Southwest Education Advisor at Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI)

Job Title: Southwest Education Advisor

Project Background

Nigeria faces a learning crisis, with low literacy rates and children who are failing to learn the basics. Many teachers lack the competencies needed to teach, schools are overcrowded and learning materials are not routinely available. Government capacity to manage the education system effectively is weak and investment in the sector is considered insufficient.

Nigeria PLANE will be a 7-year, £95m programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) and represents one window of intervention in a broader package of investment intended to enable a more inclusive and effective basic education system. It seeks to do this through improvements made in teaching and learning with a focus on foundational skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. It seeks to unlock governance bottlenecks that support education service delivery improvements; improve the regulation of the non-state sector and embed the use of data and evidence in the programme and within the system.

It has four primary outputs: (i) Teaching & Learning: Evidence-based teaching and learning approaches & materials in use, in better managed performance-focused schools and teaching colleges; (ii) Governance of state systems: Improved planning, personnel management, and public financial management practices; (iii) Governance of non-state systems: Improved management and performance of the non-state sector; and (iv) Use of Evidence and Communication: Effective generation, communication and use of evidence to inform citizen engagement and improve service delivery. PLANE will work in Kano, Kaduna, and Jigawa, the Southwest, Southeast, and the federal capital territory.

SCOPE OF WORK

 Output-3 of PLANE aims to improve the management and performance of the non-state sector in delivering basic education to children. The Output 3 lead will work closely with government counterparts, non-state school associations, and providers to ensure the effective provision of foundational skills to children and increase their learning outcomes. The Southwest Education Adviser is to provide technical support and guidance for the implementation of the output three components of PLANE in states in the region to achieve the objective of better-managed non-state systems.

• Work with PLANE partners in Southwest -Development Agenda for Western Nigeria and Sustainable Education Enterprise Development Care Foundation based in Lagos for the development of effective models of public-private partnership, effective regulatory framework, and promotion of use of evidence and information for increased investment in private schools and Out of School interventions in Southwest.
• Develop effective relationships with wider range of stakeholders in the states in the region especially in engagement with policymakers, Commissioners, Associations of private schools, faith-based organizations, and other regional bodies to advance the objectives and focus of output 3.
• To coordinate the sharing of best practices and lessons from across the programme with state and non-state actors within the region.

To support capacity building for state and non-state actors for improved learning outcomes and delivery of foundational skills in the non-state sector.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Specific duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• In close cooperation with the state governments in the region (particularly the Ministries of Education and the relevant department responsible for non-state education) maintain a clear vision on how to improve management of the non-state education system.
• Generate a positive approach among key stakeholders to increase the quality of non-state education systems, involving staff and key stakeholders in developing and realizing the vision of improved management of non-state schools.
• Lead the technical team in the region to achieve the outcome of a more inclusive and effective education systems that deliver foundational skills for non-state basic education particularly those that educate poor children, to improve standards and raise performance across the education sector.
• Ensure that the programme is aligned and governed with the guiding principles of gender, poverty, sustainability, not harm, and value for money in the states of operation within the region.
• Act as the programme’s key contact in the region through the Technical Lead and Regional Coordinator Southwest and respond strategically to support the Ministry of Education, private school associations, faith-based institutions, and other relevant non-state stakeholders.
• Oversee and quality assure the technical work of Specialists working in the regional office. 
• Build strategic alliances with partners and key stakeholders working in different states within the region for the benefit of achieving improved management of non-state schools.
• Coordinate work and generate synergies between PLANE and other education and FCDO programmes in the region.
• Lead the planning and management of programme initiatives in the region monitoring activities, financial expenditure, and costed work plans with guidance from the Technical Lead
• Actively promote the use of feedback from beneficiaries to guide implementation and practice.
• Ensure regular communication and knowledge sharing with internal and external clients and key stakeholders.
• Ensure that programmes in the region respond to peculiar need and variations in each state whilst encouraging shared knowledge of lessons across the states. 
• Ensure milestone deliverables for regional initiatives are met in timely fashion.
• Ensure all required reports are delivered on time and to the required quality.
• Maintain regular communications with the Output Lead especially in relation to progress against time, budget, and quality aspirations and FCDO satisfaction.
• Conduct any further activities as required by the Output 3 Lead and the PPP Intervention Manager around providing technical support to Lagos State on Global Partnership for Education and partnering with other development partners .in the region the Technical Lead Governance of Non-State Schools (Non-State) and other members of the programme Senior Management Team

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• A master’s degree, preferably in education, public policy, and/or economics.
• 10–years of experience in the development sector, preferably with FCDO-funded programmes.
• Experience working with the non-state sector in education, including low-cost private schools and public-private partnerships in education.
• Experience in managing, designing, and leading education-related research studies, learning assessments, and evaluations.
• Demonstrated understanding of Nigeria’s education sector, especially the non-state sector.
• Extensive professional experience in Africa, particularly Nigeria.
• Experience working with government and donor counterparts.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to develop high-quality written materials.
• Ability to develop well-written, cohesive analyses and reports.
• Proven experience with relationship-building and team-building skills.
• Demonstrated experience of working in politically sensitive and volatile environments. Proven professional experience in education systems strengthening and institutional capacity development especially non-state school governance reforms and Out of School Children Issues in Southwest.
• Proven staff and financial management experience.
• Experience in Planning, Institutional and Organisational Development, Education Management, or Public Administration Reform.
• Experience working with the Nigerian government parastatal officials and civil society groups.

Application Instructions

The application deadline is November 11th, 2024. Therefore, qualified and interested candidates can “CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION” It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

DAI will only contact candidates that are successful at this pre-qualification stage. More information about DAI can be found on the DAI website.

Website:

Official Job Website: www.dai.com