Systems Strengthening Advisor – Mott MacDonald

Location: Rwanda

Job Description

The purpose of this position is to implement and successfully deliver the Soma Umenye Systems Strengthening activities.  This role will provide expert advice, leverage strong relationships throughout the Rwanda education system, and support the creation, dissemination and implementation of Soma Umenye interventions that support the improvement of early grade Kinyarwanda reading outcomes in Rwanda through building systemic support.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead on the system strengthening activities identified in the work plan.
• Engage with government and non-governmental stakeholders in support of IR2 activities, including REB, MINEDUC, URCE, and district- and sector-level officials.
• Advise, liaise, coordinate, and support the development of the School Monitoring and Support Framework (SMSF) working closely with officials in the Basic Education Quality Assurance department, Ministry of Education and other relevant departments.
• Work closely with relevant government and school stakeholders to support the development, acceptance, and implementation of the SMSF.
• Work closely with relevant stakeholders and Soma Umenye technical team members to support implementation of the ESSP3 in regard to EGR goals.
• Support development of Local Early Grade Reading Assessment (LEGRA) instruments to measure early grade reading performance as well as key school-based indicators which correlate with strong early grade reading performance.
• Support the delivery and monitoring of LEGRA in schools.
• Advise and support the development, utilization and of the ESSP3 Dashboard.
• Strengthen the capacity of districts to identify and respond to local and national EGR priorities.
• Work with DEOs, SEOs, and possibly Vice-Mayors of Social Affairs to support and advocate for the inclusion of early grade metrics in district plans and annual performance contracts.
• Contribute to activities related to strengthening capacity of TTCs to prepare teachers to deliver evidence-based early grade reading instruction
• Contribute to the IR2 team’s reporting against the activities detailed in the workplan on weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis
• Contribute to wider project technical team inputs to support overall project delivery, as required by the Chief of Party.
• Support the implementation of the National Literacy Policy
• Support transition of key Soma Umenye activities to GOR ownership

Candidate Specification

• An advanced degree in a relevant field, such as education, social sciences, or international development;
• Strong experience in the education sector; a focus on early grade reading would be an asset;
• Extensive work experience in the Rwandan education system with a focus on supporting national-level systems change;
• In-depth knowledge of the current state of early grade reading in Rwanda;
• Experience working with international donors, particularly USAID, is an asset;
• Knowledge of strategies for organizational development, institutional and individual capacity building;
• Demonstrated team leadership experience;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong computer skills in MS Office;
• Strong project management skills;
• High attention to detail and accuracy;
• Clear thinking and effective decision making, ability to retain composure under pressure;
• Flexible approach with commitment to meeting challenging deadlines

Job Profile

Project Summary

Soma Umenye is a five-year USAID-funded activity that aims to improve reading outcomes in Kinyarwanda for at least 1 million children in public and government-aided schools in Rwanda. Covering all 30 districts of Rwanda and working in close collaboration with the Rwanda Education Boad (REB) and the Rwandan Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), Soma Umenye will contribute to Rwanda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) and the Government of Rwanda’s national development priority of ensuring that Rwandan primary-grade students acquire the fundamental competency of literacy so that they can succeed in future schooling and, later, in the modern workplace.

Project Goals

Soma Umenye aims to achieve the following two goals:

• To improve reading outcomes in Kinyarwanda for at least 1 million children (unique direct beneficiaries) in public and government-aided schools in Rwanda by the end of P3; and
• To ensure that at least 70 percent of P1-P3 students can read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension.

To achieve the above goals, it requires close collaboration with all education stakeholders under the technical leadership of MINEDUC and REB.