Job Vacancy: Human Centred Design Coaches – Aga Khan Foundation

The Aga Khan Foundation is currently implementing Foundations for Learning (F4L), a 5-year Programme Project in Kwale and Kilifi counties. The overarching goal of F4L is to reduce gender and social barriers to the utilization and uptake of education and other sustainable development services. The project is part of wider AKF efforts and interventions seeking to address the gender, social, cultural, and economic barriers that women and girls face in accessing education, making life decisions, and improving their equitable learning outcomes as key steps to exercise their basic human rights. Broadly, F4L will address the urgent need for advancing gender equality and pluralism in and through education in Kwale and Kilifi counties by aligning efforts to accelerate improved learning, not simply more schooling. Designed as a multi-dimensional, connected, and dynamic approach to education system reform, F4L will equip a new generation of learners, teachers, school leaders, families, communities, CSOs, and government leaders with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to lead more gender responsive and pluralist quality education systems that advance equitable, quality learning outcomes for all.

Scope of Work

The Programme has shifted to a demand-driven approach to engage 100 school communities in design thinking processes (roughly 20 design teams in total). HCD coaches are expected to engage directly with their designated design teams remotely and onsite to support school communities design, test and iterate context driven innovations focused on gender barriers to education.

Role of A Human Centred Design Coach

• Participate in F4L HCD sprints (3 Days per sprint) as a coach to help facilitate the design process and build relationships with the teams you will support over a 6-month period.
• In particular, support design teams to develop a prototype and create a clear testing plan, including outlining key assumptions to test in their classrooms/youth spaces.
• Build rapport with the school communities to create a strong coach-coachee relationship that will facilitate knowledge sharing and enhance their experience in and the outputs of the design process.
• Support in evidence and learning generation through the coaching process and from your design teams to inform F4L processes and assess the potential for Minimum Viable Prototypes(MVP).
• Support school communities to reflect on the assessment data and reflections from the HCD exploration phase and use the data collected to inform the design process.
• Engage and collaborate with other coaches to support learning and incubation of Minimum Viable Prototypes.
• Documentation
  • During the Sprints, document your team(s) HCD experience from their How Might We, Top 3 Ideas, Prototypes and Testing Plan, including assumptions to be tested
  • Throughout the coaching period, document the coaching journey, including successes, challenges, and learnings faced by your design teams
  • At the end of the coaching process, deliver a final report on your team(s) testing experience and the desirability and feasibility of their MVP
  • Deliver a report on Innovations designed, and assumptions tested.

To achieve the above, it is expected for the coach to:

• Support the facilitation of HCD sprints to support design teams to embark on their HCD journey.
• Facilitate progressive weekly or bi-weekly call or platform-based check-ins, such as WhatsApp or Zoom with your design teams to facilitate the innovation cycle.
• Participate in F4L events including the Innovation in Education Showcase Events.
• Work collaboratively with design teams, AKF staff and other F4L partners to capture and make meaning of the coaching process and MVPs.
• Attend weekly check-in calls with F4L staff, other AKF staff and non-AKF representatives, as necessary.

Duration

The assignment will run from June to December 2023, but the coaches will be engaged on a needs basis as and when sessions occur for the period of the program.

Expected Deliverables

1. Active participation in Design Thinking Sprints.
2. Produce a post-sprint, mid-coaching, and end-coaching reports, as detailed above.
3. Conduct site visits to support school communities to test their prototypes.
4. Support school communities to generate high value, impactful, scalable innovations
5. Support school communities to story board their prototypes to support learning, reflection and scale.

Key Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of a Diploma in a related field, such as education, social sciences, innovation or development
• A certificate or evidence of experience in HCD and design processes is required
• Prior experience as a design coach is an asset
• Prior experience working with CSOs and teachers is an asset
• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with designers and fellow coaches
• Strong questioning, ideation, and testing skills
• Strong qualitative data collection and analysis and documentation skills
• Strong written and verbal communicator in English is an asset
• Must be based in Kenya (Sprints will be taking place in Kilifi and Kwale)
• Immediate availability for onboarding training from July 2023

To Apply: