Consortium Technical Assistance Lead, 20 views

Background of the FCDO Transforming Education in Ethiopia Project:

In Ethiopia, many children are out of school or at risk of dropping out, in particular girls and other marginalised groups. Progress has been made in expanding education access for children across the country, however, since 2019 progress stalled due to conflict and instability, climate-induced shocks and the impact of Covid-19 and wider macroeconomic challenges around inflation which exacerbated existing inequalities.

In response, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) aims to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes and increase access to education for girls and marginalised children through the ‘Transforming Education in Ethiopia’ project (2024-2028). The project will focus on three key components below:

• Teacher and school leader development:  Improved quality of teaching and learning with a focus on continuous teacher professional development in targeted schools.
• English Language Teaching and Learning: Selected schools provide better teaching and learning in English Language as a subject, and improved use of English across the curriculum.
• Equity, Inclusion and Girls’ Education: Improved access and retention of the most marginalised children, particularly girls.

About the role: 

Employment Type: Definite period

Band: GB-7

This is an exciting opportunity to help the government and people of Ethiopia strengthen the education system and work with experts in a dynamic consortium that is putting together a compelling and innovative bid for the forthcoming five-year “Transforming Education Programme in Ethiopia (TREE)”. As Consortium Technical Assistance (TA) Lead, you will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with frequent visits to specific regions to be covered by the programme and other locations as necessary.

You will report to the Team Leader. Regular day to day liaison and coordination will be with the Programme Director and Education Programme Coordinator and Concern Worldwide’s Technical Advisers in Ethiopia and at head office. You will work closely with both local and international consortium members and downstream partners and contractors, the Core Programme Management Team, the Ministry of Education, and the donor.

Role Purpose:

The Consortium TA Lead will provide broad technical assistance to the project overall and manage a team of technical specialists that will work closely with various departments of the Ministry of Education (MoE) and support regional teams in their work and engagement with Regional Education Bureaus (REB). They will define the technical scope of the project and contribute to the project’s strategic direction and leadership provision to the project and stakeholder teams. This role spans across the education service delivery chain and involves supporting high-level negotiations and advocacy, sharing knowledge and lessons learned, and consensus-building within all levels of the MoE. They will engage with key stakeholders to help achieve project goals, implement and institutionalise access to quality and safe education-related policies, and interventions.

Responsibilities:

• Reporting to the Team Leader and working across the consortium, define the technical design of the project, ensuring alignment with the project’s objectives, the policies and strategies of the MoE, and notable work within the wider education landscape including the World Bank Ethiopia Transformation on Learning (ETOL) programme and the Global Partnership for Education STEP programme.
• Lead the planning and implementation of the project technical assistance design and strategies at national and regional levels – including provision of expert advice and guidance and capacity building in girls’ education, teaching and learning, school leadership, inclusion of religious and ethnic minorities and children with disabilities, accountability and education systems strengthening.
• Manage and coordinate a team of technical specialists and short-term consultants ensuring provision of timely and effective support.
• Engage with key stakeholders, including the MoE, REBs, Education Cluster, civil society organisations, relevant networks and other development partners, to foster collaboration and enhance the relevance and impact of technical assistance activities including through capacity building and continuous learning opportunities
• Support high-level engagement and consensus-building efforts with the MoE, FCDO and other key stakeholders to align the project’s objectives with national education policies and practice.
• Support efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of technical assistance provided, ensuring that lessons learned are documented and applied to improve project outcomes and effectively contribute to the ongoing development of education policy and strategy in Ethiopia.
• Prepare and deliver high-quality reports, presentations, and other communication materials to stakeholders, ensuring transparency and accountability in project implementation.
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with the delivery of technical assistance as part of overall risk management.
• Uphold and promote adherence/compliance with Concern Worldwide’s Code of Conduct & Associated Policies (including Programme Participant Protection, Child & vulnerable adult Safeguarding, Anti-Trafficking policies), Conflict of Interest Policy, Anti Fraud Policy, and Modern Slavery Transparency Statement and Concern’s values – demonstrating leadership on equality, diversity and inclusion, and role modelling a positive safeguarding ethos.
• All managers are responsible for upholding and promoting Concern’s values, demonstrating leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion, and role modelling a positive safeguarding ethos.
• Promote and contribute to ensuring accountability to programme participants and wider communities in line with Concern Worldwide’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and Do No Harm principles. Uphold high ethical standards throughout programme implementation.
• Contribute to ensuring that the project design and implementation represents good value for money (VfM) for FCDO and mechanisms are in place to effectively measure and report on VfM.
• All managers are required to actively participate in any emergency response as and when required.

Emergency response

Concern is committed to responding to emergencies efficiently and effectively in order to help affected people meet their basic needs, alleviate suffering and maintain their dignity. To this end, when emergencies strike and the Ethiopia Programme is to respond, all staff are required to actively participate in the response, regardless of location and contribute to the efforts aimed at achieving the humanitarian objective of the organization.

Gender Equality

• Demonstrate understanding of Concern Ethiopia’s Gender Equality Strategy
• Contribute to ensuring that Concern Ethiopia is a place where men and women are treated equally and with  dignity and respect
• Demonstrate gender equality awareness and gender sensitivity and an ability to integrate a gender equality perspective into tasks and activities.

Accountability

In line with Concern’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS): 

• actively promote meaningful community participation and consultation at all stages of the project cycle (planning, implementation, M&E); 
• work with relevant colleagues  to ensure that the Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) is functional and accessible, that feedback and complaints are welcomed and addressed; 
• Work with relevant colleagues to ensure that information about CRM, safeguarding and expected staff behavior is disseminated among programme participants and communities.

Safeguarding

• Able to seek appropriate advice and report concerns, and feel confident that they have been understood.
• Understands local safeguarding structures and arrangements.
• Practice in a manner that seeks to reduce the risk of abuse, harm or neglect.
• Identifies and refers to appropriate services any other associated persons including carers, family members and children at risk.
• Able to document safeguarding concerns, and maintain appropriate record keeping, recording the wishes and views of the adult or child at risk, differentiating between fact and opinion.