Exponential Education Vacancies 2019

The Program Associate will support Exponential Education’s presence both in community development as well as in our school based programs and staff development activities. The primary purpose of the PA is to assist the Program Manager (PM) in developing informal, community-based activities for achieving the broader goals of Exponential Education in the communities in which it works. This involves a broad set of skills, competencies and learning opportunities, focused on education, social issues, building community support and liaising with local government and traditional leadership. Alongside community development, the PA will support Expo in its mentorship of its program associates, particularly in building their ICT capacity and helping them with goal setting and planning. Finally, the PA will assist the program team generally, as well as working with the Director of Operations (DO) and Executive Director (ED) on fundraising and external communications. For this role Expo seeks enthusiastic self-starters with a passion for youth/community development and, ideally, a background in ICT and/or literacy/reading.

Job Description

Job Title: Program Associate x3

The Current Project

Currently, Exponential Education is developing a community learning space in one of our operating areas. The space is part of a house, given to Expo by local traditional leadership and currently used for housing volunteers and other people working in the community. The purpose of this space will be to provide out-of-school learning opportunities for both children and adults in the community. Currently the two potential focus areas will be ICT skills and literacy, however there is potential for this to expand into other areas and activities. With our current network there is potential to constantly increase the ICT capacity of this space and to use it to provide innovative, network based learning opportunities for the local community.

Roles And Responsibilities

Community Development (50%)

• Working with program manager to develop the community learning center at Expo’s volunteer base in Antoa.
• Liaising with local government and traditional leadership to facilitate and expand this program.
• Helping to design and deliver innovative programs to benefit children and adults in the community.
• Working towards running at least one session per week, focused on one of Expo’s core areas (Quality Education/STEM education/Gender Equality/Social Activism).
• Working with PM to set up a sustainability/growth plan for the program. This includes helping to recruit and train a local program facilitator.

Staff training/support (20%)

• Assisting with coaching of Expo’s Ghanian program associates (PAs).
• Assisting Expo Ghanian PAs with planning their sessions and completing administrative activities (report writing/spreadsheet filling).
• Actively taking part in Expo professional development seminars and activities.

Program Support (20%)

• Actively supporting the program teams in running Expo’s gender and STEAM programs.
• Assisting the program teams with organizing and running termly conferences or excursions.
• Occasionally attending programs and providing support and feedback for program associates

External Communications & Fundraising (10%)

• Working with the DO and ED to hit a pre-decided fundraising target to support Expo’s programs (for a 5 month placement this target is approx. $1000).
• Writing at least one blog post per term on the undertaken activities.
• Working with the comms team to provide pictures and text for Expo’s social media presence.

Support And Compensation

While this position is an unpaid position, Expo will provide the following benefits:

• Basic housing (private room in a shared, traditional style house) in the community in which the PA will work.
• Payment of all program related expenses.
• Allowance to cover phone/data costs.
• Airport pickup and orientation.

As it is an unpaid position, the applicant should consider it as a learning opportunity and a chance for personal and career growth. The placement will be for one school term which will be from early April until mid-July. Should a volunteer wish to come earlier or stay longer this can be negotiated.

The Ideal candidate

They Ideally Have The Following Skills/experiences/characteristics

The ideal candidate for this position is a young person looking to gain experience in working abroad, especially in the fields of education and community development.

• Education to at least Bachelor’s level in a related field (International Development/Education/Community Development or other similar).
• Some experience in community development/education/youth leadership.
• Background in computer hardware/software/applications is desirable.
• Desire to work in a diverse and sometimes challenging environment
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
• Ambition and ability to set goals and work towards them.
• Patience and the ability to cope with an unpredictable working environment.
• Passion for issues faced by children and young people.
• A proven ability to communicate well with children and young people.

How to Apply

We encourage all applicants, regardless of background to apply for this position. Expo promotes an organization-as-family approach and is committed to the development and happiness of all staff members and volunteers. We are excited to hear from anyone who shares our passion for youth, education and social justice. To apply for this position, or for any questions regarding the position, please e-mail a CV and cover letter to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!