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POSITION : Education Context Specialist

 Description

• The Education Context Specialist will provide technical leadership as well as strategic support to the project team. S/he will work closely with other Technical Specialists including the Teacher Education and Reading Specialists and the senior project team to ensure education project’s design and implementation adhere to international norms and standards of conflict sensitivity, specifically the INEE Conflict Sensitive Education pack, and address both the direct and indirect impacts of conflict within the project to promote positive gains for students and teachers in the project areas.  
• The Education Context Specialist will be required to travel to field sites for project oversight and targeted technical assistance. 
• Additionally, s/het will ensure representation and coordination with project partners and external stakeholders, such as local and international NGOs, CBOs, local and central government authorities as relevant and required.
• This position is contingent upon donor approval and funding.

Requirements

• Master level degree in education, conflict studies, or other relevant technical area.
• At least 10 years providing technical support to education programming in complex contexts with at least 5 years demonstrated experience working on conflict issues in humanitarian responses

Essential:

• Substantial progressive, professional-level experience in relevant technical areas
• Proven technical expertise in conflict sensitive education and the application of concepts/approaches in programming
• Additional technical expertise or experience in key thematic areas such as child-centered learning methodologies, teacher pre- and in-service education, and community participation.
• Demonstrated experience in international NGOs
• Experience of applying relevant interagency humanitarian frameworks and standards in EiE (for example INEE Minimum Standards)
• Demonstrated monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands on implementation capacity
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project report
• Ability to liaise and effectively coordinate with government, local NGOs and community initiatives.
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong influencing skills and experience in advocacy
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• A high level of written and spoken English
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language difficulties.

Desirable:

• Experience in representation, including Cluster coordination, and ability to represent effectively in external forums
• Commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
• Proven capacity to supervise, train, coach and mentor staff
• Understanding of local languages
• Previous experience in Nigeria or similarly complex, high-risk environments

Responsibilities 
The Education Context Specialist will liaise closely with other technical specialists as well as the Chief of Party (COP), Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP), and partners to support the project’s objectives. Key responsibilities will include: 

• Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Advisor to lead on the Rapid Education and Risk Analysis and continued conflict analysis within the education sector to better understand the dynamics of conflict as it influences all aspects of the proposed education program.
• Ensure that the results of the analysis drive the program’s design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation by closely collaborating with the broader project team, empowering staff with essential knowledge and skills through training and continued technical support, and collaborating with project and partner staff to appropriately monitor and measure impact and progress through a conflict sensitive education lens.
• Support policies to protect children from abuse and exploitation and support emergency preparedness and readiness through Conflict and Disaster Risk Reduction planning.
• Work with Teacher Education and the Wellbeing Specialists to promote equity and the holistic development of children by supporting the delivery of teaching, curriculum and materials that are free of gender and social prejudices and build competencies for responsible citizenship, conflict transformation and resilience.
• Support education system strengthening and stabilization by enhancing staff capacity and competencies and promoting fairness, transparency and accountability.
• Ensure the quality of interventions is standardized across the project (approaches, tools, learning etc.)
• Oversee development or contextualization of resources to specifically address conflict sensitivity within reference, training, and guidance materials.
• Support the preparation of timely and quality program reports on project activities in compliance with project requirements.
• Ensure close engagement of and partnerships with related government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), donor-funded programs, private/commercial entities, and NGOs.

Capacity Building:

• Collaborate with other technical leads and the senior management team of the project to assess capacity needs of staff and partners as related specifically to conflict-sensitive education (CSE)
• Contexualize INEE CSE training materials and create Nigeria-specific training materials; work with the MEL Advisor to monitor and evaluate the use of CSE concepts and approaches within the program
• Facilitate training of trainers and support the cascade of training at state level
• Support and advise projects’ technical team on key decisions
• Provide continuous support to project team in program implementation, reporting, staff capacity building and management, sector coordination and key technical areas.

Sub-Sector Coordination Representation & Advocacy:

• Document lessons learned for wider dissemination with EiE stakeholders at field and at national levels upon request.
• In collaboration with senior program staff, assist in advocacy activities that target decision-makers at all levels.
• Identify opportunities and material to contribute to emergency education communications and media work