Based in Expertise France coordination office in Paris, with possible travel to MS coordination offices in Europe and Africa, the Education Officer (EO) will primarily provide support to the development and implementation of activities related to the Technical assistance Window (“Window 1”). This demand-driven mechanism is activated upon request from eligible Sub-Saharan countries with the purpose of supporting system reforms and policies in the technical areas under the Specific Objectives 1 and 2 (“Teacher governance” and “Teacher education and professional development”). The technical assistance Window consists in the mobilisation of expertise to support countries in the design and implementation of national teacher policy reforms, capacity building and systems strengthening for more effective teaching, including improving social dialogue with teachers’ representatives.

 Under the direct supervision of the Progamme Coordinator responsible for overseeing EF-managed activities, the Education Officer will primarily focus on the development and implementation of the Country Action Plans (CAPs) which will be agreed between the Facility and the partner countries. Within the CAP, she/he will handle assistance requests from eligible countries throughout each stage of the process (reception and processing of the CAP request, implementation of the CAP, TORs drafting of the technical assistance, expertise contracting and supervision, M&E, reporting and closure), as per the RTIA-Facility Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). He/she will also play a key role in the planning and day-to-day operational follow-up of technical assistance interventions, ensuring the quality of implementation, monitoring the delivery of outputs and compliance with contractual deliverables, tracking progress against key indicators, and identifying lessons learnt to inform future programming.

Reporting to the Programme Coordinator at the EF coordination office in Paris, the EO is assigned the following primary responsibilities:

Responsibility 1: Design and Implementation of the Country Action Plans

• Facilitate communication with requesting and partner institutions in eligible countries to guide them through the Facility processes.
• Support the development of Country Action Plans, in close coordination with the Technical Lead in Education (TLEs), ensuring alignment with the Facility’s overall objectives and technical priorities
• Draft and finalize the Terms of Reference (TORs) for each activity included in the Country Action Plans (CAPs), in coordination with the Partners and the Technical Lead in Education.Support the planning of technical expertise procurement needs in collaboration with the Procurement and Contracts Officer, ensuring alignment with the activities outlined in the Country Action Plans (CAPs).
• Contribute to the preparation of procurement processes by drafting or reviewing Terms of Reference and technical specifications for expertise-related tenders.
• Support dissemination of Terms of Reference (TORs) and the recruitment process for the expertise identified in the Country Action Plans (CAP), whether institutional or individual.
• Coordinate Technical Assistance (TA) activities and expert deployment, with support from the TA Assistant, while maintaining regular contact with relevant individuals and stakeholders in Partner Countries.

Responsibility 2: Oversight and Reporting

• Supervise the comprehensive execution of activities outlined in Country Action Plan
• Contribute to the development of templates and tools and ensure the effective implementation of workflows, key processes, and required forms (templates, TORs, activity reports, etc.) to roll out technical assistance activities.
• Review and validate deliverables of mobilized experts, with support from the Technical Lead in Education
• Compile and produce action evaluation reports, including results, achievement of indicators, and lessons learned.
• Report, compile and file relevant information and documentation on requests and activities.
• Manage the administrative closing of requests and actions, in close collaboration with the Support services team.
• Identify lessons learnt from technical assistance activities to contribute to MEAL outputs.
• Contribute to the preparation of interim and final activity reports (narrative and financial) in accordance with deadlines and contractual terms.

Responsibility 3: Networking, Coordination and Learning

• Support the identification and prospection of potential experts to deliver on the CAP, and in particular in leveraging expertise from European and African public institutions to promote sustained institutional partnerships.
• Contribute to the development of the Facility pool of technical experts, including the development of the online platform to respond to the operational needs of the Facility.
• Identify, select, and mobilise suitable experts/consultants and supporting organizations for short or longer peer-to-peer exchange missions.
• Participate in consultation/coordination meetings between the EF team and other MS agencies, facilitating effective planning and implementation of activities related to Window 1.
• Ensure alignment with activities across other Windows for coherence and synergy.
• Support the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, tools, and methodological approaches to strengthen the Facility’s knowledge base and inform future programming.

The Education Officer may perform additional tasks and responsibilities belonging to the operations of the RTIA-Facility, as delegated by the Programme Coordinator. The described tasks involve the necessity to network and interact with a multiplicity of institutions and stakeholders from EU and Sub-Saharan countries and require readiness and ability to travel abroad when necessary.