Education Manager

Background

• The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping people affected by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and regain control of their lives.
• IRC works with people forced to flee and the host communities that support them, as well as those who remain in their homes and communities.
• IRC has been working in Ethiopia since 2000, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development, women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Inclusion, Gender Equality, and Safeguarding

• IRC focuses on narrowing the gender gap in humanitarian aid and advancing gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in both programs and operations.
• IRC is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive culture where safeguarding is upheld in the workplace and programs.
• IRC aims to protect clients and staff from safeguarding violations through prevention and, when misconduct is alleged, to address it fairly and appropriately.

Education Manager Role

• The Education Manager oversees the delivery of the PM3.0 core package by partner organizations and ensures that agreed targets in the Play Matters project plan are achieved.
• The role works closely with partners to support, monitor progress, and ensure planned results are delivered effectively in the Woldia-North Wollo area schools selected by local partners.
• The Education Manager leads planning, monitoring, and reporting for PM.0 core package activities in the education sector.
• The role also supports partner teams to address diverse needs of boys, girls, men, women, and individuals with special needs, ensuring inclusive and equitable access to education services.

Major Responsibilities

Strategic Support and Representation

• Support the CO office team in developing and implementing strategic education initiatives with implementing partners, aligned with IRC’s mission, vision, and strategic goals.
• Represent IRC’s education programs in interagency cluster coordination meetings at regional, zonal, and woreda levels by providing updates and sharing action items.
• Identify critical education needs for crisis-affected communities and support efforts to secure funding through rapid needs assessments, concept notes, and proposal development.
• Capture lessons learned from education project implementation by partners and ensure they inform program scale-up and improvement.

Partner Support for PM3.0 Core Package

• Provide ongoing support to partners implementing PM3.0 core packages through on-the-job training, mentoring, and technical guidance in collaboration with the Project Coordinator.

System-Level Coordination

• Liaise closely with system actors and government officials at regional, zonal, and woreda levels to ensure PlayMatters system-level engagement, timely and effective program planning and implementation, and to jointly address challenges affecting delivery.

Additional Assignments

• Undertake other responsibilities or projects as requested by the immediate supervisor or matrix manager.

Project Planning and Implementation

• Support implementing partners to develop work plans, procurement plans, and spending plans in a timely manner to ensure timely procurement and distribution of teaching and learning materials.
• Provide remote and onsite technical support for quality implementation of projects in collaboration with the CO technical team.
• Hold periodic check-in meetings with implementing partners to update progress, identify bottlenecks, and support solutions.
• Participate in project cycle meetings to review needs, successes, challenges, and lessons learned for continuous improvement.
• Monitor and review partners’ budgets versus actual expenditures reports on a monthly basis, flagging variances of greater than or equal to the specified threshold and guiding corrective action.
• Document the number of clients in each project with age and gender disaggregation and file for future reporting use.

Grant Monitoring and Reporting

• Conduct regular site monitoring visits and support partners with corrective measures.
• Document key findings from internal and external assessments for planning purposes.
• Review partner reports, provide timely feedback, and follow up on implementation of agreed actions.
• Deliver well-reviewed reports to the technical team in Addis within required timelines.
• Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator to ensure monitoring and evaluation systems are in place and that inputs are provided on time.

Staff Management and Development

• Provide technical supervision and capacity development for partner staff to meet minimum skill requirements across the education sector.
• Share insights on partner staff performance management with the PlayMatters Project Coordinator.
• Maintain open and professional relationships with implementing partners, promoting strong teamwork and providing guidance to help partners perform effectively and support staff follow their personal development plans.

Representation, Coordination, and Advocacy

• Collaborate with other sector teams to co-design, implement, and monitor education-related initiatives that support comprehensive delivery and quality outcomes.
• Engage and maintain professional relationships with key partners including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors in emergency and recovery programs.
• Represent IRC in cluster coordination and working group meetings at regional levels to share experiences and challenges with other actors.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives that strengthen safeguarding engagement, inclusion, and cohesion between IRC and partner staff.
• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue, and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and ensure adherence to IRC policies and values.

Minimum requirements

• MA/BA in Social Work or Educational Planning and Management, Educational Leadership, Development Management, Development Economics, or a related field.
• Relevant experience in international NGOs in a protracted refugee context, including managerial experience.
• A strong professional track record with at least management-level experience in an NGO, working in child protection or education within emergency or humanitarian program implementation in conflict or immediate post-conflict environments.
• Experience managing and/or technically supporting emergency programs related to education.
• Strong monitoring and evaluation experience.
• Proposal and report writing skills.
• Computer literacy.
• Experience working with multicultural and diverse teams.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, remain composed under pressure, prioritize multiple tasks, coordinate activities, and maintain attention to detail.

Skills Required:

• Education / Teaching / Training
• Social / Science / Project / Management / Development