Job Opportunity for School Support Specialist at Opportunity International in Chennai

The School Support Specialist (SSS) 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 School Support Specialists, and in collaboration with teams across India, this role is focused solely on supporting the Education Specialist team in the delivery of professional development courses. The role will deliver training to school leaders and teacher mentors to support effective management, teaching, and learning, and support the effective holistic school development.

RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Pathways to Excellence & Introductory Seminars

• Plan and facilitate Introductory Seminar(s) to launch and onboard new cohort(s) of schools into the EduQuality program.
• Support school leaders in completing School Self-Assessments and School Development Plans
• Support schools in using local and international digital resources to support effective school development planning.
• Identify priority areas for school improvement and train school leaders and teachers on digital resources for each domain of education quality.

Cluster Development

• Support Education Specialist Team managing a portfolio of 13 affordable private school Clusters with an average of 6 schools per Cluster.
• Assist with the facilitation of regular Cluster Meetings to train school leaders and teacher mentors on best practices.
• Support the development of a Cluster governance committee.
• Support in the development of 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, and art exhibitions, among others.
• Support schools to adoption of virtual platforms to support access to important resources.

School Leader Professional Development

• Assist with the 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.

Individualized School-Level Support

• Conduct school visits to support the completion of School Self-Assessment and School Development Plans.
• Provide one-on-one personalized support to school leaders to help achieve identified priority areas of need and school development plans.
• Provide feedback and guidance to school leaders based on school leaders’ performance in cluster meetings, submission of quizzes, school self-assessment, and school development plans.
• Support Education Specialists in providing guidance and feedback to school leaders using observation tools.
• Foster strong relationships with school leaders to ensure high attendance, engagement, and participation in the program.

Teacher Mentor Professional Development

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

Learning & Knowledge Management

• Contribute to the ongoing development of training and learning resources delivered to school leaders and teacher mentors.
• Collect data through Digital-based reporting on all program activities using Collect (Atlan) or similar tools on company-provided mobile tablets.
• Document case studies of ongoing effective practices and innovations from the field for dissemination to internal and external stakeholders.
• Support the program evaluation and impact with learning partners

QUALIFICATION

• At least 2-3 years of relevant experience in education development, school leadership, or teacher  professional development.
• Postgraduate degree in school-based education or education development, with experience and a strong interest in the basic education sector is preferred. 
• Graduate qualification related to education is preferred.
• Understanding of the education sector, school curriculum, school environment, and language/literacy needs in Tamil Nadu.
• Strong writing, data collection, and ICT skills (e.g., Microsoft Office, EdTech, learning management systems, data collection tools, mobile tablets, etc.).
• The 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 is 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 is required. Must be able to attend & fully participate in meetings conducted in English.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

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