Education Technical Advisor (Beirut)

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need around the world. Save the Children has been operating in Lebanon since 1999 and is recognized for its commitment to accountability, innovation and collaboration.  Save the Children currently implements programs in Child Protection, Education, CRC, Health and Nutrition, Food Security & Livelihood, Shelter, and Emergency Response throughout Lebanon.   Save the Children is seeking qualified candidates to fulfill the following positions, for its Lebanon Country Office, in the following locations Beirut   ROLE PURPOSE: The Education Technical Advisor is a critical position for Save the Children in Lebanon and will play the lead role in ensuring the design, implementation and monitoring of high quality education programmes for thousands of children across the country.   The Education Technical advisor provides technical leadership to all our work in the education sector, with responsibility for developing clear strategic and operational plans, identifying fundraising needs and leading the development of technical proposals, forging strong partnerships with Government, UN, NGO and local civil society counterparts, as well as providing technical support to our education teams across four different field locations in Lebanon.   KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Strategic planning and leadership Provide overall strategic leadership to Save the Children’s work in the education sector in Lebanon. Lead the development of an education strategy for Save the Children in Lebanon, including cross cutting issues related to education. Ensure clear process in place for tracking and reporting on progress against the education sector strategy. Provide education technical input to the development of country annual plans, area plans, sector strategies and other planning documents. Maintain a clear overview of programme progress across the education sector portfolio to be shared with senior managers. Ensure planning in education benefits from integration with other sectors where possible, and vice versa.   Programme quality and standards Provide technical expertise, quality assurance and support for Save the Children’s education programmes, ensuring they are of high quality with reliable data and outcomes. Coordinate the development of a technical capacity building plan for education staff in Save the Children in Lebanon, working with field teams to prioritise training needs and resource these appropriately. Develop and maintain central database of tools and guidance to support programme quality in education and support the development of technical tools, guidance and documentation as required. Oversee knowledge sharing across teams, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programmes. Develop “virtual library” of best practice documentation and evidence in education to support development of new programming and improve programme quality. Ensure documentation of case studies and dissemination of these both internally and externally working with the Media and Advocacy team.   Programme development and resource mobilisation Provide active leadership in Save the Children’s relationships with key donors for the education sector Ensure clear identification of fundraising needs and priorities in the education sector Identify and assess appropriateness of fundraising opportunities. Lead technical development of high quality proposals for education work Develop set of “off the shelf” concept notes for new or pilot activities Lead donor and partner mapping for the education sector   Support to programme implementation Line-manage projects or project components aimed at technical support to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) at the national level. Support area-based Education teams to finalize field operational work plans, establish clear targets and activity plans for each school or other learning environment. Support the development of monitoring, information management, and reporting systems that provide information for reporting and programme improvement (in conjunction with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) and field staff). Support high quality reporting by field staff through timely review and guidance. Screen technical field manager candidates (and others as appropriate) and support recruitment as needed. Assess (in conjunction with line management)/support technical work of Education Programme Managers and support their professional development. Promote and facilitate synergies with other thematic programmes, ensuring, at a minimum, that learning environments address child protection and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) standards and that coordination with other sectors exists. As needed, lead/participate in technical inputs to procurement of programme goods or services involving multiple locations, large-scale use of resources, and/or a high level of risk to the agency to ensure programme relevance, quality, adherence to technical guidelines, and efficient use of resources. Conduct regular field monitoring of activities   Advocacy and representation Lead external representation of Save the Children’s education work in Lebanon. Represent Save the Children in technical area to government and other agencies. Serve as technical link with Save the Children Members, regional office, and Education Global Initiative. Represent Save the Children on other national/international technical networks as requested. Represent Save the Children in education sector working group meetings and other sector coordination forums in Lebanon Contribute to development of advocacy messages and materials in education   General Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Essential Master’s  degree       in  education,      development  or  other       relevant social  science      degree A minimum of 5 years in a technical leadership role in education for an NGO, UN agency or other development or humanitarian organisation Proven experience leading education in emergencies (EiE) programming and in participating in emergency coordination forums (education cluster, education working groups etc) Proven experience raising funds and developing proposals for education programmes in excess of $1million Commitment  to  and  understanding of Save the  Children’s  aims,  values  and principles  including rights-based approaches Previous      management experience in an NGO or other humanitarian environment,      including experience directing and implementing programs for children in      both emergency and development contexts Familiarity      with key international standards for humanitarian work and education in      emergencies (e.g. INEE, SPHERE, HAP principles, etc.). Excellent      understanding of the Monitoring and Evaluation processes and methodologies Proven      representation and advocacy skills. Strong      report writing skills, including experience in writing funding proposals      and donor reports. Good      interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly      and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language      difficulties. Highly      developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international      environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Ability      to analyse information, evaluate options and to think and plan      strategically Knowledge      of key areas of programme operations, logistics and grant management      relevant to delivering quality education programming Ability      and willingness to change work practices and hours, and work with incoming      teams in the event of major emergencies Fluency      in written and spoken English    Desirable Fluency      in written and spoken Arabic Technical knowledge and experience in community based education programming Previous work experience in Lebanon or other areas in the Middle East Previous work experience in response to the Syrian crisis