Technical Assistance Lead At Chemonics

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Background:

The Syria Education Programme II (SEP II), funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and running until 2027, provides primary school children access to quality, inclusive and sustainable education in conflict-affected areas of Northwest Syria. The project provides comprehensive support to schools and teachers, including pedagogical supervision, learning assessments, psychosocial support, and safeguarding measures. The goal is to foster hope for future generations by investing in capacity-building and models that facilitate learning.

Position Overview:

The Technical Assistance (TA) lead will provide strategic leadership to Manahel’s TA workstream, working closely with programme leadership, to ensure that TA activities are coordinated, evidence-based and aligned with programme objectives, government priorities and donor expectations. The role will lead SEP’s strategic engagement with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and other relevant local authorities, public bodies connected to programme delivery in Syria. As the primary focal point for government counterparts, the TA lead will manage senior-level relationships, represent SEP in high-level discussions, and promote collaboration that strengthens the sustainability and local ownership of TA interventions. The role will also provide leadership and oversight to the TA team, ensuring that it’s support is coherent, impactful and advances SEP objectives.

The postholder will be expected to exercise judgement in a sensitive and evolving operating environment, including managing access, sequencing engagement carefully, and ensuring that technical assistance remains advisory, demand-responsive and grounded in Manahel’s existing tools, evidence and delivery experience.

The TA Lead will adhere to and act in accordance with Chemonics’ professional code of ethics, ‘Living Our Values’, and will make the principles of the code a part of Chemonics’ culture and operating procedures. They will also foster and maintain good and professional relations with prospective and actual grantees and vendors, will disclose any affiliations that could be perceived as a conflict of interest, and will maintain children safeguarding, gender equality, and confidentiality regarding program activities.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

Technical Assistance Oversight

  • Provide supervision to the Technical Advisors seconded to / and or working with the MoE, ensuring coherence, quality, and responsiveness of technical assistance.
  • Support further shaping and communication of a clear vision for Manahel’s technical assistance offer, supporting Ministry-led systems strengthening through practical, evidence-informed and contextually appropriate advisory support.
  • Oversee development and implementation of the TA work plan in line with SEP’s goals and MoE priorities.
  • Ensure effective coordination between SEP technical teams and MoE departments to avoid duplication and maximise impact.
  • Support capacity-building efforts of MoE staff through coaching, mentoring, and facilitating knowledge transfer.
  • Lead the translation of problem-driven learning processes (like Political Economy Analysis) into practical action plans, ensuring that workshops and consultations result in agreed decisions, defined responsibilities and implementable next steps.

Policy & Systems Strengthening

  • Work with SEP’s technical teams to contribute to policy analysis, development, and reform processes within the MoE and Education Directorates (EDs).
  • Ensure that Manahel’s TA offering draws on programme’s existing tools, research, learning, monitoring data and delivery experience, and by linking field-level implementation lessons to policy and systems discussions.
  • Support the design and implementation of initiatives that strengthen education systems, governance, and institutional capacity.
  • Work with the Education Directorates in Aleppo and Idlib to conduct school mapping and resource planning.

Coordination & Communication

  • Ensure effective information flow between SEP senior leadership, the TA team, and government stakeholders and FCDO as required.
  • Collaborate closely with the Operations team to plan and coordinate the operational and logistical requirements for TA-related workshops, trainings, meetings, events and other activities, ensuring requirements are identified and communicated in a timely manner and arrangements are aligned with programme procedures, budgets and implementation timelines.
  • Ensure effective coordination between internal SEP teams (implementation, policy/advocacy, MERL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning), grants) to align government engagement strategies with project deliverables, budgets, evidence generation and reporting requirements.

Senior Representation and Relationship Management

  • Represent Manahel at senior level with the MoE, EDs, local authorities and coordination structures on matters relating to collaboration, programme access, planning and delivery of TA-linked activities.
  • Build and maintain productive working relationships with senior counterparts, ensuring Manahel is positioned as a trusted, responsive and technically credible partner while preserving appropriate boundaries around the programme’s advisory role.
  • Identify opportunities for collaboration across government stakeholders, education actors and local authorities, and translate these into concrete next steps that support formal education, systems strengthening, institutional capacity and sustainability.
  • Prepare clear briefing notes, talking points and follow-up records for senior engagements, ensuring that leadership and project members are equipped to manage discussions with government stakeholders and that decisions are documented and acted upon.

Reporting, Evidence and Accountability

  • Provide concise updates to SEP senior leadership on TA progress, risks, stakeholder engagement, decisions required and upcoming opportunities for collaboration.
  • Contribute to FCDO-facing reporting and presentations by clearly explaining TA priorities, progress, value added and emerging learning.
  • Ensure that TA activities are documented in a way that supports programme learning, donor accountability, sustainability planning and future programme design.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Qualifications & Experience:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The qualifications listed below are representative of the required knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed to perform the principal duties.

  • Education requirement: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required in education, governance, public administration, policy, international development or a related field preferred.
  • Language qualifications: fluent Arabic skills required, proficiency in English preferred
  • Willingness to conduct regular work travel and site visits across Syria as required.
  • Demonstrated leadership skills, and ability to coordinate complex and multi-stage activities in a dynamic context.
  • Strong administrative skills and attention to detail, including emotional intelligence and risk reduction strategies to operate in sensitive environments.
  • Proven experience working in the education sector or humanitarian interventions focused on education in northwest Syria, with experience in primary education and child protection preferred.
  • Experience with technical assistance, systems strengthening, policy development, institutional capacity strengthening, public sector reform preferred.
  • Demonstrated experience engaging senior government, local authority or institutional stakeholders in sensitive, politically complex or transitional contexts.
  • Strong relationship-management, negotiation and facilitation skills, including the ability to convene diverse stakeholders, manage sensitivities and move discussions towards agreed actions.
  • Demonstrated ability to follow standard practices and procedures, receive instruction, and coordinate with both local and remote teams to achieve work objectives, and maintain professionalism, confidentiality and safeguarding standards in all activities.
  • Demonstrates commitment to Chemonics’ values, safeguarding standards, and ethical ways of working.

Safeguarding and Child Protection:

At Chemonics Tanmia, the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable individuals are paramount. To uphold this fundamental value, the organisation implements stringent safeguarding protocols during its recruitment process and onboarding. This includes detailed background and reference checks for selected candidates/s, ensuring the highest standards of safety and protection against any form of harm or exploitation. These thorough procedures underscore Chemonics’s unwavering commitment to creating and maintaining secure environments for the most vulnerable.

How to apply

To apply, please fill out this form: SEP II Job Application Form by September 24, 2026. If you are unable to access the link directly due to local internet restrictions, please consider using a VPN connection to access and complete the application form.

We will review the applications on a rolling basis. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact finalists.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organisation, or other non-merit factors.

Chemonics value the protection of your personal data. If you are in the European Union, please read our EU Recruiting Data Privacy Notice to learn how we process personal data. You may access the notice via the following link: https://chemonics.com/eu-recruiting-data-privacy-notice/