Call for Applications: Project Officer (Kenya)

The position is open to nationals who reside in Kenya.

The deadline for submissions (CV and Cover letter) is 20^th June, 2023 at midnight (12:00am) GMT to the following address: adea-applications@afdb.org. The subject of the e-mail should be “Project Officer (Kenya)”.

Introduction

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a forum for policy dialogue on education and it is hosted by the African Development Bank Group in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Its vision is to create “high-quality African education and training geared towards the promotion of critical skills for accelerated and sustainable development in Africa”. ADEA’s mission, therefore, is to “serve as an open and flexible pan-African organization that informs and facilitates the transformation of education and training to drive Africa’s accelerated and sustainable development.” It acts as a catalyst in promoting innovative policies and practices through the pooling of ideas, experiences, learning, and knowledge. ADEA’s overall goal is to empower African countries to develop education and training systems that respond to their emergent needs and drive Africa’s social and economic transformation sustainably.

ADEA’s main organs are its Steering Committee (SC), Executive Committee (EC), the Secretariat and nine (9) Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs).

The general objective of the ADEA ICQNs is to act as catalysts for innovative policies and practices in education and training. The Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Education has expressed interest and commitment to champion and lead the ICQN on Mathematics and Science Education (ICQN-MSE).

The ICQN on Mathematics and Science Education (ICQN-MSE) is an intergovernmental forum for policy dialogue and collaborative action among African Ministers of Education and strategic partners for advancing quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in respective countries and the African continent. The collaborative approach and networking will support the exchange of knowledge on concepts, research findings, and capacity building to respond to the varying contexts in which STEM education programs are implemented.

To achieve its objective under the new Strategic Plan, ADEA will provide additional human capacity support to the ICQN-MSE through embedding a dedicated Project Officer (PO). ADEA through its ICQN-MSE and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Kenya is in the process of recruiting one Project Officer to be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The overall duty of the Project Officer is to provide day-to-day support to the ICQN-MSE coordinator working with the focal points and resource persons to implementation annual activities in member countries. The Project Officer will be based in Nairobi, Kenya working closely with and reporting to the Coordinator, ICQN-MSE who is based at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA). The project officer will support the ICQN-MSE Coordinator daily, particularly in improving communication and coordination in member countries.

The position is therefore open to nationals who reside in Kenya.

Scope of Assignment

Under the general supervision of the ICQN-MSE Coordinator and the ADEA Senior Project Officer, the ICQN Project Officer will:

• Maintain and monitor project plans, schedules, budget, expenditures, and prepare quarterly plans;
• Provide administrative support service to the ICQN by way of implementing activities and communication;
• Contribute to the improvement of M&E processes and knowledge dissemination on ICQN-MSE;
• Track the day-to-day progress of implementation of specific activities of the ICQN-MSE;
• Prepare quarterly status reports of activity implementation in the member countries of the ICQN-MSE, under the guidance of the ICQN Coordinator and submit to the ADEA Secretariat;
• Prepare draft terms of reference to recruit needed experts and consultants as well as contracts;
• Collaborate with the Secretariat to produce timely, integrated performance reports;
• Obtain newsworthy information regularly from the member countries of the ICQN-MSE for publication and dissemination through the ADEA secretariat;
• Contribute to the development of the ADEA newsletter and knowledge mobilisation on STEM education;
• Prepare at least one blog quarterly to share updates on innovative practices and policies from the ICQN-MSE activities;
• Prepare proposed agenda, meeting minutes, progress reports, briefs, concept notes, PowerPoints (where necessary), and attendance registers;
• Consolidate and share STEM education content or information from ICQN-MSE member countries during regional meetings, workshops, High-Level Policy Dialogue Forums, and Triennale;
• Work in clos consultation with the ICQN-MSE coordinator and provide necessary information for decision making;
• Support the focal points in undertaking country-level case studies that will contribute to regional forum discussions organized by the ICQN-MSE.

Candidate’s Profile

The Project Officer will be employed for the period July 2023 to December 2023 with a further renewal of one year depending on satisfactory performance and results.

The officer is expected to possess the following qualifications and experience:

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in education, business administration, project management, sciences or related discipline;
• 3 – 5 years of professional experience in education projects either in a Ministry of Education, development agency, international NGOs, or multilateral development institution;
• Vast project management experience and, strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task and work under pressure and heavy workload;
• Good understanding of project management cycle and demonstrated experience in project implementation;
• Strong and proven research and analytical experience, and ability to distill relevant data from a mass of data coming from different sources and produce quality reports that are accurate, logical, and intelligible;
• Experience in monitoring and evaluating Projects with a contextualized understanding;
• Experience in planning and designing education programs, monitoring their progress, resolving issues, and initiating appropriate corrective actions;
• Experience in elaborating daily, weekly, monthly, and annual reports; and performing all other relevant administrative duties;
• Experience in managing and maintaining good communication and good relationships with Education partners;
• Results-driven, self-directed, and excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability to collaborate with teams across functional units and disciplinary boundaries to achieve results in the best interest of the organization;
• Experience in developing Spotlight newsletters;
• Systematic and methodical work habits, trustworthiness, independence, and resourcefulness;
• Multi-cultural sensitivity and commitment to diversity and inclusion;
• Fluent in English and have a good working knowledge of French will be an added advantage;
• Competence in Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel, & PowerPoint) internet surfing.

Submission of applications

Interested candidates MUST submit the following:

1. A cover letter explaining suitability for the position;
2. An up dated copy of a Curriculum Vitae.

Incomplete submission will be a basis for disqualification.

Applications (CV and Cover letter) must be sent to adea-applications@afdb.org no later than 20^th June, 2023 at midnight GMT. The subject of the e-mail should be “Project Officer (Kenya)”.

Due to the high volume of applications, only selected candidates will be contacted through formal correspondence via e-mail. Please do not contact ADEA or staff members to enquire about the status of your application.

Duty Station: CEMASTEA - Nairobi, Kenya.