The Education Specialist (ES) is responsible for the delivery of non-financial education services as developed by the EduQuality program for affordable private schools. As part of a local team of Education Specialists, this role is focused solely on delivering professional development courses to school leaders and teacher mentors to support effective management, teaching and learning, and supporting effective holistic school development via school quality measurement and school development planning processes.

RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Pathways to Excellence

• Collaborate with Education Specialists in-country to develop and implement a School Self-Assessment and School Development Plan that analyses school performance against 18 domains of education quality.

• Establish and support school development planning teams at each school to identify priority areas for school improvement and train school leaders and teachers on provided digital resources for each domain of education quality.

  Cluster Development

• Establish effective school Clusters by supporting the development of a Cluster governance committee with a Cluster Leader, Deputy Cluster Leader, and Cluster Administrator.

• Develop an annual schedule of Cluster Meetings for school leaders and teacher mentors.

• Facilitate collaboration across Clusters for school enrichment activities, i.e., sports competitions, debate teams, arts exhibitions, among others.

  School Leader Professional Development

• Facilitate delivery of School Leadership Professional Development training on leadership and management best practices, including budgeting, marketing and branding, financial management, staff engagement and retention, among others.

  Teacher Mentor Professional Development

• Develop mentorship capacity of teachers through Joint Practice Development (JPD) by facilitating independently and/or collaborating with external trainers. Through ongoing coaching and training, JPD targets the improvement of teacher motivation, subject matter expertise, and pedagogical skills within school Clusters and Opportunity International’s broader network of schools.

  Learning & Knowledge Management

• Document case studies of ongoing effective practices and innovations from the field for dissemination to internal and external stakeholders.

• Liaise with learning partners, as necessary, who engage with the EduFinance program to evaluate effectiveness and impact.

  QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 5-7 years of relevant experience in education development, pre-primary and primary education, early literacy and reading development, special education, and school leadership and teacher professional development.

• At least 2-3 years of experience as a classroom teacher at pre-primary and primary levels.

• Postgraduate in a field related to school-based education, or education development with significant experience in the education field. Graduate degree in education preferred.

• Understanding of the education sector, school curriculum, school environment, and language/literacy needs.

• Strong writing, data collection, and ICT skills (e.g., Microsoft Office, EdTech, learning management systems, data collection tools, mobile tablets, etc.).

• Experience working in education management with school leadership experience and experience working in schools in remote/rural areas preferred.

• Experience working within cross-cultural global organizations and NGOs preferred

• Knowledge of and experience with USAID-funded projects preferred, but not required.

• An understanding of and a commitment to advancing the mission and core values of Opportunity International 

• Passionate about Opportunity’s mission. Able to promote and communicate the organization’s goals and objectives to external and internal stakeholders. 

  LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Written and verbal fluency in English and additional 1 or 2 local languages required. Must be able to attend & fully participate in meetings conducted in English.

  TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• Access to a personal vehicle for 80% domestic travel

• Able to travel with minimal notice and maximum flexibility

• Willing to travel independently and without escort or planning support

  ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL

  Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been empowering people to work their way out of poverty since 1971. Opportunity provides 18.7 million people with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2022, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 5,600 schools that reached 1.6 million children, and they released more than $2.6 billion in capital across 30 countries. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/OpportunityIntl) , LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/opportunity-international) , Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/opportunityintl/) , and Twitter (https://twitter.com/opportunityintl) .

  ABOUT EDUFINANCE

Opportunity EduFinance is a nimble, fast-moving, and rapidly expanding core function of Opportunity International’s global footprint. EduFinance aims to get more children into better quality schools. It does this by increasing access to capital for affordable private schools and parents, and by boosting the capacity of school leaders and teachers in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). It does this in over 25 countries and is growing rapidly. 

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