Background:
Nigeria faces a learning crisis, with low literacy rates and children failing to learn the basics. Many teachers lack the competencies to teach, schools are overcrowded, and learning materials are not routinely available. The Government’s capacity to effectively manage the education system is weak, and investment in the sector is considered insufficient. Nigeria PLANE is a seven-year, £95m programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) and represents one window of intervention in a broader package of investment intended to enable a more inclusive and effective basic education system. It seeks to do this through improvements made in teaching and learning, focusing on foundational skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. It aims to unlock governance bottlenecks that support education service delivery improvements, improve the regulation of the non-state sector, and embed the use of data and evidence in the programme and within the system. It has four primary outputs: (i) Teaching & Learning: Evidence-based teaching and learning approaches & materials in use in better managed performance-focused schools and teaching colleges; (ii) Governance of state systems: Improved planning, personnel management, and public financial management practices; (iii) Governance of non-state systems: Improved management and performance of the non-state sector; and (iv) Use of Evidence and Communication: Effective generation, communication and use of evidence to inform citizen engagement and improve service delivery. PLANE will work in Kano, Kaduna, and Jigawa, the Southwest, Southeast, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Country: Nigeria
City: Abuja or remotely with the expectation of possible National travel.
Type: Consultancy
Career category: Advocacy/Communications
Years of experience: 10+ years
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Senior Disability Advisor will focus on technical support and advice to the KKJ states and the Federal on any programme/activities concerning Children with Disabilities (CwD). The Senior Disability Advisor will ensure that CwD acquires foundation skills and enhance the quality of their teaching and learning experience. The Advisor will also work towards increasing evidence-based policy and programme decision-making through improved data and appropriate information systems. The Senior Disability Advisor will support PLANE’s ways of working with CwD and advise as appropriate on strategic engagement, technical approaches, and collaboration and partnerships with key stakeholders, such as Organization of Persons with Disabilities (OPD), government partners and other International and Local Development Partners working with CwD to deliver quality education in that space.
Specific duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
- Lead technical support and expert advice in the development of a Disability Policy and Action Plan (with a focus on PLANE’s basic education reform strategy) in line with the overall National Disability Policy for implementation of the Disability Inclusion Strategy.
- Lead or provide a strategy for the programme related to the technical subject of the education of persons with disability and rehabilitation and monitor and follow up the recommendations to ensure change.
- Provide technical support in the review and implementation of the National Policy on Inclusive Education.
- Provide technical support to the federal and states on disability-inclusive education sector analysis and sector planning.
- Provide review and feedback on teaching and learning materials from an inclusion perspective.
- Build, maintain, and strengthen regular contacts with institutions and associations concerned with the education of persons with disability and rehabilitation, including UN agencies, non-governmental agencies, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities; professional associations, and other professional bodies exchanging information and coordination.
- Facilitating possible issue-based approaches to resolving specific service delivery problems connected to governance as models for governance reform and improved service delivery.
- Provide technical support to the States in developing and implementing multi-sectoral social and educational policies through cross-sectoral work for promoting social protection practices to address the education needs of persons with disabilities.
- Develop and recommend norms and procedures concerning the technical aspects of disability and provide recommendations to the States on how these can be deployed or implemented.
- Monitoring of implementation and overseeing result tracking on disability-related activities within the federal and the states.
- Advising on key strategic issues on disability-related issues.
- Provide guidance to ensure proper synergy and sequencing (connecting the dots) of intervention areas across the programme and across the DAI family of programmes where opportunities exist.
- Provide Technical support to develop Quarterly Progress Reports, Annual Reviews, and Lead on some specific cross-cutting strategic engagements.
- Provide specialist technical support to delivery teams as required/requested, focused on improving the quality of delivery of outputs.
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
Education
A minimum of university degree (Master’s level) in Education, Rehabilitation, or any area relevant to the position. Desirable: Additional university degree in any of the fields mentioned above.
Experience
- At least fifteen years of experience in Education and Social Care services, disability supports, or services disability and rehabilitation. Proven experience in leading, planning, implementing, and evaluating programmes in disability, assistive technology, and/or rehabilitation in a national or international setting. Essential
- Fifteen (15) years of experience managing change in the education sector and a strong track record of delivering results on complex multi-component programmes.
- Experience providing recommendations to donors and/or host government ministries on promoting inclusion.
- Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership and backstopping of reporting in disability supports or services disability and rehabilitation.
- Demonstrated experience producing training material in Education and Social Care services, disability supports or services disability and rehabilitation.
- Knowledge of the education sector and inclusion in the Global South.
- Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Cultural sensitivity and a good understanding of the political economy of Nigeria and federal-level dynamics.
- Experience in the management of diverse teams and effective performance management.
- An excellent understanding of financial and technical delivery, monitoring and evaluation of programme impact, and reporting against results.
- Excellent communication skills and ability to develop high-quality written materials.
- Ability to develop well-written, cohesive analyses and reports.
- Proven experience with relationship-building and team-building skills.
- Demonstrated experience of working in politically sensitive and volatile environments. Language requirements:
Essential: Fluency in English, written and spoken.
How to apply
METHOD OF APPLICATION:
Qualified candidates should please send their CV and cover letter to ng_recruitment@dai.com before the end of 7th July 2023 using the Job Title as the subject of the email. Applications from women, people with disabilities, and young people who meet the above qualifications are encouraged to apply.
DAI will only contact candidates that are successful at this pre-qualification stage.
More information about DAI can be found on the DAI website; www.dai.com