Technical Advisor II, Education Sub-Saharan Africa

FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in Health, Education, Nutrition, Environment, Economic Development, Civil Society, Gender, Youth, Research and Technology– creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today's interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 60 countries, all 50 U.S. states and all U.S. territories. We are looking for a Technical Advisor II, Education Sub-Saharan Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

Project Description:

The FHI 360 Global Education team works side by side with ministries, communities, schools, teachers and families to create education systems that respond to the complex, dynamic and diverse needs of the people they serve. Our programs emphasize the use of data for decision making, foster student-centered learning and promote education in fragile and post-conflict areas.

Position Description:

• The Technical Advisor II, Education Sub-Saharan Africa, is a member of the Global Education technical team based in the Sub-saharan Africa region. As a member of one or more technical working groups, s/he will contribute to technical leadership initiatives and will provide technical assistance and quality assurance as needed to FHI 360's education portfolio throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. S/he will be responsible for a portfolio of countries and will work collaboratively with other Global Education team members, particularly the Regional Education Advisors for East and Southern Africa and West Africa, and geographic business units that support sub-Saharan Africa to support the development of country and regional education strategies and annual business plans. S/he will also lead or support capture and proposal development and provide technical assistance to country offices and projects as assigned.
• Over the next one to two years, the focus of this position will be primarily on business development. However, as the education portfolio grows, we expect the balance to shift to include more technical assistance to projects and independent assignments. The Regional Education Advisor will contribute to the development of a reliable network of regional consultants who can provide technical assistance for proposals and projects, as needed.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

• Technical Assistance to Country Offices and Projects
• Provide technical assistance and quality assurance on education activities in projects as assigned.
• Respond to and manage education technical assistance requests from clients and existing projects. Serve as liaison to the full range of FHI 360 education resources and expertise, in GLG, TechLab, Gender, and USEWD units.
• Undertake short-term technical assignments as needed
• Active participation in Global Education technical working groups in his/her areas of expertise to promote a common vision and technical leadership in the field. Coordinate efforts with project directors and technical staff of existing projects and home office staff to develop and disseminate research papers, documentation of project work (videos, compendium of tools, lessons learned, case studies);
• Identify opportunities to present our work; and coordinate presenters.
• Contribute to country strategic plans in the area of education; support the development of a Regional Education Strategy : work with other Global Education team members and geographic business units to develop strategic growth and annual business development plans for expanding FHI 360's education portfolio in the region. To implement this strategy the Regional Education Advisor will:
• Help to identify priority countries and technical areas for growth; support the development of long term strategic growth and annual business development plans in cooperation with other Global Education staff;
• Coordinate plans with regional and country directors; represent Global Education in country and ESA planning meetings as assigned;
• Identify and plan for positioning opportunities, e.g., networks/associations, conferences, other events;
• Identify and cultivate relationships in target countries with:
• Current and new clients;
• Key stakeholders (e.g., MOE officials);
• International, regional and local partners based; and
• Potential consultants and long term staff.
• Capture and Proposal Development – lead or support capture and proposal efforts in collaboration with the home office business development team:
• Lead capture efforts to gather intelligence, develop win themes and competitive analyses for specific opportunities; identify local partners and staff for specific proposals
• Lead proposal design team for selected proposals or serve as a key technical contributor, including undertaking technical writing assignments

Minimum Required Qualifications:

• This is a senior level position requiring a combination of advanced studies and extensive experience in the education sector, including significant overseas work experience in international education.
• 8+ years' experience with at least 5 years of in-depth technical expertise; business development experience;
• A master's degree in education, international development, or related field; PhD preferred;
• Demonstrated strong technical, strategic planning, and programming expertise;
• Demonstrated interpersonal, presentation and negotiation skills and experience working in collaboration with partners, donors and NGOs;
• Excellent communications skills, both oral and written, applied across multiple channels (email, Skype, in-person) using multiple tools (Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint) and for a variety of reasons (conference calls, presentations, concept notes, proposals, reports, etc.);
• Proven ability to work collaboratively as an effective team member in a virtual environment with colleagues in multiple countries;
• Ability to set priorities and manage multiple, simultaneous assignments, and meet deadlines.
• It is expected that position will entail about 20-30% travel to countries in the region.

FHI 360 has a competitive compensation package. Interested candidates may register online through FHI 360's Career Center at www.fhi360.org/careercenter or through the Employment section at www.fhi360.org . Please submit CV/resume and cover letter including salary requirements. Please specify source in your application.

AA/EOE/M/F/V/D