Job Vacancy at Handicap International – Project Manager (Research)
HI is seeking for a qualified individual to fill the above mentioned National Position. WOMEN AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY
Please Note:
Handicap International has clear institutional policies on "Child Protection", "Anti-fraud, Bribery and Corruption", "Disability, Gender and Age" and "Protection of Beneficiaries from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment”. It is therefore mandatory for all staff to commit themselves to respect, uphold and promote these policies, and to sign the HI Code and Conduct.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Handicap International “HI” (operating as Humanity & Inclusion) is an International NGO which has been working closely with the Government of Sierra Leone, international and national partners in the country since 1996 supporting vulnerable groups and people with disabilities. Program areas include inclusive education, social and economic inclusion, rehabilitation, prevention of disabilities, advocacy and rights. HI is currently implementing six different projects for the promotion of inclusive education, protection, emergency and mental health in six districts of Sierra Leone.
To support the country’s efforts to promote inclusive education in general and build capacity of teachers on inclusive education in particular, HI in Sierra Leone has been implementing various education projects since 2003, including the Global Partnership for Education COVID-19 Education Response Programme in 2021 (referred as ‘GPE project’); Girls Education Challenge – Transition (GECT) during 2017-2021; and Promoting Education for All in Kono (PEAK) during 2016-2019.
One of the key achievements of the above mentioned projects is the development of the Inclusive Education Teacher Training Manual for In-Service Primary School Teachers with Njala University, which was finally launched by MBSSE and Teaching Service Commission (TSC) in the end of March 2021. HI and Njala University, in collaboration with MBSSE, recently started the roll-out of this newly approved manual through training of 80 supervisors from MBSSE and TSC from all 16 districts of the country, under the on-going GPE project. Trained supervisors have started to deliver training to teachers during their usual supervision visits to schools, and they will conduct monitoring and coaching in the subsequent visits.
While this teacher training and monitoring by MBSSE and TSC is a great step to equip teachers with basic knowledge and skills of Inclusive Education (IE) and help them practice what they learnt, currently there is no concrete evidence to say what support works for teachers, why, and in what conditions. Especially in remote settings, many teachers struggle to practice IE pedagogies in their schools and one factor is the lack of a support mechanism after they have had their initial training.
There is a need to conduct research to understand the effectiveness of innovative approaches used to support continuous professional development. It is in this context that the project manager, based in Sierra Leone, will coordinate the one-year research project.
MISSION
Reporting to the Operations Manager Sierra Leone, the project manager contributes to the implementation of the mandate and the 10-year strategy of Humanity & Inclusion in Sierra Leone. S/he is responsible for implementing the research. S/he ensures optimal quality of the research implemented by means of a delegation system with appropriate oversight mechanisms. With all the other HI managers, the project manager shares responsibility for the sound management and effective functioning of the global organization.
Please note that final JD may differ in some areas from this document Responsibilities:
Mission 1: Management
∙ Manager as a role model: embody HI's values on a daily basis, and be a role model. ∙ Manager as a coach for meaning: understand the strategy, make it explicit, translate it into operational objectives for his or her team, lead the necessary changes. Give meaning to each management action. Encourage inter and intra departmental exchanges of practice. Encourage innovation and risk-taking.
∙ Operational manager: organise the operational management of his or her team, structure the work around identified processes, steer performance and facilitate the resolution of problems. ∙ First HR & Coach: contribute to the development of his or her staff, creating the conditions for their commitment, professionalism and attachment to HI. Ensure compliance with the code of conduct and institutional policies, the mindset and expected individual and collective behavior.
Mission 2: Strategy and steering
Contribute to the development of the programme’s operational strategy
∙ Contribute to country operational strategy (StratOp)
∙ Contribute to drafting new project proposals for the continuity or expansion of the project/research
∙ Contribute to collect and analysis data on disability and inclusive education.
Mission 3: Operational implementation
Responsibility 1: Ensure the implementation of the research, in line with the logical framework and allocated budget
∙ Steer the research strategy
∙ Ensure that activities and the associated resources are planned, and implement the action plan. ∙ Ensure that activities are implemented in line with the research protocol and the allocated budget.
∙ Ensure project reporting, internally (within the programme)
∙ Undertake expenditure and manage the project activity-specific budget lines according to the delegation he/she received based on the programme signature delegation table ∙ Prepare and manage partnerships with the research team (Fourah Bay College, Freetown Teaching College) and Njala university
∙ Guarantee the proper archiving of information.
Responsibility 2: Ensure that research implementation complies with the existing frameworks
∙ Ensure the proper implementation and follow-up of institutional policies (specifically PME, PSEAH and Age-Gender Disability policies) and the other HI internal standards.
∙ Ensure compliance with the terms of the research proposal and the rules applied by World Bank
∙ Ensure compliance with global technical standards and norms by communicating and by involving the global specialist based in HQ level.
Responsibility 3: Ensure research data management:
∙ To obtain all ethics and administrative clearance for the implementation of the research ∙ To recruit and train the data collectors and translators (would be needed if international profile) ∙ To collect data on the field (respecting the agreed methodology)
∙ To ensure data processing and analysis (in collaboration with the field team)
Responsibility 4: Coordinate the teams involved in the research:
∙ Facilitate coordination meetings between his/her direct team and the support services located in the area when necessary.
∙ Ensure that his/her team and the support teams (shared and technical services, in particular) work well together in order to facilitate the implementation of the project in the country. ∙ Chair a steering committee
∙ To co-develop the full protocol and related data collection tools (quantitative and qualitative tools).
Responsibility 5: Ensure research monitoring, produce and share knowledge/reports: ∙ To co-produce with the research officer:
o Report on supervision and mentoring
o Final report of the research in different formats: for literature review, case studies from other countries, recommendations, as well as production of the final report in different formats.
o Advocacy pack with key deliverables e.g. advocacy brief, good practices and lessons learnt from deliverable F
Responsibility 6: Contribute to external research communication
∙ Contribute to HI’s external influence by taking part in networks, when required ∙ Communicate about the project to partners, authorities and stakeholders when relevant.
Others: Any other task in connection with the programme that may prove necessary.
PROFILE SOUGHT
Essential
Preferable
Qualification(s):
Bachelor or Master with a research component
Degree in link with Education, humanities
(sociology/anthropology) or political sciences
Experience (type and amount of experience) :
3 year of experience as researcher/ MEAL officer
Experience in research coordination including management.
Field experience in conducting qualitative researches
Experience in participatory research approaches
Experience in the field of Inclusive Education
Proven and recognized experience in methods of sampling, data collection, treatment and analysis (particularly qualitative data) as well as research ethics
Essential
Preferable
∙
Skills (knowledge, abilities required for the ∙
position, refer to skills ∙
repository document) : ∙
Expertise in analysis (especially qualitative data), and synthesis
Highly proficient in spoken and written English
Ability to work in collaboration with
∙
public authorities
∙
Demonstrated experience in drafting research paper, assessment report, good practice/lesson learning report or equivalent in English
Experience in the disability sector
Experience in conducting surveys/researches with people with disabilities.
Personal qualities:
Strong interpersonal and intercultural skills
Ability to work under pressure and without constant supervision
Excellent reactivity and flexibility
Capacity to organize s/her work, and manage priorities
Good team member and keen to participatory approach.
Creativity
Expected Start Date: 10th January 2022
Salary: As per HI salary scale for National Staff & candidate’s experience Probation Period: 3 months
Duration of Contract: until 15th November 2022
All interested candidates should send their CVs and cover letters only, with attachments bearing your full name; example: John Doe – CV (for your CV) and John Doe - Cover Letter (for your cover letter) with the subject of the position applied for by email only to:
recruitment@sierraleone.hi.org
Closing date for applications is 17th December 2021
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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