Early Childhood Education Technical Lead at JSI, Kampala, Uganda

Job Description

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Technical Lead’s primary responsibility is to ensure quality delivery of the ECE component of the TLC program. S/he will be responsible for coordinating all ECE program interventions and providing technical oversight of the project’s ECE technical staff, while collaborating with the Basic Education Technical Lead to ensure smooth and effective transition of learners from pre-primary into primary school. The ECE Technical Lead will report directly to the Chief of Party and assist in overall project leadership and liaise with the Government of Uganda, USAID, and other key stakeholders. The ECE Technical Lead is a member of the project’s Senior Management Team.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide oversight to TLC’s ECE interventions and engage with the project’s implementing partners to ensure the strategic development and delivery of quality ECE programming.

Collaborate with all relevant government stakeholders, nationally and locally, for systems strengthening, advocacy and policy efforts.

Identify challenges and opportunities to increase access to high-quality ECE programming for marginalized groups and enhance referral pathways for successful transition of children to primary school.

Review project work plans, designing activities that target learners and teachers, including age- and developmentally-appropriate activities, and activities that are responsive to and target marginalized youth.

Support the project’s monitoring, evaluation and learning processes and use data to assess and address potential challenges and opportunities within the project’s ECE strategy.

Strengthen the capacity of staff, partners, and stakeholders to integrate gender equity, social and emotional learning and other social inclusion considerations into intervention design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

Maintain communication, share lessons learned and best practices from the project among program staff and various stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS
A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in early childhood education, education, gender studies, youth development, social sciences, or a closely related field, is required. Master’s degree or equivalent preferred.

At least 8-10 years of consecutive proven work experience in developing community engagement strategies and approaches, and providing technical assistance, guidance and coaching to implementing staff and partners. USAID experience preferred.

Demonstrated experience in developing, managing and monitoring high-quality ECE programming for marginalized groups, particularly in community-based early childhood settings, and home-based (parenting) settings.

Solid contextual knowledge of barriers to pre-primary education in Uganda;

Demonstrated experience in collaborating with the private sector for greater scale, sustainability, and effectiveness of early childhood development programming and outcomes.

Proven interpersonal skills with the ability to build personal relationships with staff, donor partners, and government stakeholders at all levels in a culturally sensitive manner;

Effective oral and written communication skills to make formal and informal presentations and compose professional and analytical reports and program documents in English.

Ugandan nationals strongly encouraged to apply.