FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in Health, Education, Nutrition, Environment, Economic Development, Civil Society, Gender, Youth, Research and Technology– creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today’s interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 60 countries, all 50 U.S. states and all U.S. territories. To meet the needs of our rapidly expanding portfolio in Ghana, we seek a qualified candidate for the following position on an anticipated 5-year Strengthening Accountability in Ghana’s Education System (SAGES) Activity in Ghana.

Project Summary

The anticipated Strengthening Accountability in Ghana’s Education System (SAGES) Activity seeks to increase and strengthen accountability in the education sector.  The project will include support to operationalize the government’s education accountability framework by enhancing the supervision of education personnel from the district to the school level, improving the ability of local authorities and District Education Authorities to implement the framework and address teacher professional behavior issues such as high teacher absenteeism and inadequate time on task in the classroom, and engaging school management committees and parent-teacher associations to harness community support for improved school management and education quality.  The project will work with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) at the national level and will have a strong focus in the North.

Position Summary

The Chief of Party will be the primary liaison with the funder (USAID), the MOE and GES and other key stakeholders and implementing partners.  Primary responsibilities are to provide overall leadership, management oversight, and technical direction for the program, ensuring an integrated vision across components and actors, with a focus on achieving results.  In addition to leading the team, the Chief of Party will be expected to operationalize the key elements of the Activity, to ensure delivery against the expected results. This will include identifying gaps and opportunities to strengthen accountability, governance, and transparency within the MOE at various levels, support the education accountability learning framework and ensure the Activity builds government and community capacity to strengthen education outcomes. The Chief of Party will be expected to identify issues and risks related to program implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate program adjustments. S/he will supervise activity implementation and ensure activities meet stated goals and reporting requirements. The Chief of Party will have demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, across different cultures, and manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines.

Responsibilities:

• Management
• Provide daily leadership and overall direction of the Activity, and coordinate activities of implementing partners to achieve cohesive and sustainable results
• Oversee project operations, administration, logistics, procurement, budgeting, financial accounting, and overall client satisfaction
• Oversee technical quality, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, of Performance Monitoring Plan and implementation of the project work plan
• Create and maintain an effective project management team; supervise the recruitment, hiring, and supervision of all local staff and consultants.
• Supervise project technical and operations teams and manage the annual work plan and budgeting process.
• Technical direction
• Support the operationalization of the education accountability framework through systems strengthening and capacity building at all levels of the education system.
• Assure support and training to government actors to improve the quality of and use of education data for decision-making, and decentralized resource management at central and decentralized levels
• Supports the development, planning and training of personnel at decentralized levels of the education system to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the workforce
• Provides technical advice and support for strategies and actions to improve transparency, engagement, information sharing, constructive debate and positive working relationships between government and civil society education stakeholders to achieve targeted outcomes in education.
• Relationship management
• Serve as the primary liaison with USAID, and communicate regularly with USAID to provide updates and progress reports
• Build trust and maintain positive relations with MOE and GES officials to ensure local ownership, buy-in and sustainability of the Activity
• Facilitate and foster close collaboration between headquarters-based technical staff, regional management staff, and the project team.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Master’s degree strongly preferred in education, public administration, international development, or related field from an accredited university; Ph.D. or Ed.D. is highly preferred.
• Minimum 12 years of experience in similar education intervention activities and experience managing complex international donor-funded development activities in challenging environments.
• Background and demonstrated experience in governance, accountability and strengthening government capacity at multiples levels of the education system.
• Seven years’ experience in capacity development at human, institutional and policy levels, including strategic planning and organizational processes required; knowledge of current education system strengthening best practices and trends relevant to USAID strategy preferred
• Demonstrated success in system strengthening efforts that have led to significant, sustained changes at scale.
• Strong working relationships at senior levels of the MOE and GES. Prior experience working within MOE or GES a plus.

1. Go to https://www.fhi360.org/careers, 2. Click on Search Jobs, and search for the position numbers assigned to each position, 3. Create an account and follow the  application instructions.