JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Position recruited by Diversified Educators Empowerment Project (DEEP) to support its “Teaching Practices” component on the USAID-funded Liberia Foundational Skills Activity (LFSA)

Number of positions: 1

Location of the position: LFSA Central Office in Monrovia with frequent travel throughout the six target counties.

Start Date: October 11, 2024

End Date: October 25, 2024

Program Overview

Liberia Foundational Skills Activity (LFSA) is a USAID-funded five-year project designed purposefully to increase the percentage of Liberian children accessing primary school and meeting the government of Liberia’s learning standards especially in foundational English literacy. LFSA will improve education access and learning by increasing on-time enrollment, enhancing age-appropriate placement in classrooms, providing contextually appropriate teaching and learning materials, and improving instructional delivery and teacher wellbeing. LFSA will equip key education ecosystem actors with improved capacity, opportunity, and motivation to achieve results.

Led by Chemonics International in Liberia, LFSA is a five-year project implemented by a consortium of Liberian and international partners, including the Diversified Educators Empowerment Project (DEEP), Kid’s Educational Engagement Project (KEEP), WE-CARE, Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Liberia, Foundation for Research, Education, and Empowerment (FREE) Liberia, Mathematica, and One World Network of Schools (OWNOS). The project will be implemented in six counties: Montserrado, Bong, Margibi, Grand Bassa, Nimba, and Lofa.

LFSA is expected to make a difference in Grades 1-6 children’s learning outcomes through interventions targeting four key Results (Rs):

1. R1: Age six children are enrolled on time,
2. R2: Children are placed in developmentally or age-appropriate classrooms, including accelerated learning classes,
3. R3: Sufficient and contextually appropriate reading, teaching, and learning materials are available and used by learners, and
4. R4: Teachers consistently apply evidence-based and developmentally appropriate teaching practices and learning materials in the classroom

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The Teacher Professional Development Specialist is central to LFSA’s technical approach for improving teachers’ classroom practice. The successful candidate will work in close coordination with the LFSA technical management team, including OWNOs to plan, schedule and implement in-service teacher training and CPD activities. S/he will support the development of teacher training and CPD materials by working closely with MoE and other stakeholders to ensure the training/CPD content is aligned to current teacher policies. His/her principal duties and responsibilities include:

• Supporting the development of teacher training and CPD content, focused on Foundational English literacy, classroom management, learning assessment, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) as well as School Safety and Teacher wellbeing.

• Supporting the development of teacher training and CPD materials, integrating content on Foundational English literacy, classroom management, learning assessment, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) as well as School Safety and Teacher wellbeing.
• Working with the OWNOS team in the design, development, and implementation of teacher professional development program for teachers, vice principals and principals based on evidence from national and global practices.
• Providing support in the design and development of training packages to implement integrated foundational English literacy curriculum for Grades 1-6 as well as accelerated learning program and designs, develops, and conducts Training of Trainers (ToTs) at county and district levels
• Collaborating with the MERL team to develop tools and resources to support the training and supervision of teacher professional development coaches and mentors, as well as evaluating program effectiveness
• Support the conduct of mid- and end-of-year evaluations using established teaching frameworks and work with school leaders to implement effective teaching strategies.
• Collaborating with Senior Technical Advisor, the Implementation Director, the TLM Team Lead, the MERL, the Parent and Community Engagement Specialist, the County Education Specialist, the Teaching Practices Team Lead as well as the Enrolment Team Lead to ensure consistency in and cohesion of all teacher support, training and coaching, and mentoring
• Providing ToTs to pool master trainers to implement the teacher’s training
• Supporting the LFSA and MoE county technical teams in the provision of effective technical assistance to primary school teachers through regular pedagogical support including classroom observations and coaching.
• Supporting the LFSA and MoE county technical teams in their efforts to build a common understanding of shared expectations across the targeted schools, and align the school’s resources to the instructional needs of teachers and students
• Supporting the LFSA and MoE county technical teams in their efforts to foster a positive and inclusive school culture, and encourage continuous improvement among teachers, school administrators and students.
• Supporting the development, delivery, and facilitation of evidence-based interventions designed to develop the capacity of DEOs, principals and vice principals and instructional leaders.
• Supporting the process of designing, preparing, and executing the procurement of evidence-based, contextually relevant, and inclusive TLMs and other reading materials through the last mile in the respective county, in close coordination with other LFSA staff, short-term technical assistants (STTA), the Ministry of Education, and other key actors.
• Supporting LFSA’s efforts to increase teaching and learning practices in targeted schools, and Coordinate with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) team on MERL related to LFSA Result 4, including collaborating, learning, and adapting activities
• Incorporating technology-enhanced professional development methods, including online and blended learning options, to expand access to high-quality training for teachers across the counties.
• Gathering and assessing feedback from training participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the content and delivery. Use this input to adjust and enhance future training programs, ensuring they continue to meet teacher needs and improve classroom practices.
• Lead professional development sessions for county-level educational leaders (DEOs, principals) to strengthen their instructional leadership and ability to support teachers effectively.
• Participating actively in the preparation of reports and other technical deliverables.
• Staying abreast of emerging trends and innovations in the education sector to identify opportunities that can enhance LFSA
• Ensuring child protection and safeguarding standards, and report any violations using LFSA’s reporting channels
• Performing other tasks as assigned by the supervisory team

Supervision and Reporting

The Teacher Professional Development Specialist will report to the Teaching Practices Team Lead or his/her designee.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in education or other related discipline.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience working with donor funded programs in Liberia, preferably in the education sector.
• Demonstrated technical experience in the primary education sector managing teacher training and/or continuous professional developing interventions on USAID or other donor-funded activities
• Experience in developing training materials and curricula that align with educational standards and promote effective instructional practices
• Demonstrated understanding of adult learning principles and their application in teacher training and CPD.
• Experience using data and feedback to evaluate training programs and make improvements. Excellent facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to lead engaging training sessions and workshops.
• Experience in curriculum development, particularly in aligning instructional materials and training content. Experience in creating and or delivering CPD for teachers in literacy instruction, focusing on early-grade reading strategies and foundational literacy skills.
• Project management skills, including planning, scheduling, and managing resources to deliver high-quality teacher CPD initiatives across multiple regions
• Proficiency with software such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc).
• Strong technical English writing skills

NOTE: To apply, send your cover letter and CV clearly articulating the required qualifications, experiences and competences to the following email address: blonkanjayjackson@gmail.com & rose22saulwas@gmail.com, before the close of business on October 25, 2024.