Deputy Chief of Party – Mozambique – Early Grade Reading

  • Full-time

Company Description

Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity. Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world.

EDC promotes equity and access to high quality education and health services and products that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. We support an inclusive workplace culture that embraces many perspectives and broadens our understanding of the communities we serve, enhancing and enriching our work.

EDC is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Job Description

The main goal of the USAID Improved Learning Outcomes in Primary Education (SABER) activity will be to improve the reading and math skills of Mozambican children, using a bilingual model. The project will support the Government of the Republic of Mozambique’s (GRM) efforts to improve the quality of education in Mozambique. USAID SABER responds to the Ministry of Education and Human Development’s (MINEDH) education sector strategic needs and ensures sustained impact and cost-effective implementation, adopting a local-based model which effectively collaborates and ensures capacity development and transfer of responsibilities to local government institutions for sustainability and continuity, while maintaining effective partnership and consultations with MINEDH’s central institutions.

SABER will build on USAID Mozambique’s evidence and results under the current USAID-supported Vamos Ler (VL) program and use lessons learned to further improve early grade reading outcomes in Mozambique, targeting mostly rural communities via bilingual education. USAID SABER will utilize the grade 3 primary bilingual students supported by the USAID VL program to help bilingual students complete the primary education cycle to grade 6, where classroom instruction will become monolingual and only in Portuguese. Following MINEDH’s bilingual education strategy, USAID SABER will benefit children from rural disadvantaged communities, particularly girls, who do not yet speak Portuguese. USAID SABER will provide services ensuring that teachers and school administrators prioritize and improve student learning. Innovative approaches will be particularly encouraged for effective learning results.

Position Description

The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) works in tandem with the COP to manage the program’s financial and human resources, to provide quality control for the program’s technical outputs, and to represent the program on high-level working groups, in donor and Ministry meetings (at the national and sub-national levels), and in other fora where the program’s goals, aims, and investments must be explained. The DCOP is the manager of one of the program offices, supervises mid-level technical and/or administrative personnel, reports directly to the COP, and is the only member of staff authorized by USAID to act administratively or financially on the COP’s behalf. The DCOP contributes to the timely submission of all required deliverables and reports and dedicates their efforts to ensuring that the contract is implemented according to the technical stipulations in the statement of work and in conformity with the agreed-upon, finalized work plan.

Please Note: This position is not eligible for relocation or posting allowances and the salary will be paid in Mozambican metical.

The candidate for the position of Deputy Chief of Party shall have at a minimum the following qualifications:

Qualifications

Education:

MA in education, management, or a related social science field.

Skills and Experience:

  • At least 8 years of experience in relevant management, supervisory, technical experience working with programs that are of a similar scope and scale to this project;
  • At least 5 years’ experience in the education sector in Sub-Saharan Africa;
  • Experience working in Southern or Eastern sub-Saharan Africa or Mozambique is preferred;
  • Program/project management experience working with rural, ethno-linguistic underserved populations is required, as is demonstrated experience and knowledge of capacity building and professional development;
  • Experience managing evidence-based early grade reading programming is preferred;
  • Experience interacting with and implementing education programming as one member of a complex, interrelated system of Ministry and donor representatives;
  • Demonstrated ability to organize program work teams, to collaborate with a wide range of education stakeholders;
  • Strong knowledge of USAID rules and regulations;
  • Ability to liaise as needed with USAID and home office personnel to ensure the smooth implementation of the contract;
  • Significant management and administrative experience, technical knowledge of the education sector and of early grade reading;
  • Program/project management experience working with rural, ethno-linguistic underserved populations is required
  • Ample experience in project design, policy dialogue, strategic planning and implementation, education reform and national-level quality improvement and classroom reforms is required;
  • Technical expertise or experience in inclusive and gender responsive pedagogy; distance learning, including interactive radio instruction; ICT use or teacher professional development;
  • Demonstrated experience and knowledge of capacity building in the education sector; and
  • Experience managing evidence-based early grade reading programming preferred.

Language:

Fluency in English and professional proficiency in written and spoken Portuguese are required. Working knowledge of a Mozambican language or other Bantu language is preferred, but not required.

Additional Information

EDC is committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce and ensuring an equitable and highly inclusive work environment. EDC is a smoke-free workplace, and offers a supportive work environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.