Education in Emergency Officer at Plan International Tanzania Feb 2022

BACKGROUND

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan has over 80 years’ experience and works in more than 75 countries across the world. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners.

Plan International has been working in Tanzania since 1991. Our work supports marginalised children and youth, especially adolescent girls, to grow up physically and mentally healthy and ready to shape their future. We create an enabling environment and empower girls to be active drivers of change in realising their rights. We prioritise working with partners, and ensuring all of our work is evidence based.

Plan International Tanzania responds to the Burundian Emergency program in Kibondo and Kasulu since October 2015 due to Burundian refugees’ influx with special focus on Case Management, Psychosocial support activities and Education in Emergencies (EiE).

role PURPOSE

Plan International is currently implementing a PlayMatters project in partnership with International Rescue Committee, War Child, Behavioural Insights Team and Innovations for Poverty Action. PlayMatters is a five-year project that reimagines childhood for refugees. It will bring play-based learning to 800,000 children across Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania. It will redefine education and cultivate a generation of lifelong builders. PlayMatters is inspired by LEGO Foundation’s call to challenge the status quo, to offer children the quality education they dream of. Children are not gaining the skills they need, teachers are under-supported, and parents are overwhelmed. The systems built to serve them are failing them. PlayMatters proudly offers something different. It is delivered by a coalition with a track record of thinking and delivering differently. We bring three distinct characteristics:

1. OUTCOMES. Everything we do is fuelled by the social, emotional, cognitive, physical, creative and resilience outcomes we seek. We know learning happens when children are at the centre and teachers, parents and the system surrounding them embrace children’s agency and have not only skills and resources, but the motivation to drive change.
2. RESEARCH AND LEARNING. Effective delivery requires both rigor and a big heart. With LEGO Foundation, PlayMatters will generate scientific evidence that can transform our understanding of play and learning for refugees in East Africa and around the world.
3. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP. The LEGO Foundation Humanitarian Initiative offers an opportunity to deliver and comes with the responsibility to lead. Our consortium’s members have a record mobilizing other.

Dimensions of the Role

The Education in Emergencies Officer will be responsible and ultimately accountable for day-to-day implementation of project activities, quality delivery of results, coordination and collaboration and relations with project consortium members, teachers, PTAs, caregivers and community and religious leaders, and other stakeholders at field level. The post holder will also be responsible to ensure that project activities are implemented in a timely and quality manner and in compliance with donor requirements. The EiE Officer will ensure timely data collection and analysis is used in periodic reporting and to inform project activities. S/he will be responsible for representing Plan International EiE team in relevant stakeholders’ meetings such as Education Working Group meetings on camp level and camp coordination meetings.

S/he will demonstrate excellent project management and problem-solving skills, a very high degree of maturity, flexibility, organization and communication skills, and strategic thinking to meet the demands of a dynamic and sometimes unpredictable operating environment while ensuring Plan International’s systems and policies and donor requirements are adhered to, especially gender transformative programming and child and youth safeguarding.

Accountabilities

1. Program delivery:

• Lead and supervise the implementation of all project activities as per the workplan and budget; and programmatic reporting in accordance with donor and Plan International regulations.
• Work closely with operations to ensure timely implementation of planned activities.
• Support sprinting activities in pilot location both in camps and host communities.
• Ensure the implementation of project activities adhere to Plan International’s policies, INEE minimum Standards, ECCD Standard guidelines and SOPs; as well as Core Humanitarian Standards.
• Assess project progress and identify technical quality issues or other implementation issues, provide solutions and implement modifications as required.
• Provide and coordinate capacity building trainings for incentive staffs, facilitate training, coaching and mentoring of pre-primary and primary teachers.
• Work with MEAL Coordinator and Officers to undertake assessments in coordination with partners.
• Support PlayMatters budget development and activity plans for coming years.
• Support the improvement of the education contents underdevelopment by prototyping and piloting the same.
• To support the educators, community leaders and caregivers in ensuring the holistic development of the children and the implementation of Learning through Play approach.

1. Communication, Advocacy, Representation and partnerships:   

• Support the EiE team when necessary in representing Plan International in sector coordination meetings and inter-agency activities at field level.
• Support the implementation of inter-agency assessments.
• Support the documentation of best practices and lesson learnt from project implementation to inform the design of future programs.
• Maintain active and cooperative relationships with all key stakeholders, including government officials, UN agencies, project partners, other implementing agencies, and related institutions. Support advocacy initiatives through developing briefs, documentation of evidence and impact stories.
• Promote community understanding on the importance on Learning-through-Play.
• Represent Plan International at the camp and district level and work closely with the advocacy focal point to ensure relevant stakeholders are aware of Plan International Programming.

1. Staff Management:

• Directly supervise Incentive Teachers, mentors among others and making sure they adhere to Plan International’s Policies, Code of Conduct and Procedures.
• Report any violations of Plan International’s Code of Conduct and Policies as per Plan International-Tanzania reporting channel and protocol.

• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

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Key relationships

External – Close collaboration and strong working relationship with project consortium partners and members of the Education Working Group (IRC, Caritas, Save the Children, UNHCR, UNICEF, MHA, District Education Officers) etc. The EiE Officer will also maintain a relationship with local authorities, relevant Government institutions, and UN agencies to ensure Plan’s work is well linked to other initiatives.

Internally– The EiE Officer will report to the EiE Project Coordinator, and S/he will coordinate with other EiE Officers and Educational Content and Material Development officer(s) for the implementation of project activities at camp level. S/he will also work closely with MEAL Officers, Accountability and Feedback Officer, Illustrator(s) finance officer, Procurement team, Communications and advocacy team and Human resources team. S/He will also work closely with the Child Protection team and ensure that protection is integrated in all Education activities.

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Essential

• Hold a Bachelor’s degree in an interdisciplinary area such as Education Management, Development Studies, International Development, Strategic Planning, Program Management, etc. or equivalent.
• At least 2 years of demonstrated experience in managing the implementation Early Childhood Development and Primary Education programs in Emergency and Development contexts.
• At least one-year experience of operating digital learning to ECCD and primary school children.
• Experience in Learning through Play approaches and content development will be considered a strong asset
• Experience in research-based projects as well as prototyping and piloting exercise will also be an added advantage
• Proven leadership, inter-personal and cross-cultural skills, and ability to build and motivate multi-disciplinary teams
• Demonstrated experience of working collaboratively with consortium partners.
• Strong understanding of Child Protection, Disability and Inclusive Education, gender responsive programming and meaningful child participation in programs.

• Conversant with refugee and national education service delivery systems.

• Knowledge of effective participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Research systems and processes

  Desirable

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work in a matrix environment
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including presentation and public speaking
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to multitask while working on projects with varying activities, objectives, and deliverables
• Good negotiation and influencing skills
• Creates a strong sense of purpose within the portfolio and with stakeholders
• Sound judgment and decision-making in complex situations

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.

• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.

• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.

• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.

• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people

We strive for lasting impact

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.

• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.

• Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.

• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.

• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.

• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.

• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.