, mentor and build the capacity of teachers or volunteer teachers within a development setting is of added advantage.
• Willingness to travel and work in hard-to-reach areas, occasionally under strenuous conditions.
• Computer literacy and excellent documentation skills are a must.
• Availability and willingness to work extra hours during times of humanitarian responses.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability to intervene with crisis management or troubleshooting as necessary. 
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching.
• Excellent time management and planning capacity.
• Fluent English language skills (written and verbal) and Local language skills (Hausa, etc.).