Job Vacancy @ Restless Development Sierra Leone – Senior Manager, Education and Living
Restless Development is recruiting to fill the following positions:
1.) Senior Manager, Education and Living
2.) Youth Collective and Grants Coordinator
3.) Monitoring Evaluations and Learning Coordinator - Education and Living
ABOUT RESTLESS DEVELOPMENT
Restless Development has been in Sierra Leone since 2005, working with and for young people to design and deliver youth-led programmes that tackle some of the biggest issues facing the country. When Ebola broke out in 2014, Restless Development worked with the next generation of young people – including 3,000 social mobilisers – to reach and build trust with communities across half of the country, playing a critical role as the country put an end to the disease. Now, Restless Development is working with hundreds of young leaders in every district of Sierra Leone to unleash the power and agency that exists within communities, strengthen the provision of key services, and build a new future for Sierra Leone. You can read more about the Sierra Leone Hub and all current programmes on our website (https//restlessdevelopment.org/country/Sierra-Leone).
Our newest programme is Catalysing Youth Leadership for Education Reform project
Catalysing Youth Leadership for Education Reform is an innovative and exciting new pilot project for Restless Development Sierra Leone, funded by the Postcode Education Trust. The project will focus on making education systems fit for purpose and equipping young people for the world of work. We know that education is a top priority for young people all over the world – since the start of the pandemic young leaders have been telling us that the disruption to their education and livelihoods has been one of the most significant impacts of the pandemic on their lives. Tapping into the findings and recommendations from a piece of youth-led research that Restless Development conducted in 2021 – By Us, For Us – this pilot project will:
Establish a youth collective for Education – linking to the global Youth Collective
Co-create and launch an Education Youth Fund
Deliver youth-led education projects; and
Host a learning event at the end of the project to discuss and share the findings.
The pilot will integrate the three strands of Restless Development’s new strategic direction; strengthening youth civil society, resourcing youth-led development and co-creating programmatic models with young leaders.
OUR APPROACH TO SAFEGUARDING
Restless Development considers the welfare and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults to be an organisational imperative with primacy over the success of programmes or strategic objectives. We recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we expect all of our staff, volunteers and partners to ensure we protect the communities in which we operate from harm and abide by our Safeguarding Policy.
See job details and how to apply below.
1.) Senior Manager, Education and Living
ABOUT THE ROLE
Job title
Senior Manager, Education and Living
Location
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Salary
SLL 192,345,624 plus benefits
Preferred start date
1st April 2022 (subject to donor funding)
Length of contract
1 year minimum
Reports to
Head of Programmes and Partnerships
Direct reports
Youth Collective and Grants Coordinator, Programme Managers X 2 (Education and Living)
Expected travel
National travel to districts of operations expected, possible international travel
We are looking for a proactive individual with creativity, energy and vision – someone who can oversee and manage the new Catalysing Youth Leadership for Education Reform project in Sierra Leone and link the learning from this project back into the global agency. We need a flexible team player with great interpersonal skills and strong programme management skills, and someone who can focus on community involvement and local ownership so that youth leadership truly lies at the heart of this innovative pilot.
The Senior Manager for Education and Living will have strong coordination, team management, education and livelihoods technical expertise. As well as delivering the Catalysing Youth Leadership for Education Reform project, the successful candidate will be a member of Sierra Leone’s senior leadership team and will be expected to work with the rest of the team to manage the Hub’s essential standards, key performance indicators and risks.
KEY PRIORITIES
- Leadership
- Manage the Catalysing Youth Leadership for Education Reform, supporting the Youth Collective and Grants Coordinator as well as the wider project team to deliver the programme on time with maximum impact.
- Share learning from the pilot project, and best practice from Education and Living projects, across the global agency through information sessions, and by contributing to Strategy Leadership Team meetings.
- Develop and support mechanisms for effective collaboration with Finance, MEL, Operations, and Administration, within Restless Development Sierra Leone and with partners.
- Contribute to strategy implementation and overall management of the Sierra Leone Hub as part of the Senior Leadership Team and Management Team.
- Represent Restless Development at stakeholder engagement meetings and present our work when called upon.
- Programme Management
- Be accountable for the implementation of the Catalysing Youth Leadership for Education Reform project to ensure it is implemented to the highest quality, according to agreed budgets and timelines.
- Draw on Education and Living experience to guide the project.
- Ensure that participatory, power restoring and community led approaches are utilised for the delivery of the project.
- Lead quality and timely reporting processes on performance, progress against strategic ambition, and learning.
- Be accountable for the development of timely and accurate donor reports for the Education and Living priority.
- Support resource mobilisation for expansion and extension of current programmes.
- Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned from Education and Living projects across the agency for organisational development, planning and knowledge building.
- Remain informed on ongoing trends and innovations in the education sector nationally and globally and humanitarian/development community, all with a view towards possible new strategies and approaches.
- People Management & Risk
- Assume accountability for the performance of direct line reports, ensuring a minimum frequency for line management meetings of once per month for each line report.
- Work to build a talent pipeline within the unit and hub in general including mentorship of young people working within the agency.
- Consult and collaborate with internal and external colleagues and partners to ensure linkages, consistency, and harmonisation of approaches and compliance with guidelines, framework and standards of accountability, integrity and performance.
- Promote teamwork, collaboration and diversity by providing timely guidance and supervision to the team to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.
- Ensure that effective risk management and safeguarding systems are in place, and that all staff understand and comply with organisational policy.
- Uphold our safeguarding policy and ensure all programmes staff comply.
- Financial Management and Reporting
- Maintain budget oversight and support to internal programmes teams in tracking and reporting on income and expenditure against budgets.
- Ensure all financial donor reports are accurate, high quality, specific, well-communicated and submitted within deadlines.
- Support the development of new budgets for concept notes and proposals.
- Ensure over and underspend is accurately tracked and managed.
- Work with the finance team and Programme Managers to realign donor budgets, and prepare cost and no cost extensions.
- Other
- Deputise for the Head of Programmes and Partnerships when necessary.
- Collaborate with Restless Development International as required, under the guidance of the Head of Programmes and Partnerships.
- You may occasionally be required to work on weekends and/or public holidays, for which time off in lieu will be granted.
- Other duties as required, as agreed with the Head of Programmes and Partnerships.
ABOUT YOU
We are looking for people with the right competencies and skills for the role, and who demonstrate the personal qualities consistent with our Values.
Values
Behaviours
What we expect of the Senior Manager Education and Living
Values-led
Upholds a values-led culture across the hub, inspiring a Restless passion and professionalism amongst all others. Considers the Restless Values when making decisions and taking measured risks at a strategic level.
Innovation
Creates an enabling environment for innovation across the hub. Takes measured risks and solves complex issues with creativity and innovation. Maintains a focus on aligning the organisational vision for long-term growth in a changing world.
Delivers Quality
Drives quality across the programme by holding all teams to account for high performance and value-for-money. Ensures the hub is effectively and efficiently resourced to deliver quality against strategic priorities.
Decision-Making
Drives change across the hub by considering the long term impact of risks and strategic decisions to multiple teams.
Leadership
Leads strategy development and creates a compelling organisational vision. Is accountable for performance at a hub level. Develops leadership in others for future growth of the organisation.
People Development
Builds organisational capacity by creating a culture of continual learning through performance management, training, coaching and mentoring; aligning their own personal and professional development to current and future organisational needs.
Effective Communication
Builds consensus and commitment amongst staff and major national partners. Confidently anticipates and responds to challenge or resistance in difficult circumstances. Coaches others to communicate strategically.
We are in it together. We listen and learn.
Collaboration
Is a role model for collaboration at a national, regional and global level; frequently contributing to internal processes and decisions. Leads participatory decision making and strategy development.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
Degree in relevant field of study or proven relevant experience. Minimum 5 years’ experience in a leadership role within an NGO/INGO at country level. Experience in managing or working in partnership with local CSOs.Proven success in programme leadership and coordination, monitoring, evaluation and learning. Technical knowledge and experience in managing Education and Living programmes. Experience in budget management across multiple projects, monitoring financial risks, and financial forecasting against plans and targets. Demonstrated ability to write proposals and win new funding. Proven success in cultivating relationships with external stakeholders. Experience of oversight of multiple teams. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Excellent IT skills, especially Excel, Power-point, and Word. Be results oriented and forward-thinking, with demonstrated analytical skills. A role model, able to gain the respect of the management and wider staff team. Commitment to Restless Development’s values and mission (available on Restless Development International website).
Desirable
Post graduate degree in relevant field of study. Experience in overseeing nationwide projects. Working knowledge of spoken Krio. Experience of working with and for young people. Experience of establishing youth funds or community led grant processes. Knowledge of relevant national and international strategies and frameworks in the areas of youth empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, livelihoods and other poverty related global development priorities. Proven success of distance management of field offices
Restless Development is an Equal Opportunities employer and welcomes applications from young people, women, those living with HIV, disabled people, and other marginalised groups.
WHAT WE DO FOR YOU
Remuneration
We are proud to commit to a transparent global salary scale, ensuring a fair and comparable system of pay across all global locations, taking into account statutory benefits. In addition to salary, we offer End of Service Benefit, and NASSIT (10% employer contribution) for all staff.
Values and Culture
At Restless Development, we’re proud that the strength and integrity of our values has been recognised by staff, beneficiaries, donors and others who we work with. Beyond this, we have a culture of recognising and celebrating both our values and our global achievements with monthly Values Champions and an annual Values Day.
Work-life balance
It goes without saying that we work hard at Restless Development. We also recognise the importance of helping staff to maintain a positive work-life balance by offering:
- 24 days annual leave (in addition to public holidays and with an extra day of annual leave given for each full year of service, up to a maximum of 28 days).
- Access to flexible working.
- Study leave, maternity, paternity or adoption leave, and other leave allowances.
- A day’s leave on your birthday.
Professional development
Restless Development is proud to be an employer who recognises potential and invests in the development of its staff. We are committed to the professional development of our staff through:
- Empowering opportunities to work on significant projects which stretch and inspire staff – allowing them to develop on-the-job.
- Training and development opportunities, including supporting our staff to identify mentors both within and outside of the agency.
- Quarterly Staff Workshops for all staff to give and receive agency updates, receive training, and socialise.
Travel and medical insurance
Staff are eligible for up to 2,500,000 Le of recoverable medical costs annually. When travelling with work or working abroad, staff will be covered by Restless Development’s travel insurance.
KEY DATES
● Please send a completed application form to sierraleonesjobs@restlessdevelopment.org.
Closing date for receipt of applications is 18th March 2022. CV’s will not be accepted.
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