Assessment Officer (Teacher Standards) At Pacific Community

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The vision of the Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP) is to be ‘The agency for educational quality in the Pacific region’. Its mission is to enhance the quality of education and training for Pacific learners, so they realise the benefits of lifelong learning. EQAP seeks to promote the following core values within the context of SPC’s corporate values:

  • a culture of quality;
  • a culture of continuous improvement;
  • cultural and political sensitivity;
  • respect for the autonomy and priorities of the education system in each Pacific Island country and territory (PICTs); and
  • assimilation of the expressed needs of countries in its delivery of technical services.

The Assessment Officer (Teacher Standards) will be responsible for coordinating the development and accreditation of regional qualifications in identified areas.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

Document procurement, organisation, and analysis

  • Develop a workplan in collaboration with the Curriculum and Assessment team leader, collaborate in the development of templates for recording audit information, procure national documents related to teacher standards and their use in countries, analyse information contained in these documents to obtain information that are relevant for the audit, and populate template with relevant information.

Communication

  • Collaborate in the development and refinement of appropriate interview questions, communicate with officers in countries whose work relates directly to the formulation and/or use of teacher standards, identify documents to be procured through these conversations, organise and host virtual meetings, provide zoom links, ensure that recordings of zoom conversations are taken with the consent of participants; and listen to the record of meeting decisions to word process information relevant to the use of teacher standards in countries.

Synthesis of data and information

  • Transcribe zoom meeting recordings, synthesise data and information obtained from the document analysis and zoom meeting transcripts in collaboration with the Team Leader to harvest relevant information to be reported for the audit.

Report writing

  • Word processes the audit report for each country based on findings on policies, regulations, guidelines and processes in collaboration with the members of the Curriculum and Assessment team and the Communications team of EQAP.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

  • A Bachelor’s degree in Education and/or ICT from a recognized university
  • Specialization in Curriculum or Assessment or Education Technology strands in the Master in Education

Knowledge and experience

  • At least 5 years of experience working in the area of education and experience in interacting with teachers and officers of the Ministry of Education.
  • Sound knowledge of and experience with qualitative and quantitative educational research methods.
  • Sound knowledge of current Pacific and international educational assessment issues.

Essential skills

  • Ability to work independently to and meet multiple project deadlines.
  • Ability to learn and quickly master new information technologies as they develop.
  • Demonstrated work experience with producing frameworks and guidelines documentation and reports.
  • Experience in monitoring and tracking timeliness and quality of deliverables.

Language skills

  • Excellent English communication skills (oral and written) with a working knowledge of French being an advantage
  • Proven verbal and written presentation and communication skills in English, both at a technical level and in the preparation of information for the public.

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

  • Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment
  • Experience in liaising, negotiating, and training people, especially teachers and education officers from different ethnic, cultural and educational backgrounds

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – until 30 September 2023 – subject to renewal depending on funding and performance

Due to the current travel restrictions caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the priority SPC places on its staff safety, health and well-being, please note that there may be delays in taking up the appointment. These matters will be discussed thoroughly with successful candidates. In most cases, any appointment and on-boarding would only commence when relocation to the duty station is permitted.

Remuneration – The Assessment Officer (Teacher Standards) is a Band 8 position in SPC’s 2022 salary scale, with a starting salary range of 1,994‒2,493 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately FJD 5,883–7,354 (USD 2,852–3,565; EUR 2,393–2,991). An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. Remuneration of expatriate SPC staff members is not subject to income tax in Fiji; Fiji nationals employed by SPC in Fiji will be subject to income tax.

Benefits for international staff employees based in Fiji – SPC provides a housing allowance of FJD 1,350–3,000 per month and will reimburse excess accompanied luggage of up to two additional bags. Airfares, medical and life insurance are available for eligible employees. Employees are entitled to 25 days of annual leave per year of contract and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary, to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilingualism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will be given to the Pacific Islander. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s Privacy Policy.

How to apply

Application procedure

Closing Date: 4 September 2022 at 11:59pm (Fiji time)

Job Reference: KK000028

Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

  • an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
  • a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
  • responses to all screening questions

Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

For international staff in Fiji, only one foreign national per family can be employed with an entity operating in Fiji at any one given time. SPC may assist on a case-by-case basis with submissions to Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their consideration and final approval. SPC cannot and does not make any guarantee whatsoever of approval for such applications to Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs and where an application is approved, the spouse or partner will subject to such terms and conditions as may be set from time to time by the Ministry.

Screening Questions (maximum of 2,000 characters per question):

  1. Describe your views about teacher competency standards and the purposes for which teacher competency standards can be used.
  2. What are three challenges of working virtually (using technology) across several countries in the Pacific and how can these challenges be mitigated?
  3. Explain your understanding of an audit of how something, in this case teacher standards, is happening in a country – what information would be sought, what/who are the sources of evidence, protocols to be followed, how best to record information, etc.
  4. What are the key elements of report writing?

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