Deputy Director of Education Department At St. Andrew’s Refugee Services

Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, Cairo

Vacancy Announcement: Deputy Director of Education Department

Founded in 1979, StARS is a refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through five broad program areas: education, psychosocial, legal, community outreach and unaccompanied youth and children support services. We provide high-quality services meeting the unaddressed needs of refugees, and we provide a safe and inclusive space for displaced people to come together as a community. We work for refugees, with refugees, to make rights recognition a reality.

StARS’ Mission: Driven by a commitment to justice and fairness, StARS works as displaced people and for displaced people to respect human dignity and enhance quality of life.

StARS’ Vision: Displaced people lead in the creation and implementation of responses to different forms of migration to establish safe, just, welcoming, and inclusive communities globally.

We serve people from many places, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

To learn more please visit our website: www.stars-egypt.org or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/standrewsrefugeeservices?fref=ts

Department Description: Education Department

StARS’ Education Department provides comprehensive educational programs to refugees and other vulnerable migrants within Cairo. The department consists of five Programs:

1. The Early Childhood Development Program, a pre-school for 40 infants aged three to six years old.
2. The Early Childhood Wellbeing Program, works with refugee and displaced families of young children in community-based organizations.
3. The Children’s Education Program, a full school of over 300 students teaching the Sudanese curriculum in English.
4. The Adult Education Program, offers a range of language and skills-based classes delivered at StARS locations and in refugee communities.
5. Education Access and Capacity Building, trains teachers in refugee schools across Cairo and links refugees to education and vocational opportunities.

Role

Under the supervision of the Director of Education Department, the Deputy Director is responsible for providing technical and managerial support to StARS Education Department. The Deputy Director will manage the implementation of Education projects, with joint supervision over education support function staff. Additionally, the Deputy Director will provide strategic support on technical programming, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation. Lastly, the Deputy Director will stand in for the Director of Education Department when absent and assume additional duties as necessary.

Responsibilities

All duties are carried out under the supervision of StARS Education Director. Effective communication with the Director Education of Department and other members of the StARS Executive leadership team is essential to the success of this role.

Technical

• To identify and address gaps within education service provision within StARS programming.
• To maintain oversight and monitoring of activities across Education Programs in close coordination with all Education Coordinators.
• To build and maintain strong relationships with refugee communities in Cairo, and assist community schools in building up their capacities.
• To provide technical support to the Education staff to ensure effective and efficient implementation of activities.
• To ensure monitoring and evaluation systems are in place and programming is reviewed based on results and emerging needs.
• To acquire full and detailed knowledge of social, ethnical, religious, and political background of displaced communities in Egypt.
• To maintain good working knowledge of UNHCR guidelines, processes, and procedures.
• To monitor policies and external developments affecting refugees in Egypt.
• To acquire adequate knowledge of StARS services, procedures and policies.
• To support improving communication between Education and all StARS departments and programs.
• To ensure a rights-based approach is adopted across Education services and activities.

· To promote the sharing of relevant information with Education staff and other StARS programs.

• To ensure that systems are in place for Education staff to consistently assess extra-education client needs and refer to other StARS teams or external organizations as appropriate.
• To support the Community Outreach Department in the development of effective training modules for community teachers.

Programmatic

• To assist in preparing work plans and ensuring all data collection tools of Education Programs are created, completed and saved in StARS data and case management systems.
• To support the implementation of projects under the Education Department.
• To maintain oversight and monitor activities across the Education programs, as well as all areas of StARS engaging in work with Community-Based Organizations.
• To liaise with all Education staff in carrying out tasks in accordance with StARS’ staff handbook, code of conduct, and standards, in particular with regards to work ethics, confidentiality, anti-discrimination, child protection and the prevention of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse.
• To promote self-care, peer-support and team building among Education staff and volunteers.
• To ensure accurate record keeping systems are in place for Education Programs and to provide case reporting data to the Director of Education Department as requested in order to accurately report work to senior management, funders, and others.
• To prepare and support the implementation of new services through the preparation of needs assessments, work plans, and proposals.
• To support data collection and coordination for the purpose of trends analysis of UNHCR processing, as well as access to Education services.
• To support Education Coordinators in establishing and regularly updating written manuals and procedures for the different services provided within the Education Department.
• To communicate with refugee communities, other service providers, and UNHCR to facilitate the provision of accurate information and advice leading to the fulfillment of education rights of refugees and migrants.

Supervisory

• To provide leadership and support to staff across Education Programs.
• To provide direct supervision to five education support function staff.
• To support the supervision of the Education Department’s administrative staff.
• To assist the Director of Education Department in the development of supervision procedures and mechanisms.
• To ensure consistent supervision practices are implemented in a regular and timely manner across all levels within Education Programs.
• To support Education management in the recruitment of senior staff positions within the department, and other StARS Programs as needed.

Finance and Administration

· To undergo probation and regular performance appraisals.

· To be familiar with StARS financial policies and procedures.

· To approve Education staff cash requests.

• To ensure that Education coordinators adhere to StARS’ financial policies and procedures.

Communication and Reporting

· To communicate regularly with the Director of Education Department, reporting on all major issues and developments in the field and within the Education Department.

· To coordinate with the Monitoring and Evaluation team to improve data collection across Education programs

· To receive contributions from Education Coordinators and assemble the final education reports and submit them to the Education Director.

· To Provide feedback to the Education Coordinators on their contributions to improve their reporting skills.

Policy and Advocacy

• To advocate with donors, UNHCR, and other service providers for improvement of services and rights of refugees in Cairo.
• To monitor policies and developments affecting refugees in Egypt, paying special attention to particularly vulnerable or marginalized groups.
• To identify advocacy priorities affecting Education clients, and refer to the Director of Education Department for implementation of advocacy strategies.
• To support the development of advocacy strategies and plans in coordination with the Education Director and the StARS Policy and Advocacy Officers.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will be energetic, articulate, and comfortable interacting with diverse segments of society. She or he will have demonstrated a firm commitment to human rights and refugee issues with particular emphasis on vulnerable populations.

Technical

· English being the official language of UNHCR Cairo and StARS, the Refugee Legal Aid Program Deputy Director must be fluent in oral and written English. Arabic or a refugee language is an advantage.

· University degree in Education or related field.

· Five-year experience working within the education field of refugee education.

· Knowledge of various models and methods relating to the provision of educational services to marginalized, indigent, and vulnerable communities

· Highly developed written and communication skills.

Desirable Characteristics:

· Ability to prioritize work, multi-task, and meet demanding deadlines.

· Ability to provide strategic, situational, adaptive and collaborative leadership.

· Ability to act as the team leader in variety of situations.

· Ability to contribute to the professional growth and skills development of Education staff.

· Ability to create innovative solutions to a wide range of problems.

· Ability to develop, implement, reflect on and monitor multiple activities.

· Ability to present and promote change at the department level.

· Ability to prioritize multiple demands and effectively manage time.

· Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with employees and community partners.

Working Hours: The Deputy Director is expected to be at work for 40 hours per week, between the hours of 9am and 5pm, from Sunday to Thursday. Longer hours, evening and weekend work are sometimes necessary. Work will be conducted both in StARS premises and also in refugee communities and centers.

Supervised by: Director of Education Department.

Salary: 13,700 EGP/month, rising to 14,700 EGP/month following successful completion three-month probationary period. Plus 4,020 EGP/year Health Coverage and 100 EGP/month Saving Scheme Contribution upon completion of probationary period.

Additional official benefits as stipulated in StARS Staff Handbook Guidelines.

This position is subject to a three-month probationary period, at which time the employee’s performance will be reviewed and probation may be extended.

Closing date for applications: 20 November 2021

Anticipated Starting date: January 2022