Curricula & Training Advisor

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. The agency pursues its mission through emergency relief services, sustainable community development, civil society and economic development initiatives. Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps promotes economic development and increased opportunity for marginalized communities while responding to emergencies as they have emerged. Until recently Mercy Corps’ focus has focused on bolstering civil society and give voice to under-represented groups through the empowerment of young leaders. Recently, the country office portfolio expanded in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria, to address key needs like non-food items/winterization, water and sanitation, child protection, and capacity building. The conflict that began more than three years ago in Syria has resulted in a steady increase in Syrian refugees to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.  To date, more than one million refugees have fled to Lebanon, and the numbers continue to mount. All refugees who have entered Lebanon are staying with host families or in rented accommodation.  As numbers rapidly increase, humanitarian conditions are deteriorating.  The burden on host communities and the financial and emotional stress on refugees and their hosts is tremendous. Mercy Corps is responding to these needs by addressing urgent basic needs, child protection as well as the psychosocial impact of the conflict and displacement. With the support of the Government of Canada, Mercy Corps will support Syrian and Lebanese adolescent boys and girls, between the ages of 13 – 17 who are not currently enrolled in school or are at high risk of dropping out of school as a means of providing them with life skills, drawing adolescents away from their segregation, and encouraging greater interaction between host communities and refugees. Furthermore, program will reach out to young adults between the ages of 25-35 from among refugee and host communities, seeking their involvement and building their skills to act as coaches to adolescents in the program. GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The Curricula & Training Advisor will support in two primary areas: curricula development and educational trainings. She/he will support with the development of curricula for all courses, as well as support instructors in the implementation of their lesson plans through trainings to improve classroom facilitation. The Advisor should work with instructors to develop curricula that are culturally appropriate, engaging and thought-provoking. The Advisor will support in the development of curricula that will be implemented by mainly non-teachers.  The curriculum will differentiate between the various student levels and learning needs and include rubrics, assessments, project-based assignments, as well as clearly-outlined and defined lesson plans.  The Advisor will work alongside an Education Coordinator and support a team of approximately 55 instructors across four community centers in developing minimum standards, evaluation tools, help develop tools to track student performance and growth, incorporate psychsocial model within lesson plan activities, provide instructor support and feedback, lead curriculum meetings and trainings with instructors, and advance the educational quality and standards in the program. He/she will provide daily support to the field teams by following up on tasks, assignments, ensuring quality, and that targets are met. The Advisor must understand effective and dynamic teaching techniques and creative facilitation skills, as well as be able to support in the design of a comprehensive curriculum. The Advisor will work closely with community based organizations (CBOs) to support and provide guidance in implementing adolescent-focused activities in host communities and will ensure timely and quality implementation of evaluation tools and educational training. In addition, the Advisor will work closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation Project Officer to ensure that the regular monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the project activities and tracking progress based on indicators. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Program Implementation: Review and further develop a minimal standard on curricula developed by instructors ensuring minimal standards in line with the profound stress and layering frameworks; Professional supervision as necessary further development of instructors’ skills in experiential and cooperative training methodology with particular focus to current curricula; Evaluate courses and provide feedback; Implement trainings to instructors, who are often times non-teachers to improve classroom facilitation and management in line with program objectives of attunement, as well as support instructors to further develop management strategies enabling young people to manage their own behaviours; Incorporate psychosocial model into lesson plan activities and ensure layering, association, and leveling is infused throughout all material to support youth with various learning needs; Build capacity of project team, partner CBOs, and instructors on curriculum development; Develop M&E tools and indicators to coach instructors and youth in line with M&E program manager ; Oversee and provide guidance to Field Officers, CBO staff, instructors, and others related to the program on an as needed basis in relation to all educational matters; Participate in developing data collection tools in collaboration with the M&E department and provide training where necessary to CBOs, young people, and field staff; Provide day-to-day support and coordination with local partners on all educational matters; Compile all curricula material and create user-friendly comprehensive curricula packets in line with other NLG teams across the region to guide instructors; Conduct need-assessment for all instructors and provide necessary trainings and support to improve quality and delivery of all material; Advance the quality of all curricula by ensuring minimum standards are met; Implement evaluation tools to measure course effectiveness, instructor performance, and youth feedback; Support the Program Manager and M&E Coordinator in the design and implementation for all educational aspects of the projects; Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission; Organize local organizational training sessions and support to improve the organizational and technical capacity of local partners; Other duties as assigned. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:  BA/S or equivalent in social work, social sciences, human rights, or other relevant field required, MA preferred; Minimum of 6 years of educational and training experience; Experience developing dynamic and creative curricula, particularly for youth; Teaching experience required; Strong understanding of refugee issues in the current Lebanon context; Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues and ability to work with refugee and host community populations; Must be able to conduct trainings, manage a large number of instructors, while being a constructive part of a team, and build a rapport with instructors—who are often non-teachers—while being culturally sensitive; Organized and able to handle many responsibilities simultaneously including revising different curriculum levels, evaluation tools, lesson plan activities, trainings, among other tasks; Mature, responsible, and diplomatic in their interactions with others; Meticulous to detail and has a strong background in education; Experience supporting and delivering training to instructors; Good writing skills, including reports, best practices, classroom management, etc; Ability to work independently with limited supervision, as well as part of a team; Very strong written and oral communication skills in both English and Arabic, including report development, writing and editing; Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Excel and Word Positive, respectful attitude and collaborative approach to problem solving; Demonstrated attention to detail; ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently as well as cooperatively with team members; Significant knowledge and understanding of the current political, economic, cultural and historical context of South Lebanon preferred; Ability to training and has a strong understanding of creative learning techniques; Motivated and inspiring individual to coach and support instructors; Possess strong leadership skills. SUCCESS FACTORS: Deep commitment to humanitarian principles and values  Willingness to learn new skills and methodologies Ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision Demonstrated organizational skills Demonstrated creative problem-solving skills Security, political and cultural aware Ability to multi-task while meeting several pressing deadlines Pays attention to detail and is meticulous, thorough, and results-oriented