State Team Leader at Cambridge Education

Cambridge Education (CE) is an education services company that provides expert education consultancy in partnership with governments, donors and development agencies around the world. CE has a substantial and expanding portfolio of education projects in Nigeria, one of which is the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN)

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for the vacant position of

Post Title: State Team Leader

Location: Lagos State

Purpose:
The State Team Leader will manage ESSPIN interventions in the State and will provide leadership and support to technical specialists working on the different areas of the programme. This will require establishing the framework in which technical assistance work will take place, and coordinating the deployment of technical assistance in the State.

Job Profile
The Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) is a six-year UK government funded programme designed to provide strategic technical assistance to support education reform at Federal level in up to 6 Lead States.
The State Team Leader will take overall responsibility for managing the technical and administrative outputs of the states

Accountabilities

• Engage with government at a senior level and ensure that all the components of ESSPIN are in line with government priorities and maintain government backing.
• Liaise with other relevant TA programmes to ensure mutual knowledge of approaches and activities and coordination of effort.
• As a member of the ESSPIN Technical Coordination Team, contribute to setting and coordinating the direction of the ESSPIN programme and to monitoring the effectiveness of interventions.
• In consultation with the State and ESSPIN management review and agree biannual objectives and targets for activities.
• Identify areas for technical assistance and draw up rolling quarterly work plans and monthly consultancy schedules for the State.
• Agree work plans and TA schedules with the State counterparts and ESSPIN management.
• Present work plans and review progress and issues at monthly technical team meetings.
• Manage ESSPIN-funded activities in the State as per agreed work plans.
• Manage the ESSPIN office and personnel in State
• Oversee office management and financial systems in line with ESSPIN procedures.
• Monitor the work of consultants
• Provide oversight, briefing and debriefing of consultants working in the State and monitor their work.
• Convene regular State team meetings.
• Quality assures consultants’ reports to ensure that they fully address the issues that are relevant to the State.
• Assist the ESSPIN programme managers in compiling quarterly and annual reports for Clients.

Note: This job description reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.

Extent of authority
The State Team Leader will report to the Deputy National Programme Manager and would be responsible for all staff within the state with direct line management responsibility of the state technical staff, administrator and finance officer

Special relationships and contacts
The post will also require close cooperation and collaborative working arrangements with staff and consultants working on related programmes in the Governance and Health Services fields.

Essential competencies/skills

• Practical knowledge of educational development issues in Nigeria and other countries.
• Knowledge of current international literature on Governance, Institutional Development, Education and the delivery of public services.
• Knowledge of Nigerian Government and parastatal structures and systems.
• Knowledge of the capacity constraints that may hamper effective and efficient action
• Ability to manage change through other people.
• Possession of inter-personal skills and the ability to deploy them as and when necessary.
• Ability to provide constructive feedback and consistent quality assurance of other professionals’ work.
• Ability to lead and inspire colleagues, to act as both team leader and team member.

Required academic/professional qualifications, training and experience

• A minimum of a higher degree in a relevant area and 10 years’ experience of working with the public sector and reform processes in Nigeria, preferably in the context of education.
• Proven staff and financial management experience.
• Experience of Planning, Institutional and Organisational Development, Education Management or Public Administration Reform.
• Experience of managing professional inputs in development assistance programmes.
• Experience of working with Nigerian government and parastatal officials and civil society groups.

Application Closing Date
5pm Tuesday 12 November 2013

Method of Application
All applications should be made using a CV of no more than 3 pages of A4 (in a standard CV format) as well as the ESSPIN Application Form. Applications should be sent by email to: [email protected]

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