The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees delivers lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC has worked in Ethiopia since 2000, providing essential services through direct and partner-led programming. Currently, the IRC offers multi-sectoral assistance through emergency response and longterm resilience-building. In Ethiopia, the IRC delivers various educational services to children, their parents or caregivers, and government-run primary schools. The IRC operates directly and indirectly throughout all regions of Ethiopia, except for the Southwest Region. The IRC works through seven field offices – in Adama, Hawassa, Asossa, Gambella, Somali, and Shire, and four satellite offices in Aleta Wondo Harar, Bahir Dar, and Shiraro. The IRC directly operates in Oromia, Somali, Tigray, Beninshangul-Gumuz, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP), Sidama, Gambella, and Harari regions. The IRC operates directly and through its partners in Amhara and Afar regions. The IRC implements development, humanitarian, and life-saving emergency programs through different sectors, including Environmental Health, Health and Nutrition, Economic Recovery and Development (ERD), Emergency Rapid Response (ERR), Education (EDU), Child Protection (CP), and Community Wellbeing Initiative (CWI).

Background and Objectives of the FCDO UK Support for Girls’ Education and Improved Learning in Ethiopia

Education in Ethiopia is under stress, with limited access and retention for marginalized groups and reduced levels of learning outcomes across all year groups. This is further compounded by different crises – conflict, climate-induced shocks, and residual impacts of COVID-19, with some children out of school for most of the past 3.5 years.

The “Ethiopia Support for Girls’ Education and Improved Learning (2024 – 2029)” program initiated by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) aims to improve access to education for girls and marginalized groups and enhance their learning outcomes. The program will focus on four key components below:

1. School Leadership Support: Providing training, resources, and guidance to school leaders to enhance their capacity to manage schools and learning effectively.

2. Equity Support: The program aims to promote equity in education by addressing barriers that hinder access to education for marginalized groups, including girls and children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those in hard-to-reach areas. Strategies may include collaborating with Government ministries to strengthen policies to ensure equal student access.

3. Teacher Support: The program will train teachers, equip them with effective teaching strategies, and promote continuous learning. This support may include training workshops, mentoring programs, and access to educational resources.

4. English Language: The program will prioritize initiatives to strengthen English language instruction. This may involve training teachers in effective language teaching methods, providing language learning materials, and integrating English language instruction into the curriculum.

Scope of Work

The Deputy Team Lead (DTL) will be responsible for supporting the Team Lead in project management, management of staff, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement, including relevant government line ministries. They will coordinate the development, implementation, and reporting on detailed management plans that may include implementation plans and deliverables tracking in assigned areas of responsibility. The DCOP will also manage implementing partners and oversee programmatic excellence supported by and in coordination with the relevant IRC Ethiopia and implementing partner teams. This senior position requires outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, and organizational, team-building and presentational skills.

Major Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and implementation of the program’s framework in coordination with partners and cross-sectoral advisors to drive toward the program’s objectives.

• Ability to perform at a senior management level, including managing staff in a matrixed system focused on adaptive management.

• Oversee all programme technical contributions, specifically context-driven and evidence-based approaches to improving inclusive access to education, strengthening the quality of basic education, and enabling systems-level actors to bolster support for and investment in education to achieve programme outcomes.

• Lead the program team in making data-driven course-correction and programmatic improvements that enable achievement of programme outcomes, applying collaborative, flexible, and practical thinking.

• Identify issues and risks related to program implementation in a timely manner and ensure appropriate program adjustments.

• Support the development of the monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan jointly with key education system actors and ensure linkages between evidence generation, global dialogue, and country actions while supporting global leadership.

• Oversee and review technical writing products and deliverables.

• Oversee ongoing quality assurance and quality improvement for technical activities.

Qualifications

• An advanced degree (or equivalent experience) in Education, Gender, disability and inclusion, or a related field with at least 8 years of work experience in international development.

• At least 8 years experience in a senior management role of large and complex donor-funded programs, managing a diverse team of professionals and consortium partners. Experience with delivery at a national scale will be an advantage.

• Extensive experience working in East Africa, ideally in Ethiopia.

• Experience and ability to provide leadership and direction in harnessing the multi-disciplinary skills of the technical personnel and consortium partner within complex and high-risk environments.

• Familiarity with current debates about girls’ education and education for children with disabilities, including FCDO’s thinking and emerging priorities.

• Experience in programming for girls’ education and education for children with disabilities, and marginalized children.

• Experience in programming, including large-scale conditional cash transfers to encourage school enrollment and retention, understanding the risks and best practices regarding cash for education.

• Experience working with children and adolescents and an ability to apply safeguarding, ethics, and ‘do not harm’ principles.

• Excellent analytical, communication, and writing skills and the ability to articulate arguments and positions backed with evidence to promote causes and ideas.

• The Deputy Team Leader will be expected to align to and ensure adherence to IRC’s internal policies, guidelines, ethics, and FCDO’s code of conduct and compliance requirements.

• Fluency in English required, knowledge of local language is an added advantage.

Recruitment for this role is contingent upon the successful award of the project, and the final applicant’s selection is subject to FCDO approval.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.