Education Advisor at Save the Children

(This position is covered under CUPE Bargaining Unit – Band 5)

Save the Children Canada is a member of Save the Children International, a federation that works in more than 120 countries worldwide delivering programs focused on health and nutrition, education, child protection, child poverty, humanitarian response, and child rights governance. As the world’s leading independent organization for children, Save the Children’s vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. We live our values every day– Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity and Integrity. The main purpose of this position is to contribute to high quality technical support for education programming of Save the Children Canada in our projects around the world. The following represent key accountabilities for this position. These accountabilities are to serve as a basis for developing annual work plans for the incumbent. This is a one-year contract position.

Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

· Provide quality thematic support and advice to Save the Children offices, staff and partners, with a particular focus on strengthening quality results, shared learning and good monitoring and evaluation approaches in those offices where Save the Children Canada supports programming.

· Provide conceptual, practical and evidence based orientation to education programming in contexts of crisis, in different areas of the world where Save the Children Canada is working.

· Establish and strengthen working relationships with multiple levels of government as well as local, civil society organizations. This includes working closely with the respective Ministries of Education.

· Ensure programming is carried out with a clear reference to a rigorous application of results based management, as required for Canadian government funding.

· Ensure programs are using state-of-the art guidelines and approaches (including Save the Children Common Approaches) to improve education, access, inclusion, safety and gender equality in education

· Train, mentor and build capacity of field staff, partners and government officials in education innovations and approaches, ensuring that these can increase the likelihood of improving education access and learning for girls and boys in vulnerable areas of the world.

· Contribute to good financial management of projects, particularly with reference to budget review and program analysis of expenditure, including variance analysis.

· Provide timely, complete and quality reports and other required documentation for donors as well as for internal processes of review, analysis, approval and learning.

· Provide advice to Save the Children Canada projects, if and as needed but with the intent of improving smooth implementation, monitoring and reporting, as per project contract obligations.**

· Advocate, within networks and coalitions to the extent possible, for improved policy, policy implementation and resources mobilization in support of Save the Children Canada’s strategic goals and areas of focus.

· Represent Save the Children Canada in written contributions to agency newsletters and other publications, based on field knowledge and experience.

· Identify new funding opportunities or Save the Children Canada.

· Contribute to development and review of concept papers, proposals, reports and other documentation, such as proposal risk analysis and cost pricing reviews. Support negotiation with donors, ensuring adequate charge offs for SCC.**

· Contribute to the preparation of the SCC strategy, annual plan, regional and field office plans as well as quarterly reports.

· Promote cross-functional synergies with Save the Children Canada, identifying, affirming and following up on opportunities by which Thematic Quality can interact effectively with other departments.

· Identify and support strategies for generating and disseminating evidence and learning on Save the Children’s education programs and approaches.

· Represent Save the Children in relevant conferences and learning events to promote and share evidence and learning from our programs.

· Promote the furtherance of the Save the Children International strategy, identifying, affirming and following up on opportunities by which Save the Children Canada can interact effectively with other Alliance members.

· Contribute to the development and roll out of Save the Children’s International’s Education Common Approaches, as agreed with SCC Senior Advisor for Education.

· Document information effectively, for use by others internal to SCC as well as referral, if and as needed by external sources.**

Qualifications & Competencies (include but are not limited to):

· Completion of University Degree, plus post-graduate degree or professional designation (M.B.A.)

· Master degree in International Development/International Education or related field, or bachelor’s degree in these areas with a post-graduate certificate or diploma related to international education or teaching.

· Minimum 5 years’ work experience implementing, managing, and providing technical assistance to child and youth programs in developing countries, including education focused programs.

· Experience and practical knowledge of approaches to education improvement including education in emergencies, girls’ education, inclusive education, teacher professional development and improving learning outcomes.

· Successful proposal development track record, with prior experience with GAC-funded projects; knowledge of GAC policies and procedures; knowledge of Results-Based Management (RBM) approach.

· Experience with child rights programming including in areas of Education.

· Knowledge of gender equality principles and practices.

· Demonstrated thought leadership expertise such as contributions to academic journals, books, articles; speaking engagements, leading conference presentations and panels.

· Solid experience in grant management, including budget holding and donor reporting.

· Representational and advocacy skills.

· Teaching experience highly desirable.

· Proficiency in English and French; Portuguese/ Spanish considered an asset.

· Ability to travel internationally, several weeks per year.

· Strategic big picture thinker, with the ability to engage at detailed project level.

· Is innovative, develops new ideas, and demonstrates adaptability.

· Ability to synthesize and develop high-quality knowledge products from diverse data sources including programmatic materials and tools.

· Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to develop strong working relationships across cultural and organizational boundaries with internal and external stakeholders, and managing through influence.

· Comfortable working independently with little supervision.

· Ability to travel internationally several weeks per year.

· Must adhere to Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding policy and protocols.

· Must Complete Police Vulnerable Sector Screening.