Regional Education Specialist – School Performance – Mott MacDonald
Job Title: Regional Education Specialist – School Performance
Organization: Mott MacDonald
Duty Station: Uganda
About US:
Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management and development consultancy focused on guiding our clients through many of the planet’s most intricate challenges.
About SESIL Project:
SESIL (Strengthening Education Systems for Improved Learning), is a four-year education programme designed to improve the quality and equity of measurable learning outcomes at lower primary level in Uganda. SESIL will do this by strengthening the systems needed to manage and raise the performance of four key drivers of learning outcomes: teachers, schools, districts, and assessment and examinations.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Technical direction in School Performance:
- Strengthening schools use of data and quality assurance procedures (school self-evaluation) so that schools are better able to determine and plan for self-development
- Improving school leadership through contributing to the design and implementation of a head teacher training programme and a handbook for primary head teachers that they can reference in their daily practice
- Working with SMCs to improve the quality of their management and support to schools leading to a greater involvement of communities with their schools.
- Participating in the design and implementation of appropriate training activities
- Establishing networks between schools that can assist in incentivising teaching and school development
- Developing with other team members the ability of CCTs and PTCs to provide responsive, appropriate and effective advisory and support services to schools
- Establishing within communities a voluntary pre-primary school readiness programme to support the transition of children into primary school.
Regional team responsibilities and duties
- Through effective collaboration with regional team members, the DSSCs and the SESIL national team based in Kampala, lead the planning, delivery and monitoring of activities that will secure the desired output of improved school performance, through
- Contributing to work planning and monitoring routines
- Identifying and resolving bottlenecks that impede progress
- Regular reporting progress
Through effective collaboration with, regional team members and the DSSC, provide technical contribution to school improvement components in the development and delivery of regional level events and activities for district level personnel. This will include:
- Training and capacity needs analysis
- Regional consultative, planning and review meetings
- Specific training events and workshops
Through effective collaboration with regional team members provide technical support to and supervision of DSSCs through:
- Establishing and guiding effective work planning routines and processes
- Regular visits to monitor and support district level activities
- Providing or sourcing professional development opportunities for DSSC, including establishing effective coaching and mentoring opportunities
- Develop effective working relationships with key political and administrative stakeholders, as well as with other relevant development partners (e.g. bi- and multi-lateral programmes, NGOs)
- Participate in relevant district/regional meetings involving education partners and stakeholders
- Contribute to SESIL’s national planning, monitoring and reporting routines as advised by the national Kampala-based team
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- Relevant graduate (or postgraduate) qualification in education preferred
- Varied and recent experience of working in service delivery with, or in, local government, preferably in a performance improvement capacity, preferably in education
- Team working and leadership – an ability to work effectively within multi-disciplinary teams, to be able to coach and mentor team members and provide guidance to district staff.
- Strong communication skills – ability to express ideas and information clearly and simply, both verbally and in writing. A high level of written and spoken English is essential
- Strong analytical skills – ability to investigate and understand constraints and bottle-necks
- High levels of creativity and innovation –
- ability to develop and test new approaches to old problems
- Facilitation skills – ability to design, prepare and deliver training and consultation workshops
- Sound understanding of Uganda’s education system, decentralisation and local government processes and practices, particularly with regard to school levels systems and processes, including their relationships with parents and communities.
- Understanding of the concepts and principles of Managing for Results (or similar, e.g. Performance Management, Results Oriented Management, Deliverology), School Improvement Planning.
- Computer literacy: working competence in main applications (Microsoft Office)
How to Apply:
All candidates should apply online at the link below.