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Education Cluster Advisor

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) - Farringdon

Job Title: Education Cluster Advisor
Place of Work: Farringdon
Grade: 3
Department: Emergencies
Reports to: Education Cluster Head of Strategy
Line management responsibility: No
Budget Responsibility: No
Child Protection level: 2

Background
Save the Children works to ensure that an increased number of children in conflict-affected fragile states and low-income countries have access to quality basic education and early childhood care and development, and enhance their learning and development. It is our objective to be the emergency response agency for children and we believe that education is a vital part of humanitarian action and should be provided as an essential life-saving and life-sustaining component of humanitarian response.

As Global Co-Lead Agency of the Education Cluster, with UNICEF, we are accountable to the IASC for strengthening system-wide preparedness and technical capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies and for providing predictable leadership in humanitarian crises. Since 2007, when the Education Cluster was established, Save the Children has worked to develop a broad-based global partnership to deliver the aims of the Global Education Cluster. There are currently 42 countries with an established education cluster and SC co-leads in 26 of these countries. On behalf of the Education Cluster, Save the Children has led on key projects such as education cluster coordinator training, joint education needs assesment toolkit and education cluster knowledge management systems.

The Global Education Cluster is now finalising a three-year Strategic Plan with the objective strengthening education capacities at country level to prepare for, respond to and recover from humanitarian crises and will have a particular focus on putting country clusters and national authorities at the centre of the Education Cluster’s work. Save the Children will play a central role in delivering this plan at global- and country-level.

The Education Cluster Advisor will play a key role in helping Save the Children to deliver on its Education Cluster responsibilities operationally through technical assitance to country-level clusters and as a key member of the Global Education Cluster.

Job Purpose
To ensure that Save the Children meets its accountabilities as the Education Cluster Co-Lead agency through the provision of high-quality technical and operational support to country programmes and by being a key member of the Global Education Cluster.

Key accountabilities
• To provide technical support to country offices to assume their cluster responsibilities
• To lead the set-up of education clusters during rapid-on set and chronic emergency response
• To undertake support visits to countries providing guidance to ensure a high quality response
• To coordinate and manage the delivery of Global Education Cluster Work Plan projects ensuring high-quality and timely delivery
• To contribute to fundraising initiatives for education cluster work
• To contribute to effective grant management in line with Save the Children’s and donors’ compliance requirements
• To participate in the Education Cluster Working Group providing leadership to task teams as appropriate
• To deputize for the Education Cluster Head of Strategy when necessary

Person Specification

Essential
• Experience of and commitment to emergency education approaches in rapid-onset, complex and chronic humanitarian crises
• Substantial operational experience and a track record of success in delivering high-quality humanitarian programmes
• Experience of humanitarian aid at country-level including involvement in country-level coordination mechanisms
• Understanding of the humanitarian reform process and humanitarian action
• Willing and able to travel to insecure and remote locations. As part of internal surge capacity the post-holder will be deployable twice a year to first-phase emergencies for a maximum of 4-6 weeks. In addition, there will be regular overseas travel to support country programmes and attend education cluster meetings
• Excellent teamwork, interpersonal and relationship-building ability including a proven ability to maintain effective distance relationships with a global team
• Fluent written and spoken English; written and spoken French will be an advantage
• Strong project and grant management skills
• Track record of secure funding, including negotiating and writing donor proposals
• Ability to operate within a predominantly administratively self-servicing environment
• Computer literate
• Commitment to Save the Children’s mission, values and approach (includes child protection, equal opportunities and health and safety)

Desirable
• Relevant Masters or other recognised professional qualification
• Experience of capacity building
• Working knowledge of another language (Spanish or Arabic)

Other
• Comply with the requirements of Save the Children child protection policies and other staff policies
• To perform other tasks and responsibilities as require

Working contacts
Internal: wide range of contacts across all departments with staff at a range of levels: humanitarian teams and education teams within Save the Children members; finance and grant management staff; fundraising, advocacy and communications departments.

External:
• at a global-level the role requires developing and maintaining excellent contacts with UNICEF as the co-lead partners; other Education Cluster Working Group members: NGOs, UN agencies and donors;
• at a country-level the role requires the ability to work with communities and individuals affected by humanitarian crises, government officials and specifically ministry of education officials, international and national NGOs, community-based, faith-based organisation, other humanitarian actors: OCHA, cluster leads; development actors such as education sector working groups.
How to apply
Please apply via the Save the Children UK website at http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/jobs.htm Ref 6210. Closing date for applications 23 February 2011.