Education for Marginalized Children in Kenya (EMACK) Education Specialist Career Opportunities

Education for Marginalized Children in Kenya (EMACK) is an initiative of the Ministry of Education (MOE) made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF). The program seeks to improve access to quality education, retention and completion rates for children historically underserved by the education system by focusing on a number of interrelated strategies. These include increased community and parental participation in all aspects of school life; teacher development and improved coordination and dialogue to inform the Kenya Education Sector Support Program. Ultimately the program aims to improve learning outcomes for all children in terms of literacy, numeracy, analysis and innovation.

We invite applications from suitable candidates to fill the following positions:

Senior Education Specialist – Based In Nairobi

• As a member of EMACK Senior Management Team (SMT), the Senior Education Specialist (SES) plays a central role in the development and refinement of EMACK’s program plans and strategies.
• The SES provides technical advice to EMACK programs across the three regions- Coast, NEP and Nairobi.
  
• S/he is expected to travel regularly across these regions to ensure that high quality and standards are maintained by the program team.
• The SES is responsible for laying a solid foundation for policy and advocacy engagement with MOE in coordination with the EMACK Chief of Party and AKF Regional Program Officer.
• The SES plays a key role in ensuring that EMACK tested models and lessons learnt are discussed openly with government officials for possible adoption, replication and scaling up.
• S/he will also be directly responsible for the technical oversight and quality control of all education programs in the EMACK project, with the assistance of three thematic Education Specialists (for languages, Mathematics and Pastoralist Education)
• The SES leads the process of ensuring that EMACK designed innovative education programs and training packages are of high quality, effectively serve the specified target group and if necessary, facilitates further refinement of these innovations.

Essential Job Functions:

• Plays a central role in ensuring that EMACK programs aimed at increasing access to quality basic education, improving learning outcomes [and reading competencies in particular], retention, completion and transition for all marginalized children are of high quality and have impact;
• Provides technical support to EMACK staff and project partners in implementing programs that focus on children’s learning outcomes generally and on reading competencies in particular;
• In collaboration with the City Education Office and partners, designs, develops and implements an effective Non-Formal Education initiative in the informal settlements of Nairobi and Mombasa;
• In conjunction with the M&E Specialist, facilitates relevant operational research whose outcome informs improvements in program design and/or policy influencing especially in relation to Non-Formal Education programs;
• Facilitates discussions on the appropriateness of curricula following the outcome of learning assessments and shares action points and recommendations with relevant MOE departments including the KIE and the Directorates of Basic Education and Quality Assurance and Standards;
• Takes the lead in advancing EMACK’s policy advocacy agenda and ensuring EMACK tested models are reviewed by relevant MoE departments for possible adaption and replication;

Requirements:

• Minimum of Masters’ Degree in Education; Strong knowledge of education programs including Non Formal Education, Early Childhood Education, Primary and Secondary Education and gender perspectives in education;
  
• Demonstrated competencies in promoting literacy and numeracy programs; Knowledge of education issues affecting marginalized populations such as children living in informal settlements, pastoralist communities in North Eastern Province, gender perspectives in education (including girl children), orphans and vulnerable children and children with special needs;
  
• Minimum 8 years’ experience in designing and implementing large and complex education programs including knowledge of the project cycle and the logical framework analysis;
• Experience in education planning, designing and implementing NFE programs as well as development and implementation around issues of marginalized children;
  
• Experience with operational/action research, monitoring and evaluation;
  
• Experience working with a wide range of stakeholders including but not limited to international NGOs, national NGOs, CBOs and school-community project-level implementation.

Education Specialist – Based In Nairobi

• As a member of EMACK’s core team and reporting to the Chief of Party, the Education Specialist plays a significant role in the development and refinement of EMACK’s plans and strategies related to the design and teaching of languages [English and Kiswahili] and Mathematics in both primary and secondary schools.
  
• The Education Specialist, based in Nairobi, will provide leadership to EMACK programs in the teaching of languages and Mathematics primarily for the Nairobi programs but will be also be available to support other EMACK programs in the Coast and North Eastern Provinces.
• He/she will be expected to effectively coordinate project work with MOE, local partners, other relevant government departments and NFE centre communities in order to achieve the objectives of the project.
  
• S/he will take a lead role in conceptualizing and implementing innovative ways of teaching languages and Mathematics in collaboration with KIE, MOE’s INSET and JICA/CEMASTEA.

Essential Job Functions:

• Coordinates program activities and interventions that increase access, improve quality, retention, completion and transition rates in Nairobi Area;
• Strengthens the Whole School Approach (WSA) as the overarching EMACK strategy in order to enhance community support and ownership of education programs at district/school level;
• Designs and implements training programs focused on improving children’s reading competencies in conjunction with MOE, PRIMR, JICA/CEMASTEA.;
• Develops teachers’ capacity to undertake regular learner assessments for languages [English and Kiswahili] and Mathematics in line with the principle of evidence-based programming;
• Facilitates learning forums [such as exhibitions, show case events, workshops] in order to encourage innovation and creativity in the teaching/learning of languages and Mathematics in EMACK-supported schools.

Requirements:

• Master’s Degree in Education [majoring in any one of the following subjects: English/Kiswahili/Mathematics];
  
• Sound knowledge of education programs in one or more of the following areas: Primary Education, Secondary Education, Non Formal Education and gender perspectives in education;
  
• Knowledge of educational issues affecting marginalized populations such as children in informal settlements;
• Minimum of three years teaching any one of the following subjects: English, Kiswahili and Mathematics at primary and/or secondary school levels;
  
• Minimum 5years’ experience in education planning, development and implementation around issues of marginalization;
  
• Knowledge of education measurement [including assessment methods/techniques] desirable;
  
• Experience working with a wide range of stakeholders including but not limited to international NGOs, national NGOs, CBOs and school-community project-level implementation.
  

Education Specialist – Pastoralist Education Programs

• As a member of EMACK’s core team and reporting to the Deputy Chief of Party, North Eastern Province, the Education Specialist – Pastoralist Education Programs (ES-P) provides leadership for all EMACK education programs in North Eastern Province (NEP) in addition to playing a significant role in the development and refinement of EMACK plans and strategies.
  
• He/she facilitates the identification of the unique challenges facing the education of children from nomadic/pastoralist communities and with the support of both the Deputy Chief of Party and the Senior Education Specialist, develops a raft of effective interventions aimed at providing quality education to large numbers of children in NEP, enhancing the retention and completion for those children enrolled and paying particular attention to the education of girl children in the province.
  

Essential Job Functions:

• Provides technical support to EMACK and partner staff in delivering EMACK interventions aimed at increasing access, improving quality of learning, retention, completion and transition rates for children in both formal and non-formal settings in North Eastern Province;
• Takes the lead in strengthening the Whole School Approach as the overarching EMACK strategy [that focuses on improving the quality of learning in schools] in order to enhance community support and ownership of education programs at district/school levels;
• Supports MOE efforts aimed at the establishment of quality learning programs in NEP, including improvement of reading skills among learners, teacher training and providing continuous mentoring and support for teachers;
• Ensures systematic monitoring of learner achievements [with a focus on reading instruction] and documentation of both partner and core team program activities and interventions;
• Develops and maintains relationships with GoK (particularly MOE and the Ministry for the development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands), NGOs, media outlets, and other relevant partners in order to influence policies favorable to the education of marginalized children;
• Strengthens public – private partnerships in order to mobilize resources (both technical and financial focusing on support for reading materials for schools) in support of reading instruction and quality learning outcomes in primary school grades.
  

Requirements:

• Masters’ Degree in Education;
  
• Training in primary or secondary school language instruction is an added advantage; A minimum of 5 years’ work experience in education programs especially programs with a bias for pastoralist communities;
  
• Good understanding of the dynamics and complexities in the management of programs in pastoralist settings; Sound knowledge of the education sector with a bias on literacy, numeracy, learning assessments and the policy context;
  
• Good understanding of the project cycle including the logical framework analysis (LFA) and Results Based Management (RBM);
  
• Direct experience with or some exposure to policy advocacy work; Excellent oral and written communication skills in both English and Kiswahili;
  
• Knowledge of the Somali language is added advantage.

Applications, along with a cover letter, an up-to-date CV and names of three referees should be sent to the address below by 24th February, 2012

The Human Resource and Administration Manager, EMACK II
P.O. Box 99870 - 80107, MOMBASA
Email: maimuna@akf-emack.org
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted
The Aga Khan Foundation is an Agency of the Aga Khan Development Network