Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity. Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world.

EDC promotes equity and access to high quality education and health services and products that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. We support an inclusive workplace culture that embraces many perspectives and broadens our understanding of the communities we serve, enhancing and enriching our work.    

The USAID Let’s Read Project is a 5-year, $48.9 million project in the five target provinces of Eastern, Muchinga, Southern, Northwestern and Western Zambia that works to improve reading outcomes for approximately 1.4 million children attending pre-primary (kindergarten) through to Grade 3 and provide professional development for teachers to support reading interventions in Zambian public and community schools.

Position Description

The Community Outreach Specialist (COS) will be responsible for building on and improving community engagement interventions, providing technical leadership, guidance and quality assurance to the province and district based teams implementing these interventions. The COS will also work closely with other technical leads in the Lusaka office, as well as other partners to promote a unified approach to the site level implementation of all project activities. The COS will network with INGOs and others with successful and promising practices in community mobilization for education and encourage District Reading Coaches and Provincial Managers to do the same in the provinces and districts. The position is based in Lusaka and will report to the Senior Reading Director.

Essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Complete and communicate a community engagement plan for the activity, building upon elements developed throughout the different areas of the activity to date.
• Identify community inputs and guide the utilization of these inputs to support Literacy programs.  This includes engaging with community leaders, Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) and other structures that might contribute to: the monitoring of the project overall; and advocacy for project.
• Build the capacity (knowledge, skills, practices and connections) of internal staff as well as parent/teacher associations, community leaders and organizations to support project.  
• Coordinate activities and schedules with project and MoGE staff responsible for Institutionalization/Capacity Development, Teacher Professional Development and Monitoring and Evaluation who in turn provide support to counterpart teams in the provinces and districts.
• Develop processes and tools that can guide the province, district and partner staff in providing supportive supervision and quality assurance to community/site based engagement activities implemented by project and/or partners. 
• Coordinate the review of existing materials and approaches to community mobilization in Zambia.
• Design and implement tools to be used by parents and communities to support the improvement children's literacy.
• Maintain excellent relationships and coordination with HQ-based staff to ensure that technical interventions are well understood and integrated within project.

Reporting Relationship

The Community Outreach Specialist reports to the Senior Reading Director.

The candidate for the position of Community Outreach Specialist shall have at a minimum the following qualifications:

Education:

A Bachelor’s degree in education or a related field is required; a Master's degree is preferred.

Skills and Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant field experience in community engagement for improved education results in Southern Africa, preferably Zambia;
• Experience in coordination, leadership and working directly with community actors including: Parent-Teacher Associations, School Management Committees and other community-based organizations and stakeholders who promote a literacy;
• Experience in meaningful collaboration with government and ministry counterparts, and local capacity development.
• Experience with USAID project management policies, procedures and reporting requirements preferred.
• Strong oral/written communication skills.

Language:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of (and proficiency in) Chinyanja, Chitonga, Silozi, Lunda, Luvale, Kiikaonde and Icibemba languages highly preferred.

Job Closing Date: June 14, 2019

Due to the volume of applications submitted, only finalists will be notified. No phone calls, please.

Applications submitted without a resume will not be considered.

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EDC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce and ensuring an equitable and highly inclusive work environment. EDC is a smoke-free workplace, and offers a supportive work environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.