RTI International Early Childhood Development Advisor Job in Kenya

Vacancy: Early Childhood Development Advisor

RTI's International Education Division is supporting education development around the world by strengthening education policy, management and practice in order to achieve measurable improvement in teaching and learning. 

From our well-established reputation in education system strengthening, to innovative work in early grade assessment and learning, RTI is improving education quality, relevance and efficiency through implementation of programmes funded by USAID, DFID, Australian Aid and other donors and clients.

The International Education Division is currently accepting applications for Early Childhood Development Advisor for an anticipated Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme in Kenya. This programme will be focused on improving the quality of ECD systems and instruction. 

The instruction will be focused on development of early reading, mathematics, psychosocial and health skills and concept. 

The assignment is highly technical and managerial and is designed to provide high level support for effective local capacity building. 

The Early Childhood Development Advisor will provide overall technical leadership in carrying out activities related to improving ECD outcomes by overseeing: teacher training and professional development content; teaching and learning materials development; teacher evaluation and student assessment systems; and incorporating ICT into the programme’s multiple components. 

S/he will work collaboratively with partner Kenyan government agencies and institutions and other technical programme staff to develop, implement, and assess the different technical elements of the ECD programme. 

The Early Childhood Development Advisor will be the main technical representative of the programme in the areas of ECD, both academic and health and nutrition, and will provide technical leadership in both areas to the entire team. 

The Early Childhood Development Advisor will serve on the Senior Management Team and report directly to the COP/Programme Director.

Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership, guidance and direction for the development and management of an early childhood development technical framework focused on developing early literacy, mathematics, psychosocial, and health skills, teaching and learning materials to teach the aforementioned skills, professional development strategies, classroom observation support and school readiness assessments. 
• Oversee the development and implementation of professional development activities for teachers and other stakeholders on the ECD instructional program. 
• Work closely with the Chief of Party, Ministry of Education, Science & Technology partners and other stakeholders to operationalize the programme’s ECD interventions; 
• Provide technical leadership on ECD policy issues with the MOEST and other stakeholders and partners;
• Collaborate with other ECD programmes in education as well as other donor funded programmes targeting ECD; 
• Oversee the deployment of research to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of key interventions in the ECD area including classroom environment and practice; health and nutrition; and tuition subsidies; 
• Support the development of communications tools for sharing results with various stakeholders in order to influence decision making at the local, national and global levels. 
• Supervise education and health and nutrition technical specialists.

Qualifications and Skills

• Master’s degree in Education, Early Childhood Education or a related field with at least 10 years of experience implementing early childhood development and professional development programs; 
• Demonstrated experience in ECD program implementation, health and or education management, ICT applications, and/or assessment; 
• Knowledge of a balanced school readiness framework, early learning competencies, and school readiness diagnostic measures; 
• Demonstrated ability to manage and motivate a team of Kenyan technical staff into a cohesive team, and into effective and efficient sub-programme teams, working with government to deliver on results; 
• Demonstrated experience in collaboration and policy promotion with government and ministry counterparts, and local capacity development; 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; 
• Fluency in English required.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should submit a current CV with contact information to internationaledu@rti.org and indicate “Kenya ECD Advisor” in the subject title. 

Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 

Only short listed applicants will be contacted. 

RTI is proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V.