Title: Education Officer
Reporting to: Education in Emergencies Advisor (Technical Unit Lead)
Direct Reports: None
Key relationships: Internal departments and Programme colleagues across our global federation
Grade: 3 (salary range from €38,000 to €45,000)
Contract Length: Two years
Brief overview of role
The Education Officer is an important member of the Programmes Department, which is responsible for the provision of high-quality education technical input into programme design and delivery in long term Inclusive Quality Education programmes and in protracted crises. You will be part of the Technical Unit reporting to the Education in Emergencies (EiE) Advisor (Technical Unit Lead), with a primary focus on education in development settings but also on education in the nexus setting.
You will link closely with Plan International Ireland’s Business Development Units and Programmes Implementation teams, supporting the design and delivery of quality education programming in Plan Country Offices. You will support the EiE Advisor on engagement with the Plan International Inclusive Quality Network and other fora.
You will support Plan Country Offices where Plan International Ireland is working, particularly in West Africa, in the design and delivery of their education strategy and you may be required to support emergency response to humanitarian disasters should they occur and be of critical scale. You will be responsible for the oversight and management of a number of education related institutional grants.
You will liaise with the Fundraising and Communications Department to profile Plan International Ireland’s work in the designated country offices and within Ireland, and support Plan’s advocacy work in engaging with key stakeholders in Ireland and overseas in relation to education.
You may be required to support emergency response to humanitarian disasters should they occur and be of critical scale. You will be responsible for the oversight and management of a number of education related institutional grants.
About Plan International Ireland
Founded in 1937, Plan International is a children’s charity that fights for children’s rights, particularly girls, who live in the poorest regions of the world. We are an independent organisation with no religious, political, or governmental affiliations. Our vision is a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
We work at local, national, and international level across over 70 countries to influence governments to tackle the root causes of child poverty and to create a more equal world for girls. We work with communities to build schools, educate teachers, advocate for an end to FGM and child marriage, and much more. During emergencies, we save lives and ease suffering by providing shelter and sanitation, while also creating safe spaces to protect and keep children in school.
Established in 2003, Plan International Ireland is a young and dynamic organisation that influences and supports Plan International’s work worldwide.
Plan International Ireland have been certified as one of Ireland’s Best Workplaces in 2021.
Key roles and responsibilities
Education Technical Support and Advice (minimum 50% of time)
§ You will advise and support the Programmes Department units on the delivery of Education related programmes, ensuring to the extent possible, programmes are delivered in line with relevant international standards, best practice and appropriate to the context.
§ You will ensure quality education technical input into the design of donor proposals and contribute to assuring technical quality of delivery of institutional grants – in particular in relation to Plan International’s Irish Aid framework funding (EQuIP – Education, Quality, Inclusive, Participative) and EU INTPA funding.
§ Support Country Offices in the development, implementation, monitoring and review of Country Strategic Plans (CSPs) where required ensuring appropriate focus on education.
§ Contribute towards staff training and organisational learning in designated Country Offices where appropriate on education.
§ Provide continuous mentoring and backstopping support key Country Offices to ensure quality delivery of education programmes, and support M&E design and implementation on education programmes.
§ Assist the Country Office teams in identifying innovative and successful approaches and scalable solutions in-country.
Managing a Grants Portfolio
§ You will have responsibility for overseeing a discrete number of institutional grants with a specific focus on education as the overall programmes portfolio requires.
§ Support the Grant Accountant and Compliance Unit to carry out sampled financial verifications on grant expenditures. Support the Grant Accountant, Management and Unit leads with internal and external audits
§ Support Country Offices to implement good practices in all aspects of programme/project cycle and budget management liaising with Plan International Ireland finance team.
§ Maintain programme records and associated files (including project contracts and internal compliance documents) for designated projects to facilitate reporting.
§ Represent Plan International Ireland to donors as required and to deal with their related inquiries in relation to education.
Emergency Response
§ Travel to disaster affected areas as required at short notice in the event of large scale emergencies and a need for education technical support is identified.
Learning, knowledge management, and communications
§ Support the EIE Advisor and Programme Leads for Irish Aid and EU funding in maintaining quality knowledge and learning management in relation to education, remaining abreast of best practice within Plan International and externally.
§ Contribute to the delivery programme reviews and evaluations, and share learning, research and best practices.
§ Assist Country Offices to develop case studies and briefing papers that can also be shared with the communications, fundraising, business development and implementation teams as appropriate.
§ Maintain watching brief on donor related education initiatives and expectations on good practice from key institutional donors in relation to education.
Travel
§ Travel to Plan Country Offices for up to three months per year
Other
§ Contribute actively to Plan International Ireland’s Programme Implementation Team, sharing ideas and experience to ensure the implementation of our programme strategy and to build programme quality.
Person specification
International Development/Humanitarian Programming
§ Four years relevant experience working on international development/humanitarian related programmes, with a specific focus on education programming: overseas programme delivery and grant management experience desirable.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning
§ Experience of developing and delivering M&E frameworks in relation to education, the design of education focused SMART indicators and the development of tools for assessing these.
Project Management
§ Knowledge and experience of programme cycle management, Results Based Management, and Rights Based Approach
§ Ability to plan well and deliver on objectives in a timely way, particularly in relation to meeting grant management deadlines.
Compliance and Finance
§ Ability to prepare and manage project budgets, prepare and assess financial reporting in line with good practice and donor requirements.
Strong communications and networking skills
§ Strong written and verbal communication skills, and ability to adapt messages to meet diverse audiences.
§ French language competence.
§ Ability to engage with others inside and outside the organisation to promote our gender transformative inclusive quality education agenda, and profile the work of Plan International Ireland.
A team player who is willing to adapt to change
§ Willing to respond positively and constructively to change and play an active role in Plan International Ireland’s Programmes Department.
Salary and benefits
Plan International Ireland operates a salary scale, as well as a broad range of employee benefits.
This role is graded as a Level 3 within our salary scale, with an expected range of between €38,000 and €45,000. Placement on the scale will be dependent on level of experience and fit within the role.
In addition to salary, Plan International Ireland provides a number of employee benefits, some of which include:
Private Health Insurance for all employees (from commencement date)
Matching company pension contributions up to 5% (once probation is complete)
Flexible working hours (core hours of 10am to 4pm daily, minimum of 37 hours per week)
Commitment to training and development
25 days annual leave, increasing with length of service up to 30 days.
Location
The Plan International Ireland office is located on Harrington Street, Dublin 8 (across from Brother Hubbard’s). We are just a stone’s throw away from the bustling and busy Camden Street area, with its many coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and much more! Our nearest LUAS stop is Harcourt Street.
As an employee you will also be able to sign up to the Bike-to-Work scheme, or the TaxSaver scheme for DART, LUAS, and Dublin bus users.
Safeguarding
Plan International is committed to safeguarding people within our programmes from exploitation and abuse and has specific policies on this commitment (including a Code of Conduct) which outlines the expected behaviour and the responsibility of all staff, consultants, and other organisational representatives.
Any candidate offered a job with us will be expected to sign our Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. Specific roles may require police/Garda vetting.
This document is not intended to be an exhaustive job description - it serves only as an overview of the role.
How to apply:
Visit Jobs and Volunteering - Charity Jobs - Plan International Ireland and submit your CV along with a letter outlining why you feel you’re the right person for the role by Sunday February 13th, 2022.
Please note that applicants must have a valid work permit at the time of applying to enable them to work in Ireland.