Education Coordinator at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Position:                                          Education Coordinator

Grade:                                             7

Reports to:                                     Multi Core Competency Project Manager

Supervision of:                               Education Officers and Education Technical Assistants

Duty station:                                  Kampala with frequent travel

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with 75 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for people affected by displacement. NRC Uganda advocates for the rights of displaced populations and offers assistance through its core competencies (CCs): Protection from Violence, Education, Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion, Information Counselling and Legal Assistance, Shelter & Settlement development and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene.

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organization’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes and believes shall guide our actions and relationships.

1. Role and responsibilities

The purpose of the Education Coordinator position is to implement delegated education program portfolio and plan, manage, oversee and monitor the education activities in Kampala urban response. She/he will be responsible for the formulation, design, planning, implementing, and ensuring quality implementation of all education activities. The following is a brief description of the role:

Generic responsibilities

1. Line management of Education project field staff
2. Adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures and awareness of NRC global and regional strategies
3. Contribute to Education strategy development, project proposals, and provide input on needs and gaps, considering where appropriate the role of cash-based interventions and market-based programmes
4. Manage and implement delegated portfolio of Education projects (activities, budget, and project documentation) as delegated from the Multi CC PM in line with proposals, strategies, and donor requirements, and ensure high technical quality
5. Provide regular progress reports to the Multi CC PM
6. Promote and share ideas for improvement and necessary changes in the activities
7. Ensure that projects target beneficiaries most in need of protection, explore and asses new and better ways to assist
8. Ensure capacity building of project staff and transfer key skills
9. Liaise and collaborate with relevant local authorities and other key stakeholders
10. Promote the rights of refugees, IDPs, host communities in line with the advocacy strategy

 Specific responsibilities 

• Oversee implementation of education project activities in Kampala urban, ensure high quality standards, conduct field visits, and ensure that project implementation follows the donor requirements, NRC education strategies, and government requirements
• Provide day-to-day support to education teams at field level, develop clear work plans and targets, and follow up on implementation
• Provide technical support to education teams in Southwest when requested by the line manager
• Conduct education specific assessments, present recommendations and adapt program implementation to needs and context
• Actively participate in relevant coordination forums, working groups, and county coordination forums when requested
• Promote meaningful participation of communities, including children and youth, in project design and implementation, explore and implement new and better ways to assist the most vulnerable, especially girls, young women, children and youth with disabilities or special learning needs
• Responsible to monitor delegated budgets and monthly BVA’s, and support project teams to improve value for money and cost efficiency
• Work alongside the M&E and grants team to ensure that data is regularly collected and analyzed to feed into the production of timely and quality donor- and internal NRC reports
• Establish and monitor a competency-based teacher training programme, defining training content through needs-based assessment of teachers, coordinating with partners, and delivering and monitoring training. In particular, establish long-term, classroom-based coaching/mentoring models, including through partnerships.
• Oversee the implementation of child protection & child safeguarding activities in all NRC learning spaces, education staff capacity needs in relation to this is identified and capacity building plan developed
• Contribute to creating an enabling environment for the implementation of cash-based interventions, working with support teams in the institutionalization of cash (capacity building, guidance, and SOP development).
• Ensure that programme activities are documented in line with NRC procedures for Securing Supporting Documentation (SSD), including Reconciliation of Deliverables (RoD)
• Ensure all activities are implemented in accordance with NRC Safe and Inclusive Programming (SIP) guidelines, policies, and report any breaches/concerns in a confidential manner, through NRC reporting channels
• Promote and secure a safe working environment for reporting concerns/breaches and ensure that all cases reported are processed in a confidential and sensitive manner

Critical interfaces

• Project planning: CC Specialists, CC Coordinators, CC Team Leaders
• Area operations: CC Coordinators, Support Coordinators (HR, Finance, Logistics), HSS Officer
• Staff capacity building:  CC Specialists, HR Coordinator
• Implementation: CC Coordinators, CC Specialists, Support Coordinators (HR, Finance, Logistics), M&E Coordinator

Scale and scope of position

1. Competencies

1. Professional competencies 

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic professional competencies for this position: 

• Minimum five years’ experience from working with education programming in a humanitarian/recovery context, with at least 2 years in managing teams
• Experience from coordinating and/or managing education interventions (including formal and non-formal education and education in emergencies)
• Previous experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Context related skills, knowledge and experience:

• Strong knowledge of the humanitarian context in Uganda in general, and the refugee response in Kampala and Southwest Uganda
• Understanding of Uganda’s basic education system, and key related policies such as Education Sector Strategic Plan, and related Refugee Education guiding documents
• Experience in coordination and liaising with Ministry of Education
• Documented skills in Programme/Project Management (formulation, implementation, programme cycles and reporting) and resource planning
• Experience in establishing relationships and coordinating with government and traditional leaders
• Proven skills and experience in successfully managing field teams, and able to train and manage teams for effective quality implementation (to listen, advise, support, solve conflicts, motivate, etc.)
• Experience from working with partnerships
• Solid computer skills, including MS Word, Outlook and Excel required
• Knowledge of local languages desirable
• Qualified Education/ Social Sciences Professional, minimum of a bachelor’s degree; preference for a higher degree in education, project management or a related discipline
• Understanding of INEE minimum standards

2. Behavioural competencies

• Handling insecure environments
• Managing resources to optimize results
• Empowering and building trust
• Managing performance and development
• Planning and delivering results

1. Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• The Job Description
• The individual Work- and Professional Development Plan
• The Competency Framework

Application Procedure

• Application is online only, Qualified Uganda Nationals only.
• submit application, detailed curriculum vitae, and academic documents as a single PDF document by 11th May 2023
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and CVs will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
• NRC does not at any stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind. Further, NRC has not retained any agent to conduct recruitments on behalf of the organization.
• NRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified Female Candidates are encouraged to Apply