Job Opportunity for Education Specialist at Opportunity International in Chennai

The Education Specialist (ES) is responsible for the delivery of non-financial education services as developed by the EduQuality program for affordable private schools. As part of a local team of Education Specialists, and in collaboration with teams across India, this role is focused solely on delivering professional development courses to school leaders and teacher mentors to support effective management, teaching, and learning, and supporting effective holistic school development via school quality measurement and school development planning processes.

RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Pathways to Excellence

• Collaborate with Education Specialists in-country to develop and implement a School Self-
• Assessment and School Development Plan that analyses school performance against 18 domains of education quality.
• Establish and support school development planning teams at each school to identify priority areas for school improvement and train school leaders and teachers on provided digital resources for each domain of education quality.

Cluster Development

• Establish effective school Clusters by supporting the development of a Cluster governance committee.
• Develop an annual schedule of Cluster Meetings for school leaders and teacher mentors.
• Facilitate collaboration across Clusters for school enrichment activities, i.e., sports competitions, debate teams, arts exhibitions, among others.

School Leader Professional Development

• Facilitate delivery of School Leadership Professional Development training on leadership and management best practices, including budgeting, marketing and branding, financial management, staff engagement and retention, among others.
• Provide guidance, feedback and support for school leaders in coordination with School Support Specialists.

Teacher Mentor Professional Development

• Develop mentorship capacity of teachers through Joint Practice Development (JPD) by facilitating independently and/or collaborating with external trainers.

Learning & Knowledge Management

• Document case studies of ongoing effective practices and innovations for dissemination to internal and external stakeholders.
• Liaise with learning partnerswho engage with the EduFinance program to evaluate effectiveness and impact.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 5-7 years of relevant experience in education development, pre-primary or primary education, early literacy and reading development or special education, and school leadership or teacher professional development.
• At least 2-3 years of experience as a classroom teacher at pre-primary and primary levels.
• Postgraduate degree in school-based education or education development, with significant experience in the basic education sector. Graduate degree preferred.
• Strong understanding of the education sector, school curriculum, school environment, and language/literacy needs in Tamil.
• Strong writing, data collection, and ICT skills (e.g., Microsoft Office, EdTech, learning management systems, data collection tools, mobile tablets, etc.).
• Ability to manage contract negotiations with external vendors and ability to manage internal work-related expenses is required.
• Experience working within cross-cultural global organizations and NGOs, preferred
• Experience working in education management with school leadership experience and experience working in schools in remote/rural areas, preferred.
• Previous teaching/education/policy fellowship experience, preferred.
• Passionate about Opportunity’s mission. Able to promote and communicate the organization’s goals and objectives to external and internal stakeholders.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Written and verbal fluency in English and Tamil required. Must be able to attend & fully participate in meetings conducted in English.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• Up to 80% domestic travel required; access to a personal vehicle is strongly preferred
• Able to travel with minimal notice and maximum flexibility
• Willing to travel independently and without escort or planning support