Team Lead, USAID Early Childhood Education Study in the Middle East and North Africa At Social Impact

Social Impact is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits.

Project Objective:

Under the Middle East Education Research, Training and Support (MEERS) initiative, the USAID Middle East Bureau has requested a study on Early Childhood Education (ECE) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in preparation for further support to this education sub-sector. Under the current USAID Education Strategy, the education programs funded by the Agency support host countries to achieve specific, measurable results by improving reading skills for children; strengthening higher education and workforce development programs; and expanding access to education in crisis and conflict states. On September 8, 2017, Congress passed P.L. 115-56, the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act, which called for USAID to develop a comprehensive international education strategy in consultation with other relevant U.S. Government Departments and Agencies by September 2019. As part of this process, USAID examined the role of early childhood and pre-primary education in supporting reading programs globally. In addition, the COVID pandemic and uncertain economic conditions in the region has turned the attention of policy makers to the private sector, where most pre-primary education services in the MENA region are situated, as potential development partners.

This study aims to examine two less understood themes pertaining to early childhood education in the MENA region: financing and access. In particular, it will seek to address the following questions:

1. Who has access to pre-primary education in the MENA region, and what are the challenges to its provision for underserved communities?
2. What are the variety of public and private financing models for the provision of pre-primary education in the MENA region, and what implications do these models have for who has access to these services, physical and learning conditions, and sustainability?
3. What tools and resources are currently used by national and international policy makers in planning for, designing, financing, implementing, and monitoring pre-primary education in MENA, what are the gaps, and what improvements can be made to expand access to more children in the region?

Position Description:

Social Impact is seeking a Team Lead (TL) to manage this study on early childhood education (ECE) in the MENA region. The TL will be responsible for leading an archival review, primary data collection, and a validation workshop. The TL will also assume primary responsibility for the production and submission of all client deliverables, including an inception report, out-briefing, and ECE resource toolkit. This is a remote, part-time consulting position requiring about 50 days of work from December 2021 through June 2022.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the design, implementation, reporting, and dissemination of the study.
• Ensure team members are well trained and prepared for their roles.
• Produce or supervise the production of all technical output and deliverables, meeting all contractual deadlines.
• Support the research design to address study questions, including sources and methods of data collection and analysis relevant to ECE access in the MENA region.
• Conduct high-quality qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Ensure clear and regular communication with the client and SI HQ to ensure all client deliverables meet established quality assurance standards.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in education or another relevant field and at least 10 years of relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated experience as Team Lead conducting assessments, evaluations, and/or similar studies in the education sector. Subject matter expertise in early childhood education (ECE) with knowledge of relevant trends, models, and issues around access to ECE required.
• Previous experience conducting country or regional studies in MENA preferred.
• Prior experience evaluating or implementing USAID-funded projects.
• Strong team management and interpersonal skills.
• Strong oral communication, presentation, and writing skills in English. Additional proficiency in Arabic is an asset.
• Experience facilitating workshops and learning events highly desired.