Innovations For Poverty Action: Operations Manager

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), a locally registered NGO specializes in helping partners coordinate high quality evaluations of impacts of development projects. Innovations For Poverty Action recruits Operations Manager

Job Description

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Teacher Community Assistant Initiative (TCAI) National Coordinator. The TCAI is a project conducted in collaboration with the Ghana Education Services (GES), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Youth Employment Program (NYEP) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) to improve the quality of education in Ghana by providing teachers in P1-P3 with assistants who will be in charge of teaching the basic skills to the lowest performing students, and will be trained specifically for this purpose. The impact of this project is going to be rigorously evaluated by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and Innovations for Poverty Action (www.povertyactionlab.org and www.poverty-action.org).

The TCAI National Coordinator will be in charge of contributing to the design of new educational interventions aimed at addressing low levels of learning, developing the TCAI implementation plans, providing overall management support across the Districts where the program will take place, overseeing the quality of the implementation, managing TCAI finances, coordinating with the other key stakeholders of the project, and liaising with other education actors in Ghana. The position will include a variety of activities and responsibilities, ranging from the development of new program implementation, management and human resource support, and communications.

The National Coordinator will be based in the IPA office in Accra and will be expected to travel at least 40% of the time to oversee the TCAI activities across Ghana. The TCAI National Coordinator will report to IPA, who reports to the TCAI Steering Committee.
The role provides a unique opportunity to have key management responsibilities, to participate in the design of a new initiative that aims to improve the quality of education in Ghana, while also being closely involved in a cutting-edge research project.

Specific responsibilities will include:

Continuously update, liaise and coordinate with the project stakeholders: GES Headquarters and District representatives; the National Youth Employment Program; the Ghana National Association of Teachers; J-PAL/IPA
Make significant contributions to the content of the TCAI interventions, including the its monitoring, the teaching methodology and development of educational materials
Prepare a report on the second phase of the logistics pilot, i.e describe the implementation pilot, challenges encountered, and suggest necessary changes in implementation
Develop a detailed supervision and monitoring plan, outlining specific roles and responsibilities for the TCAI management team
In collaboration with GES and NYEP, develop and finalize the Assistants recruitment and deployment process
In collaboration with the project’s stakeholders and School for Life, identify and train Master Trainers
Coordinate with the District Directors and Teacher Colleges to finalize Assistants’ and Teachers’ training plans and timeline
Oversee the implementation of the Training of Assistants
Oversee TCAI financial management and planning
Manage the TCAI grant and relationship to the TCAI donor
Ensure organizational legal compliance
Provide J-PAL/IPA with the information and data necessary for the evaluation
Ensure that the implementation plans are aligned with the evaluation research design
The commitment sought for this position is a minimum of two years. The position will start in October 2010. There will be a probation period of three months.

Required Skills or Experience

Qualifications and Experience:

A Masters’ Degree (preferred) in education, economics, public policy, social sciences, or related fields
Significant experience (at least 5 years) in the education field, preferably in Ghana
Some teaching experience
Significant management experience (at least 5 years), preferably in Ghana
Excellent organizational skills
Flexibility, self-motivation, team spirit and ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently
Demonstrated ability to work successfully with diverse constituencies and to work independently
Demonstrated ability to solve issues in a creative manner
Fluency in English, excellent writing and communication skills
Knowledge of at least one Ghanaian local language
Exceptional attention to detail
Willingness to travel frequently in remote areas
Ability and willingness to work effectively in cross-cultural environments
Excellent knowledge of excel, internet search and email
Some experience designing curriculum programs and teacher training programs preferred
Some experience working for, or in partnership with the Government of Ghana, preferred

How To Apply

Interested Applicants should send their cv, cover letter and references to:

[email protected]
Subject line – ATTN: TCAI National Coordinator – IPA Ghana
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.