Vacancy Announcement: Education Manager, Fondazione L’Albero della Vita – The Tree of Life Kenya

Organizational Profile

Fondazione L’Albero della Vita – The Tree of Life Kenya is an organization registered in Kenya as a Trust with the aim of ensuring the wellbeing, protection and promotion of the rights of children and their families and encouraging community development.

The Tree of Life envisions a world without poverty where children can enjoy their rights; grow up in a safe environment, protected from all kinds of violence and abuse, with access to equal opportunities.

The organization has been working in Kenya since 2011, focusing on the sectors of Child Protection, Education and safeguarding of children.

The Tree of Life has been operating in the space of Juvenile Justice, Care Reform, Alternative Family Care, TVET and job inclusion for vulnerable youth, as well as improving education, Wash, nutrition and health services in the ASAL and in the informal settlements of Nairobi.

The project

The Tree of Life is starting up a new program in Kenya in collaboration with several Government Departments, and national and international partners. The project, entitled “RISE”, is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and aims at activating and strengthening formal, inclusive educational services, personal and professional development and sexual and reproductive health pathways to children and youth, both vulnerable and in conflict with the law in Kenya, focusing on the role of Government institutions, educative communities and the private sector. The proposed action is part of a framework of major structural changes in Kenya in the field of Education (reform of the education system), Protection (Care Reform) and the juvenile / child justice system (Restorative Justice, ADR).

Job Title: Education Manager

Supervisor: Programme Coordinator

Duty station: Nairobi, with travels in the project’s target areas when required

Starting date: 15th September 2022

Duration of the assignment: 12 months, with 3 months’ probation, renewable

Deadline for application: 9th August 2022

Summary of the role:

The Education Manager will facilitate implementation of the Tree of Life education strategies aimed at strengthening the structures and competences of government institutions for the provision of inclusive, participatory and up-to-date educational services in support of vulnerable children and children in conflict with the law in collaboration with local stakeholders.

The candidate will be also responsible for operationalizing the RISE project’s education component, in collaboration with relevant government agencies and in compliance with all donor guidelines.

He/she will facilitate the upgrading of schools to meet government standards as well as provision of a training program targeting teachers and government officers leading to eventual piloting for enhancing the reintegration of children within the context of the Educative Communities

Role and Responsibilities:

• Manage the development and the delivering of a coherent Education strategy for the RISE project, with consistent work plans, ensuring internal / external alignment.
• Implement the education component of the RISE project with all the related activities, as per project objectives, Logical Framework, work plan and budget approved by the donor.
• Coordinate monitoring and evaluation of all activities related to the Education component of the RISE project, ensuring the smooth running of the action, tracking progress on activities and the achievement of the indicators indicated in the Logical Framework, as well as assessing and evaluating impact.
• Prepare adequate work and implementation plans of the activities, in close coordination with the project team.
• Develop regular, timely and complete monthly, quarterly, interim, annual, final narrative reports and maintain a high degree of consistency, accuracy, relevance, compliance with donor’s and Government guidelines.
• Propose and develop corrective actions & submitting amendments to the Program Coordinator when needed, ensuring program quality, timely submission of deliverables and compliance with local legislation, Tree of Life and donors’ procedures and contractual requirements.
• Support the management of financial, administrative, procurement and logistical aspects related to all activities under this role’s responsibility, including preparation of education budgets.
• Monitor and coordinate expenditures vis a vis approved budget and financial plans.
• Support the preparation and the follow up of partner agreements and other agreements (Service Agreements, MoUs, consultants, etc.) and relevant documents.
• Develop, organize and implement training initiatives, schools’ upgrade and equipping within the project and ensuring alignment with the education priorities of the organization.
• Coordinate, liaise with relevant government departments for the organization of trainings, activities and joint development of best practices in the provision of education to vulnerable children and children in conflict with the law.
• Support the development and the implementation of education and protection initiatives within local communities.
• Work together with a technical partner in the definition, implementation and development of an M&E system of all training programs on the application of the knowledge transferred to teachers and Government staff, and the impact on the student learning outcomes.
• Contribute to the development of trainings’ initial & final assessments and evaluations, the issuing of certificates, the organization of initial and final analysis and FGD on sample of beneficiaries for initial and final Skills assessment survey through questionnaires, inclusive of report of the FGDs.
• Participate in the implementation of the monitoring and evaluation plan of all project activities together with the project staff.
• Facilitate networking with other stakeholders active in the field of Education and Child Protection, participate in meetings with Government Departments, relevant sectorial meetings, supporting the creation of linkages and partnerships with government, CSOs, UN agencies, donors, private entities and any other relevant actor.
• Support the drafting and the dissemination of position papers for education, properly document the achievements and lessons of the project activities and share them out with key stakeholders for feedback and come up with final papers.
• Together with a technical partner, develop the content of the training on inclusion, organize the online and physical trainings, ensure the participation of teachers and staff of the institutions, and the subsequent follow up in schools and institutions.
• Create and schedule content for education support online and offline: document results and best practices including compiling impact stories, lessons learned and other learning materials in collaboration with institutions of higher learning.
• Structure and monitor learning processes and procedures: follow-up of monitoring tools/templates to collect information from the field staff, etc.
• Maintain an education assets library, including case studies, best practices in Alternative learning and publications of Tree of Life operations.
• Review and improve deliverables developed in the framework of the Tree of Life educational ongoing programs, such as manuals, guidelines, SOPs, Concept Notes, etc.
• In coordination with the Regional Representative and the Program Coordinator, explore new program opportunities/development, build strategy for expansion of programs and grants portfolio.
• Contribute to the development and the preparation of feasibility studies, assessments, concept papers, project proposal development.
• Any other duty as required by the supervisor in line with the post and relevant to the achievement of the Tree of Life objectives.

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• Bachelor degree in education or related discipline from a reputable University.
• Knowledgeable in the content and practice of the Competency Based Curriculum, inclusive education and global citizenship.
• Background knowledge on development issues and /or areas related to Child Protection, child justice and Education will be a strong asset.
• Ability to work independently, suggest practical solutions and follow-up effectively on the management decisions.
• Good planning skills, pro-activity, creativity, and ability to meet the established deadlines.
• Good organizational and facilitating skills for the training sessions
• Ability to build key relationships with internal and external stakeholders, contractors and consultants.
• Strong understanding of the humanitarian and development context in Kenya and East Africa
• Computer skills (Microsoft office word, excel, etc.).
• Excellent spoken and written English and swahili.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to summarise complex information in clear, non-specialist language.
• Confident in managing multiple activities in a fast-paced environment.
• Motivated by our vision of creating a world where everyone is an educator, and where Children are the key actors of human and social development, being a faithful reflection of the past, present and future of the growth process.

Other Skills Required

• Honesty and strong ethics are required in order to be successful in this position.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated capacity and willingness to learn – open to learning new ways of doing things.
• Firm belief in teamwork, gender equality, participatory approach and sustainable development.
• Planning and management skills.

Experience

• Minimum 3 years experience in the education sector and working with vulnerable children.
• Experience in implementing different learning methodologies and development of educational tools and training Curriculums.
• Previous experiences in NGOs and donor-funded programs.
• Proven track record of collaborating with Government agencies, learning institutions, civil society organizations and private sector stakeholders
• Proven experience in planning and organizing training activities.
• Experience of working with diverse teams, as well as ability to work with partners using effective interpersonal and communication skills.

Confidentiality

Employees must sign a child Safeguarding Policy and a confidentiality agreement, and may not share organizational materials without the express written permission from a supervisor.

Respect – the Tree of Life aims to always show respect and appreciation for team members, Partners and all.

Working hours

Working hours will be discussed and agreed upon.