Vacancy Post

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

Deputy Chief of Party-Policy, Curriculum and Government Liaison 

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:

The DCoP-Policy, Curriculum and Government Liaison (PCGL)will work in tandem with the Reading/Education in Conflict or Crisis Advisor (RECCA) and the DCoP-Programs, among other BAB team members, and be responsible for providing technical leadership for all policy and curriculum assessment and development activities, including leading and coordinating design, development, and implementation of the Non-Formal Education (NFE) Accelerated Education Program (AEP) teaching and learning materials.

The DCoP-PCGL will lead BABProgram supported efforts to facilitate the development of national NFE AEP policies and corresponding quality assurance measures with the FGS MoECHE. TheDCoP-PCGLwill lead a collaborative and capacity building approach to use data, build national AEP policies, and design quality learning materials. The DCoP-PCGL position requires senior level leadership and mediation skills to mobilize actors at all levels of MoECHE in supporting a comprehensive program to better serve Somalia’s out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY).

TheDCoP-PCGLis required to undertake a collaborative and capacity-building approach with BAB team members, partner organizations, most notably Save the Children International (SCI), Charlie Goldsmith Associates (CGA), SIL LEAD, and ORB International, as well as the primary stakeholder FGS MoECHE at the federal level and respective Ministry of Education (MoE) representatives at the state and regional levels to ensure 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 DCoP-PCGL will report to the Chief of Party (CoP) and will supervise and be programmatically supported by a Mogadishu-based staff member. The DCoP-PCGL willalso have an indirect reporting line to a regional-based Policy and Partnership Officer for fulfillment of requisite responsibilities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• As BAB’s primary liaison for the MoECHE, lead a phased process with appropriate governmental and non-governmental stakeholders that results in the design and endorsement of the following NFE AEP policies:
  • AEP Learner Eligibility Policy
  • AEP Learner Certification Policy
  • AEP Teacher Certification Policy
  • AEP Accreditation Policy
• 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.
• 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 CoP 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.
• Work closely with the NFE Department (especially the director), BAB’s NFE AEP curriculum development expert, and technical advisor (RECCA), among others as appropriate,to develop appropriate materials for NFE Levels 1-4, including teaching guides.
• Work in tandem with the DCoP-Programs, RECCA, and appropriate stakeholder MoECHE staff, to develop materials ensuring that all learning materials are duly approved by the MoECHE before implementation.
• Support the NFE Department Director to identify Somali experts to serve on the Curriculum/Materials Development Task Force as well as the Steering Committee. Both groups will further the work of BAB in curriculum development as well as NFE policy finalization in Somalia.
• Engage with government representatives as and when needed to ensure that the Curriculum/Materials Development Task Force and Steering Committee members are kept abreast of all program implementation activities and engage substantively with BAB at critical junctures.
• Guide the policy development and practice on education/training, professional development and career pathways for AEPNFE teachers.
• Engage with other education sector implementing partners and donors and work closely with the MoECHE to obtain approvals for additional and permanent NFE teaching posts and salaries.
• Support the scope and sequencing, drafting and field-testing, refinement, piloting, assessing and revision of NFE/AEP TLMs.
• Provide technical support for the development of various evaluation tools to be used for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of TLMs and carry-out various evaluations using those instruments, as required.
• Review, adapt and help finalize all learning materials ensuring alignment with standards and benchmarks in the FGS National Curriculum.
• Ensure integration of the Collaboration for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) into the AEP curriculum and TLMs.
• Ensure all materials developed are gender-sensitive and inclusive, promote student and teacher well-being, and promote peacebuilding and conflict mitigation.
• Develop the AEP curriculum framework alongside relevant MoECHE departments, among others as appropriate.
• Oversee development of the material distribution plan and implementation of Track and Trace methodology.
• Support and/or lead validation workshops of TLMs within the MoECHEand MoEs at boththe FGS and FMS levels, and including other stakeholders.
• Liaise with the FGS MoECHEand FMSMoEsand stakeholder groups as needed.
• Facilitate a process with the MoECHE and MoEs and other stakeholders at central, state and district levels to map and review existing education policy frameworks, especially around systems, attendance, access, reading instruction, and assessment.
• Assist BAB Program partners to strengthen education management information system (EMIS) in support of NFE AEP-related data to inform all policy designs and facilitate data-driven decision-making at the central and state levels around ensuring progress in expanding access to and quality education.
• Willing and able to train and be trained.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Education or related field.
• At least eight(8) 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.

• Must have exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Must be professionally proficient in written and spoken English.
• Must be fluent in written and spoken Somali language.
• 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 and work permit,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.