TaRL Technical Lead at Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa

TaRL Africa is a newly formalised partnership between Education NGO, Pratham, and research centre J-PAL, who have been working together developing cost-effective, scalable literacy and Numeracy interventions for more than 15 years. The fruits of these efforts have been the development of what we now refer to as the TaRL.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: TaRL Technical Lead

Location: Kano
Duration: Fixed Term: September 2019 - December 2020 with the possibility of renewal subject to donor funding
Reports to: TaRL Country Manager

Role Purpose

• Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa seeks a Technical Lead to oversee the technical scope of a TaRL programme. The Technical Lead is responsible for providing technical and managerial direction for the successful implementation of the programme.
• He/she must build and maintain effective relationships with all people involved in the intervention, from senior government officials to international partners and team members.
• The role will involve travel within Kano, as well as infrequent travel elsewhere in Nigeria.

About Teaching at the Right Level Africa

• TaRL Africa is a newly formalised partnership between Education NGO, Pratham, and research centre J-PAL, who have been working together developing cost-effective, scalable literacy and Numeracy interventions for more than 15 years. The fruits of these efforts have been the development of what we now refer to as the TaRL.
• The TaRL approach, pioneered by Pratham, helps children develop basic reading and numeracy skills. In TaRL classroom: children are assessed on basic reading and numeracy using a simple tool; grouped by learning level, rather than by grade, for a dedicated time when they focus building foundational skills through activities and materials appropriate for each group. As children progress, they move to the next learning group and continue to grow.

Main Responsibilities

• Become a Teaching at the Right Level expert
• Become an expert on the Teaching at the Right Level methodology and evidence base, by reading the relevant academic papers and learning from the Pratham and J-PAL teams across the world.
• Be an active member of and contributor to the TaRL Africa team which is thinking about how to adapt the TaRL approach to multiple settings across the continent, ensure that best practices are being applied in Kano
• Work with policymakers and partners in country to build their understanding of Teaching at the Right Level and ensure that lessons learned and evidence is being applied so that the programme remain effective as it moves to scale.
• Guide the implementation of the training, coaching, and monitoring systems being used in the intervention, and work with all partners to adapt and improve these so that they effectively support the classroom methodology.
• Provide technical project management
• Take responsibility for achieving the goals of the programme.
• Work closely with the Team Leads to ensure that the programme is on track and is effectively moving towards its goals.
• Manage the English, Numeracy and Hausa Leads as well as the Monitoring and Measurement lead who support the government and collaborate closely with the TaRL Africa central team that is based in countries all over the world.
• Maintain critical relationships with government and other partners, and ensure the work with the SUBEB, Ministry of Education and other partners on the programme is coordinated.
• Think creatively and carefully with SUBEB, the team, TaRL Africa and other partners about how to improve the TaRL approach in the country such that it can be effectively and efficiently scaled and embedded within government and apply these strategies.
• Work with the finance team to submit regular financial reports to funders.
• Report on progress of the programme to the TaRL Africa team and to external partners
• Contribute to the documentation of measures of the project’s Value for Money.
• Understand the local context
• Understand the education sector in Nigeria, including key partners, and make sure that the programme is coordinated with other actors and interventions.
• Ensure that the design and processes of the programme are well contextualised and can be sustained by government and community actors sustainably
• Work with Kano state government to plan for scale and sustainability
• Assist government in financial planning for scale-up
• Provide technical assistance to SUBEB and the Ministry of Education to effectively plan for programme growth
• Work with the government and other SLPs in Kano to build and track financial models to create a clear understanding of budget requirements and options for managing and reducing costs per beneficiary over time.
• Support the relevant government officials to identify financial support for the programme, such as UBEC funding and incorporate this into budget processes.
• Engage with CoE on how TaRL approach could be embedded into pre-service training.
• Facilitate state to state learning
• Coordinate learning journeys for surrounding states, specifically Kaduna and Jigawa.

Education and Qualifications

• Experience working in Northern Nigeria
• A postgraduate degree in Social Sciences, Development studies, Education or a related field;
• A minimum of seven years’ experience working in similar positions
• Good command of written and spoken English.
• Advantageous
• Strong preference for Kano State resident
• Language skills: Hausa

Application Closing Date
Rolling.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a writing assessment, followed by an interview process. Due to the large volume of applications, we will only be able to respond to short-listed applicants.