Project Coordinator - ABRA/READs Education Project at World Vision Kenya

Reporting to : Cluster Manager

Grade Level : 13

Work Location : Kirindon

Purpose of Position

The Project Coordinator - ABRA/READS is responsible for coordinating and implementing all activities related to an action research project on scaling education innovations, funded by the International Development Research Council’s Knowledge and Information Exchange (IDRC-KIX). The innovation being researched is Concordia University’s interactive ABRACADABRA software for supporting early grade literacy. This position will ensure the research design is effectively conducted, capacity and skills of teachers and other stakeholders are well supported and project milestones are on target.

Major Responsibilities

Planning, coordination and implementation 60%

• Responsible and accountable for project planning and action research activities in the targeted schools
• Support research pre-activities (ethics review, government approvals)
• Ensure alignment of project research activities with the Global Hub and other project hubs in Rwanda and Bangladesh
• Organize project launch and end of year graduation ceremonies/project showcases
• Ensure facilitation and coordination of teacher professional development on the literacy tools
• Ensure maintenance and security of project ICT equipment (with WVK IT technical support)
• Facilitate installation, maintenance and upgrading of ABRA/READS software on the servers
• Provide supplementary ABRA/READS print-based support materials
• Support CSLP in the preparation of ABRA/READS teacher support materials, aligned with the national curriculum.
• Organize yearly head teachers’ forum to ensure adequate support of the project by the school administration and management
• Troubleshoot any issues with technology (hardware and software)
• Keep in touch with head teachers to ensure proper use and functionality of the project equipment
• Identify, train and manage ABRA/READS teacher ambassadors
• Provide initial and ongoing support on the literacy tools to the teachers, through regular in-class visits and the use of the online Teacher Professional Development (TPD) environment
• Liaise with AP Education Project Officer to align the project activities with ongoing WVK education projects, where relevant

Monitoring and Evaluation, Learning and reporting 20%

• Provide necessary tools for monitoring and evaluation
• Ensure effective implementation of the project activities as per the donor and WVK policies & guidelines
• Ensure budgetary utilization is within acceptable limits/range.
• Oversee effective documentation of all the information related to the project successes, innovations and promising practices and disseminate through appropriate mechanisms.
• Coordinate collection of research data for Concordia and Wilfrid Laurier Universities and for the Brookings Institution ROSIE project
• Review and compile monthly and quarterly narrative reports and budgets
• Ensure regular communication with the Global Hub in Mombasa, WVK Hub Administrator, World Vision Canada, project committees, schools, local communities and MoE officials
• Plan meetings with stakeholders to keep them informed of project-related activities
• Produce timely, accurate, and quality reports for project committees and direct/indirect reports
• Gather end user insights on software use and suggest design improvements for the teacher professional development resources
• Provide new initiatives to facilitate scaling up of the project to other schools
• Report on alignment of ABRA to the TUSOME programme and its integration into the daily learning process

Capacity building 15%

• Ensure capacity building for teachers, ABRA/READS ambassadors, Head Teachers, BoM and MoE officials
• Co-facilitate initial 3-day teacher ABRA/READS workshop and any follow up training
• Facilitate curriculum support officers and sub county education officers to coach and monitor the implementation of the research project.
• Conduct planning and reflection meetings with teachers, head teachers, CSOs and education officers to address any gaps in capacity/skills

Other duties 5%

• Perform any other duty as may be assigned by supervisor or designee from time to time

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor’s Degree in Education, Early Childhood Education, Community Development, International Development or any other related field.
• 3 years’ minimum experience in community development work focused on education, early grade literacy or teacher professional development
• Experience in ICT software and hardware set ups
• Experience in adult and hands-on training
• Experience in project management, including budgeting, project planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation and reporting.
• Experience in social and/or educational research
• Excellent knowledge of English (both oral and written) is a requirement