Technical Advisor III, Regional Education Representative, East &Southern 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 III, Regional Education Representative, East & Southern 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 Regional Education Advisor, W/CA/MENA Region, is a member of the Global Education technical team who is the primary representative in the region for FHI 360's education expertise. 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 projects. As the liaison to the global capacity in education development, she will work closely with global education leadership to tap into the specialists in each field. As the point person for business development for the region, s/he will be responsible for both setting the long term vision for education development in the region and also identifying and pursuing opportunities for immediate funding.

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 oversight and support. The Regional Education Representative will also respond to the needs of Country Offices in the region as they identify education opportunities or require technical assistance. The Regional Education Representative, ESA Business Unit, country offices and other relevant Global Education team members will work together to create a reliable network of regional consultants who can provide technical assistance for proposals and projects.

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.

Develop and implement a Regional Education Strategy : work with other Global Education team members and the W/CA/MENA business unit to develop and implement strategic growth and annual business development plans for expanding FHI 360's education portfolio in the region that contribute to a global strategy for education.

To develop and implement this strategy the Regional Education Representative will:

• Identify priority countries and technical areas for growth; develop long term strategic growth and annual business development plans in cooperation with other Global Education staff based on an in-depth understanding of the education sector in W/CA/MENA, including political, legal, environmental, financial and social influences;
• Communicate GLG and regional education strategies and priorities to the W/CA/MENA business unit and country office directors and coordinate plans with regional and country teams; represent Global Education in country and W/CA/MENA planning meetings (or deploy a representative);
• Identify and plan for positioning opportunities, e.g., networks/associations, conferences, other events;
• Represent FHI 360 Global Education to external parties; identify and cultivate relationships with:
• Current and new clients in target countries;
• Key stakeholders (e.g., MOE officials) in target countries;
• International, regional and local partners based in the region; and
• Potential consultants and long term staff in the region.

Capture and Proposal Development – lead capture and proposal efforts with support from 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.
• 10+ years' experience with at least 5 years in progressively responsible management positions, recognized as a technical expert with broad expertise in education and at least one area of specialization, business development experience;
• A master's degree in education, international development, or related field; PhD preferred;
• Demonstrated strong technical, strategic planning, programming and management skills;
• 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 identify human resource needs, e.g. consultants, and manage them; and
• 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