Education Officer at Life at Best Development Initiative

Life at Best Development Initiative (LABDI) is a team of change-makers who believe that every helping hand can create a better future for survivors of wars. We started extending help to vulnerable children and women who were affected by the insurgency which began in Borno state, Nigeria, in 2009. This moment intensified when we found that there were many such vulnerable children, women, and households who needed help with food, shelter, and education. Our team expanded and we spread out into different parts of the BAY states to make sure we cover all possible areas and help as many children, women, and households as possible. We support children, families, and communities affected by insurgencies and natural disasters.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Education Officer

Location: Gujba LGA, Yobe

Job Description

• The Education Officer will provide operational and technical support to the Yobe project team under the leadership of the Project Manager to implement all Education activities for the project.
• The job holder will also be working closely with LABDI Education Team Lead, Advocacy, Communication, Campaigns and Media, Operations Teams and other stakeholders at the community, LGA and State level.
• Under the guidance of the Education Department Team Lead, he/she will ensure that the Yobe project adheres to safe programming and is implemented in a coordinated, harmonized and aligned manner.

Key Areas of Accountability

• Implement the Echo project activities like back to school campaigns, enrolment drives, door to door campaigns, community mobilization to bring out of school children and retain at risk of dropped out children across the Gujiba LGA Of Yobe States, Nigeria in line with the design of the project.
• Support the Education Team Lead and Project Manger to establish, maintain, and strengthen linkages in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. 
• Conduct and contribute to needs assessment, baseline and endline assessment in the respective project locations Of Gujiba LGA Of Yobe State
• Ensure accurate project documentation, including collection of monitoring data and tracking of progress on output indicators; utilize data to contribute to reports as requested by management.
• Supervise and manage the teachers, including facilitation of teacher training. 
• Support facilitation of training programs for teachers, school safety committee, climate change resilience school clubs and SBMCs.
• Support enrolment campaign activities and coordination with the different stakeholders.
• Facilitate relationships with communities and community leaders to ensure buy-in and Do No Harm
• Create and sustain positive working relationships with the partners, government officials and other key stakeholders and work in collaboration with relevant education authorities to support the  project implementation.
• Contribute to ensuring timely and quality reports are submitted as per the reporting requirements to the Education Team lead and Head of Education.
• Working closely with Education Team Lead and Project Manager to ensure quality programme design, delivery, documentation and reporting of education activities in the respective States.

Operational Planning and implementation:

• Recommend technical solutions to speed up the project implementation and budget performance in line with the project work plan and budget.
• Effectively support the project team in developing plans, in line with best practices for education project design and LABDI planning guidelines and ensure compliance with the agreed work plans and that program objectives and targets are being achieved in line with the funding proposal.
• Maintain high standard of safeguarding, transparency and accountability during program design and support in expediting implementation while ensuring integrity and timeliness of project duration and meeting program objectives, compliance with donor and LABDI policies.
• Support in providing regular operations and implementation updates to the Project and Education  Team Lead on project progress and challenges to allow for timely interventions and corrective actions by the management.
• Ensure the timely reviews and adjustments for the project operational and implementation plan and budget as may be required from time to time. 

Safeguarding:

• Ensure safe programming in the planning, implementation, monitoring, trainings, campaigns and workshops across Gujiba LGA Of Borno project period.
• Adhere to the Do no Harm principles across the entire steps within the Program Management Cycle

Internal and external engagements:

• Ensuring that the program experience is represented and given recognition at stakeholder meetings, workshops, donor, networks, and any other engagements. 
• Develop and maintain regular channels of communication with partners and key stakeholders at all levels (LGA, State and LABDI Head Office ).

Meal:

• Effectively support MEAL staff in assessments, baseline, and evaluation studies, putting in place a functional Activity Tracking Table.
• Ensure that the projects’ quality benchmarks are followed up and implemented in project interventions.
• Collecting and managing complaints and feedback in close coordination with MEAL team and Education Team.
• Ensure regular monitoring of projects results, documentation of projects case studies, lessons learnt, significant changes and best practices and coordinating learning and reflection meetings/sessions.  
• Ensure effective programs/ projects monitoring, and evaluation systems is in place.
• Monitor programs/ projects activities to ensure quality, timeliness and adherence to both Maiduguri Head Office and LABDI policies and procedures.

Qualifications   

• Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Education or other related fields. Experience in managing integrated programs across different thematic areas such as inclusive education, climate change education, teacher education, Teacher Professional Development (TPD), Child protection, child rights or governance is an advantage.

Experience and Skills:
Essential:

• At least 3 years of accrued working experience in programme implementation with an International and National NGO and those applying partnership approaches is desirable. 
• Experience in strategic thinking and planning skills, being able to set priorities, prepare manageable plans and to evaluate progress.
• Ability to coach, mentor and build the capacity of teachers in a humanitarian or development setting will be an added advantage.
• Experience of working with diverse group of stakeholders at the community, LG,level.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic planning abilities.
• Ability to establish and maintain cordial relations and perform effectively as a member of a team.
• Willingness to travel and work in hard-to-reach areas, occasionally under strenuous conditions.
• Computer literacy and excellent documentation skills are a must.
• Availability and willingness to work extra hours during times of humanitarian responses.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability to intervene with crisis management or troubleshooting as necessary. 
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching.
• Excellent time management and planning capacity.
• Fluent English language skills (written and verbal) and Local language skills (Hausa,Kanuri etc.)

Application Closing Date
19th June, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their Applications (Letter of motivation and CV in a single PDF file) to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Note

• LABDI has zero tolerance to sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), any act of child abuse including sexual exploitation and sexual abuse constitute acts of serious misconduct and are therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including summary dismissal.
• Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.