Our client, an NGO/Foundation sponsoring educational initiatives in the Western Cape, is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST. This programme gives learners who have shown academic promise, the opportunity to study at some of Cape Town’s best schools. Currently, there are over 250 Scholars enrolled in the programme.
MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB
Develop and implement specialist education services required to support the organisation’s programmes, executing the organisational strategy to deliver on organisational goal and vision.
KPAs KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS IN DETAIL KPA INDICATORS
Strategic Vision, Leadership and Accountability
? Contribute to development, refinement and execution of business strategies
? Develop and implement, in collaboration with programme leads, comprehensive business plan for specialist educational services, in alignment with the organisational business plan
? Contribute to ensuring that the organisation’s culture is informed by its values, and hold the space for organisational reflection and growth, recognising, valuing and embracing the diversity of views, backgrounds and cultures of the organisation, scholars/students, partners and stakeholders
? Undertake regular reporting on performance against stated milestones and goals
? Monitor developments and responding to the changes, utilising information for purpose of diagnostics, policy development, advocacy and strategy development
? Continuously recommend improved strategies, policies, operations, systems and processes
? Work collaboratively with colleagues, promoting cross-learning through active sharing of information
Development of educational model, methodology, assessment tools and programmes ? Research and develop the organisation’s framework and model for the provision of specialist educational support to the organisation’s beneficiaries and partners, including compliance and governance
? Research and develop appropriate policies, methodology, assessment tools and educational programmes to support the framework and model
? Benchmark the organisation’s framework and practice against sector best practice
? Develop broad-based feedback loop to provide for continuous reflection, review and improvement or approach, utilising internal and external data and feedback
Deliver specialist educational support to programmes and beneficiaries ? Oversee the delivery of specialist educational support to beneficiaries, in accordance with approved framework, policies, methodology and guidelines
? Coordinate and conduct educational assessments for the Recruitment Programme, in collaboration with the Manager Recruitment and Prep
? Coordinate and undertake educational programmes for the Preparatory Programme in collaboration with the Manager Recruitment and Prep
? Collaborate with respective colleagues, ensuring the implementation of educational service provision and service providers through:
? Structured programmes and workshops
? Planned individual interactions and
? Crisis management
? Ensure multi-layered feedback loop aimed at:
? Supporting the beneficiaries, partners, schools and programme staff
? Adherence to framework and policy
? Refining and reviewing strategy, policy and framework
? Ensure industry standards are adhered to at all times in relation to confidentiality, protection of private information, accessibility of individual records
Undertake all THE ORGANISATION’S educational
assessments ? Develop and/or source appropriate assessment methodology
? Undertake assessments personally, as required by the programme
? Oversee the assessments undertaken by service providers, to ensure professional integrity
? Liaise closely with the respective Managers of the Recruitment & Prep and High School Programmes, to deliver assessments
? Undertake ongoing reviews of assessments used within the programme
? Work in close collaboration with the Manager Psychosocial support to ensure alignment of specialist assessments
Partner selection, interface and management, including advocacy ? Build strong relationships with Partner schools and tertiary institutions to support educational programmes
? Develop the organisation’s educational support framework for range of external service providers
? Recruit and contract external service providers
? Undertake training of service providers in application of the organisation’s model
? Ensure all the organisation’s partners have rigorous ethical frameworks in place
? Manage external contracts
? Develop networks with existing external service providers, in order to facilitate access and referral of scholars and families to such services
? School and tertiary educational service
? Document school and tertiary educational support service
? Engage with school and tertiary service providers, ensuring they are fully informed of the organisation’s support model and services
? Develop two-way process and for systematic sharing of relevant scholar/student information and detailed implementation plan
¦ engage with schools and tertiary support units to agree on the plan
¦ monitor adherence to plan by the organisation and schools, intervening as required
? Undertake advocacy at school and beneficiary level on
? Diversity (race, gender, sex, pregnancy, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth, upholding Chapter 2 of the Bill of Rights
? Empowering parents, scholars and students in having a voice
? Work in close collaboration with the Manager Psychosocial support to ensure close alignment in partner interaction
Child Safeguarding ? Support the Manager Psychosocial Support to ensure the organisation’s compliance with all child safeguarding legislation, internally and externally, including but not limited to, both the Children’s Act and Protection of Private Information Act
? Develop the organisation’s child safeguarding policy framework and supporting policies
? Undertake training of all the organisation’s staff
? Ensure all the organisation’s partners have similarly rigorous policies
? Develop service delivery frameworks and contracts for respective partners supporting child-safeguarding
? Establish and undertake appointment of an independent body or individual as required by policy and oversee and manage contract
Reporting, monitoring & evaluation and knowledge management
? Undertake all required reporting within the Programme, delivering timeous, accurate and complete reports
? Support the implementation of M&E through implementing system to identify, analyse and disseminate lessons learnt from programme activities
? Ensure the incorporation of evidence-based knowledge into programme design and delivery
? Ensure the accurate and timeous capturing of all data into the organisation’s data collection tool, overseeing and monitoring the work undertaken by the respective team members
Communications ? Contribute to and support the organisational communication strategy
? Represent the organisation at various external forums
? Contribute content to internal and external communication platforms, providing both programme and scholar related content, complying with POPI in relation to both
Operational planning and management
? Implement all operational policies, procedures, systems and infrastructure, as directed by the CEO
? Support the reviewing of policies on an annual basis, recommending changes to the CEO as appropriate
? Deliver a high quality service providing for current and future growth
? Deliver efficient and effective day-to-day operational services
? Undertake all administrative/IT responsibilities to support the organisation’s operations in areas of direct responsibility, overseeing staff in same
Financial Sustainability ? Develop the budget for the Educational Support programme, contributing to the development of the overall programme budget, for approval by CEO
? Undertake cost benefit analysis in relation to programme goals and expenditure against budget
? Approve and monitor expenditure within authority delegated by the CEO and in accordance with the approved budget and financial policies
? Operate within scope of sound financial controls
? Provide the CEO with honest, comprehensive and timely reporting, as required
? Adhere to all legal requirements in relation to the management of the organisation’s finances, supporting regular, thorough audit and reporting mechanisms
Ethics, Compliance & Risk ? Ethics
? Maintain highest ethical standards, supporting all mechanisms required to ensure this
? Compliance
? Comply with all Finance and HR legislation
? Adhere to Industry standards
? Risk
? Contribute to the development of the organisation’s Risk Plan
? Monitor the risk plan in area of responsibility,
¦ pro-actively identifying current and future risks,
¦ implementing timeous interventions to mitigate risk and
¦ escalating, as required
? Report regularly on risk plan, as required
Human Resources ? Train new staff, including direct reports and other staff members, as required
? Adhere to the fair application of HR policies and procedures
? Contribute to a positive, safe and healthy work environment
? Undertake orientation of direct reporting staff when entering the organisation and offer mentoring, training and development as required
? Undertake skills transfer and succession planning
REQUIREMENTS OF JOB
• Post graduate qualification in Education
• Specialisation in assessment methodology would be an advantage
• 8 years overall relevant experience, with a minimum of 3 years developing and implementing assessments.