Strategic Education Advisor – Pilot to Sustainability

VVOB – education for development is an international non-profit organisation with over 40 years’ experience in strengthening the quality of education systems in Africa, Asia and South America in close partnership with ministries of education and their institutions. Our head office is based in Brussels, Belgium.

We implement our programmes and projects with one shared passion: to ensure the improvement of quality education.

Do you share our ambition to ensure that learners around the world can enjoy their fundamental human right to quality education, without exception? Are you convinced as well that quality education guarantees equal opportunities for everyone and is the key to a better world?

We are seeking a Strategic Education Advisor with expertise in sustainability to join our team in Lusaka, Zambia.

Do you want to take on this challenge? Then continue reading!

Result areas of the Strategic Education Advisor:

• We are looking for an expert in taking programmes from pilot to scale to sustainability
• As our Strategic Education Advisor you provide both short- and long-term strategic and technical advice, information and guidance to VVOB and VVOB’s partners.
• In addition to supporting the capacity strengthening of programme staff and partners, you also design and develop relevant and scalable projects in close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• As part of the Programmes department, you report directly to the Country Programmes Manager.

You will:

·     Actively promote our projects and ensure that all our projects from pilot stage are designed to be scalable and sustainable including leading on analysis of long-term cost effectiveness of programmes and working closely with government and partners to ensure scale and sustainability.

·     Lead on developing and implementing scale up, sustainability and exit plans across projects.

·     Support the development of new pilot programmes fostering innovation and best practices in ensuring the pilots can be scaled and sustained.

·     Build and maintain a strong network with partners in the development sector. This includes promoting VVOB in Zambia’s pilot to scale to sustainability agenda among relevant partners, supporting in managing partnerships with government and implementing organisations and representing VVOB in conferences.

·     Support in reporting on ongoing projects and the formulation of new projects, including proposal writing from a scale and sustainability viewpoint, supporting the design of new projects to ensure they are scalable and sustainable.

·     Work with the Country Management Team, Education Advisors, project staff and consortium partners to strengthen staff and government capacity for scale and sustainability.

·     Stay updated on policy trends, research and international best practices through networking.

·     Collaborate with Strategic Education Advisors regionally and globally to advance VVOB’s Learning Unlimited strategy and develop new initiatives.

If you’re our Strategic Education Advisor, your workweek at the office will include the following highlights:

• You join an online session of VVOB’s scaling community of practice, where the Zambia team presents on the challenges and enablers of scaling a government-led remediation model.
• You prepare for an upcoming conference where you will be presenting a paper you recently wrote on how to effectively scale foundational learning initiatives in numeracy.
• You prepare the quarterly Catch Up Coordination Committee meeting supporting them to be able to seek investments in Catch Up and discussing how the programme can be further embedded in existing systems.
• Lunch! A perfect time to exchange insights with VVOB colleagues on their projects and how scale and sustainability can be strengthened.
• You support the development of a proposal for a new project ensuring that the scale and sustainability are at the heart of the design.
• You have a meeting with a project team for a project that is coming to an end and review their progress on the fade out strategy including learnings to understand the most effective exit strategies to ensure sustainability.

Who are you?

You are a technical expert in scale and sustainability with significant, practical experience of supporting project to go from pilot to scale to sustainability in an international context preferably in the education sector.

Your expertise and experience

·     Master’s degree in education, human sciences, or another relevant field or equivalent.

·     At least five years of relevant working experience including at least two years’ experience international working experience.

·     Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of taking projects from pilot to scale to sustainability.

·     Knowledge, experience and understanding of foundational learning is desired.

·     Experience with change management and capacity strengthening processes.

·     Ability and willingness to travel within Zambia for short periods of time.

·     Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Office.

·     Proficiency in English (CEFR level C1) is essential.

 

Matching competences

VVOB core competences:

·     Result-oriented

·     Continuous improvement

·     Cooperation

 

Function specific competencies:

·     Strategic Networking & Partnership Building

·     Creativity

·     Persuasiveness

·     Vision Building

·     Problem Analysis and Judgement

What we’re offering:

·     A dynamic working environment in an international context.

·     An exciting job in a growing organisation with varied responsibilities and opportunities for professional development.

·     An opportunity to contribute to exciting, evidence-based projects aimed at ensuring the education sector in Zambia is strengthened, by bringing in innovative solutions for professional development of school leaders and teachers.

·     A complete remuneration package, which includes a base salary and benefits.

·     A national contract to 31/12/2026.

Join us ;

As soon as possible in our office in Lusaka, Zambia. Please note this role is contingent upon the availability of funds.

What Next :

Your motivation letter detailing your match with the profile as well as your motivation behind applying for the vacancy and a detailed CV are expected no later than 30 April 2025.

Shortlisted candidates will take a written test and go through an interview process, before a final offer.

VVOB firmly believes that quality education can only be achieved if equity is ensured. Qualities of people prevail, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or disability.