TaRL Africa Director, Content & Training

Summary of the Role

The Director of Content & Training at TaRL Africa plays a pivotal role in championing and guiding the technical aspects of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach as well as other foundational literacy and numeracy innovations implemented by the organization. To support the diverse learning needs and operating realities across contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Director should have expertise in building content and training modules, contextualizing innovations, identifying research and learning areas, and solving challenges creatively.

The Director will also have the responsibility of building and motivating a strong content & training team at the central and country levels to support the growth and quality of programs and partnerships. The Director will also serve as part of TaRL Africa’s Senior Management team, contributing to decisions related to strategy, growth and more.

In addition to technical leadership and oversight activities, the Director will support TaRL Africa’s advocacy and knowledge-sharing efforts — representing the organization in discussions about the TaRL approach and the technical aspects of our programming and support. This will include interactions with partners and funders including governments, NGOs, foundations and others.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Develop deep knowledge and experience of the TaRL approach (Year 1)

• Attend trainings and workshops to gather knowledge of the TaRL approach
• Deep engagement with Pratham teams to understand origins and principles of the approach
• Practice the approach in realistic settings to understand how it translates on the ground
• Develop understanding of all TaRL materials, data, research and resources in consultation with relevant stakeholders to build own knowledge
• Spend adequate time on the ground to understand program delivery and the technical approach

2. Team management and oversight

• Lead the central and country content & training function
• Directly manage Deputy Director and provide indirect oversight for the management of the rest of the central and country-level Content and Training teams
• Ensure adequate staffing and capacity building of team to support ongoing and emerging programming and research activities
• Develop, own and manage the C&T budget at the central level
• Support recruitment and structuring of C&T teams at country level
• Provide support to partners to build C&T function
• Contribute to TaRL Africa strategic planning and decision making as a member of the SMT

3. Contextualization/adaptation of TaRL approach

• Lead contextualization of the TaRL methodology in new country/implementation contexts
• Provide leadership on the development of the overall program model in new country/implementation contexts with a focus on program delivery, training, and classroom methodology
• Review and develop best practices for content design and training
• Develop the capacity of country and partner teams on both content design and training
• Developing relevant training and content guidelines for use by country and partner teams
• Ensure quality of TaRL materials and training delivery across country contexts
• Development of additional material inputs as required and identified by country teams

4. Training & ongoing capacity building

• Build partner and country team capacity on TaRL content and delivery
• Lead/support training workshops for countries and provide general support on content and training
• Build central and country level teams with the ability to provide training support both internally and to partners across the continent
• Lead regional training workshops for partners
• Support training design and delivery across countries
• Engage with country and partner teams on an ongoing basis
• Identify areas for improvement in program design & methodology, and develop strategies to address the same

5. Innovation & learning

• Identify potential areas for strengthening or broadening programs in collaboration with country and partner teams for e.g. programming beyond basics, tightening TaRL manuals and content, etc
• Lead design of program approach for pilots, innovations, and experiments to address the above
• Collaborate with other teams on design and questions
• Stay abreast with developments in the global education space identifying potential areas for research & innovation for FLN solutions like TaRL
• Support program design & execution for research activities
• Engage on an ongoing basis with the MLE and Programs functions to collaborate and support identification of areas for improvement and research
• Ensure that research findings on what is most effective are applied to Content and Training as relevant

6. Team Structuring & Support

• Design overall team structures with country and partner teams
• Ensure adequate capacity-building support is planned and provided to country and partner teams across functional areas

7. Documentation & Advocacy

• Develop understanding of priority areas for funders and key stakeholders in the education sector, and participate in relevant discussions to inform future direction
• Attend, participate in and represent at major global and regional events to build the TaRL brand, share learnings and gather feedback
• Review and update all documentation on the TaRL methodology – including website content, manuals, guides, technical notes, etc for use by different stakeholders
• Document experiences and observations from program implementation across countries
• Contribute to TaRL literature and articles by writing blogs, papers, collaborating on documentation initiatives, etc
• Support the development of “Leaders of Practice” across internal and partner teams through ongoing efforts including championing and ensuring the success of the Bootcamps and Fellowship strategies

1. Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead TaRL Africa Content function at the central level
• Build team at central and country level to support content & training function
• Directly manage Deputy Director, and provide oversight for management of rest of central and country-level Content team
• Become an expert and gain practical experience in the TaRL approach

Profile

• PhD or Masters degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Economics, Education or a related field

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• At least 10 years of experience in Education Programming, academic engagement and / or research, with significant experience in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Basic proficiency in French and at least one local African language

Required Minimum Skills and Competencies:

• Prior experience in delivering quality improvement programs in education, preferably focused on foundational skills
• Interest in continuous quality improvement and willingness to engage directly with program implementation, including by gaining or leveraging direct teaching experience
• Experience of leading large or medium-scale programs, preferably in education
• Strong understanding of TaRL approach, and other evidence-based strategies for improving learning outcomes
• Familiarity with key national and regional curriculum and assessments especially those focused on FLN
• Experience working on content development, training and capacity building in education programs
• Experience leading and managing teams
• Experience of working with governments on building and strengthening education programs
• Experience / interest in using technology for education

TaRL Africa Values

1. We put children’s learning first.
2. We are always learning, improving, and innovating.
3. We are locally rooted for high-quality delivery and sustainable impact.
4. We are kind, respectful and collaborative.
5. We are proactive, committed to integrity and doing our best each day.