Education Specialist

ROLE PURPOSE

As part of its response and strategic focus, Plan International Lebanon is looking for an experienced Education Specialist to lead technical capacity building and knowledge brokering within Plan International Lebanon and support in pursuing funding opportunities and scaling up the education programme. Also coordinating with Plan globally and externally with working groups and other stakeholders. The specialist will also lead on an education research and provide technical support to Plan Lebanon in responding to the current economic crisis and Syria crisis, leading on the programme’s design; developing programme approaches, strategies, and materials; building capacity of team-members and partners in key technical areas.

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Development & Quality Manager, the Education Specialist will be responsible to support the education programme that will seek to understand further the barriers that deprive girls and boys of their right to education and protection from violence through research, and will lead design processes for interventions that ensure improved access to age sensitive, gender-responsive, safe, and inclusive quality education and learning opportunities. He/She will ensure programme quality implemented by Plan and its partners, and promote linkages with other sector interventions including Child Protection, GBV, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), Livelihoods and Youth Economic Empowerment (YEE). The Education Specialist will work closely with the programme team, relevant Regional and Global Technical Specialists.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Programme Design:

•    Lead on the development of research, assessments, situational analysis, and other technical documents in the areas of education, including patterns, trends and relevant responses;
•    Define the Country Office’s strategy in the areas of Education, in line with national strategies and regional priorities.
•    Lead on the development of project models and approaches of intervention related to Education, including strategies for addressing out of school children and children at-risk of dropping out.
•    Provide technical expertise in the areas of Education during proposal and concept note development.
•    Lead on developing and adapting relevant curricula, tools, material and guidance notes.

Quality Assurance during Implementation

•    Promote Education standards and good practices and ensure they are applied in all projects and other programmes that include education interventions, in alignment with the national and global guidance for Education. 
•    Supervise the development and revision of technical guidelines, frameworks, tools, curricula, trainings materials, communication materials (leaflets) and other relevant documents at projects and programme level.
•    Participate in regular programmes review, monitoring and evaluation and support in setting actions to ensure quality implementation through regular technical guidance;
•    Participate in relevant project meetings/calls; startup and close out workshops of projects, and any relevant country or regional project Steering Committees
    
Capacity Building for staff & partners

•    Identify training needs of staff and partners through conducting initial and regular capacity assessments;
•    Contribute to the design of staff and partners’ capacity building and development plans on best practice;
•    Develop and adapt Education training packages and resources, drawing from country and global external resources, as well as Plan global and regional materials;
•    Support staff and partners in strengthening their skills and technical capabilities in education through developing and delivering training, ongoing mentoring, and sharing capacity-building opportunities.

Knowledge management, research & advocacy

•    Manage and lead the process of developing and implementing research and contributing to other relevant publications.
•    Support knowledge management and exchange through management of shared folder with all technical program materials and resources, sharing highlighted resources, etc. 
•    Promote learning exchanges, dialogues, and documentation with country program staff and partners as well as contributing to regional-level initiatives as relevant; 
•    Work closely with M&E staff and project leads on documenting best practices and lessons learned from projects and disseminating them internally and externally;

Communication & Coordination

•    Coordinate knowledge brokering and dissemination of research finds and best practices internally and externally
•    Promote and provide technical guidance for mainstreaming and integrated activities for Education with SRHR, Child Protection, YEE, and other sectors. 
•    Technically support identification and development of strategic partnerships related to education;
•    Contribute to campaigns and other influencing and advocacy initiatives connected with Education;
•    Attend technical working groups meetings and share relevant information with staff and partners.
•    Participate in internal technical calls and networks at regional and global level as relevant

•    Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

•    Education in Emergencies Network
•    MEESA Education Network
•    National Organisations (NO)
•    PII Leadership Team

External:

•    UN and donor representatives
•    Inter-agency working groups
•    Government and other stakeholders
•    Partners including national and international NGOs, 
•    Civil society and community-based organizations

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of:

•    The context in Lebanon, particularly on issues affecting access to quality education, especially for girls; secondary education preferred 
•    The donor landscape in Lebanon, in addition to donors’ strategy and requirements;
•    Civil society in Lebanon, in particular local and national NGOs working on Education
•    Humanitarian principles and “do no harm” approach.
•    Strong understanding of gender and commitment to promoting gender equality through gender mainstreaming/gender-transformative approaches.
•    INEE minimum standards.

Qualifications and Experience

•    Minimum 5 years of professional experience in providing technical advice to Education programs in humanitarian and development settings 
•    Master’s degree in education, psychological education or another related field
•    Experience working in programming related to education, children and adolescents
•    Experience working on projects in partnership with international, national and local NGOs is preferred

Skills

•    Excellent knowledge of Arabic and English is mandatory
•    Excellent ability to write reports, briefing papers and research in English
•    Excellent skills in project design, time management, and problem solving
•    Good facilitation skills and ability to deliver briefings and trainings
•    Demonstrated ability to network and liaise with UN, coordination mechanisms and donors
•    Demonstrated ability to liaise and coordinate with teams from different sectors to address issues affecting children and youth in a multi-sectoral approach
•    Flexible work attitude and ability to work independently within a small tea
•    Ability to effectively communicate with a diverse and cross-cultural audience

PLAN INTERNATIONAL’S VALUES IN PRACTICE

We are open and accountable

1.    Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
2.    Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
3.    Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
4.    Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
5.    Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people

We strive for lasting impact

1.    Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
2.    Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
3.    Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
4.    Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together

1.    Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
2.    Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
3.    Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
4.    Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering

1.    We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential
2.    We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace
3.    We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. 

LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH CHILDREN:

Medium level: Occasional interaction with children

TRAVEL

•    In-country travel is estimated at 50%.
•    Occasional international travel may be required.