Program Officer School

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a private, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967. It seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and ill-health with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and other resource-poor regions, primarily in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Its main areas of focus are education, health, rural development, environment, and strengthening civil society.

The Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) [AKF(P)] is seeking enthusiastic educators & high calibre professionals for the following position(s) based in Chitral.

Programme Officer, Schools 2030 - Chitral

The Programme Officer reports to the National Coordinator, Schools2030, AKF (Pakistan), and will assist in the successful implementation of the programme by overseeing 50 schools each in the regions and working with school leaders, teachers, and other organizational partners. The Schools2030 program offers the suitable candidates a unique opportunity to work closely with diverse partners across the educational ecosystem to inspire systems-level educational change at scale through innovative designs for improving learning outcomes at the grassroots school level.

Background of the Schools 2030 Global Programme

Schools2030 is a ten-year, ten country school and classroom-based participatory action research and learning improvement programme. Using the principles of human-centred design and focusing on the key transition years of ages 5, 10 and 15, Schools2030 seeks to catalyse locally rooted education solutions that can inform systems-level approaches for improving holistic learning outcomes. The ten inaugural Schools2030 countries include Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Brazil, Portugal, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The Schools2030 programme brings together a historic consortium of philanthropic funding from nine Foundations and also benefits from a range of global technical partners in educational technology, research, learning assessment, policy engagement human-centered design.  

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

The Programme Officer for Chitral, Schools2030 will be assisting the National Coordinator, Schools2030, in the ongoing design and roll-out of the Schools2030 Pakistan programme, leading efforts in their regions for project implementation, communications, partnership engagement, and knowledge dissemination. The incumbents will be responsible for: 

1.   Field Implementation

• Provide overall support for the implementation of the project in the region/districts.
• Support the school selection process; apprising schools about the programme and encouraging and supporting them to apply to be part of the Schools2030 programme.
• Collecting and recording school profile data
• Assist in the human-centered design training and provide support to teachers and school administrators through the process.
• Support schools and teachers to implement, track and showcase solutions to improve holistic learning outcomes and use flexible response funds effectively and efficiently.
• Assist learning and assessment partners in successfully delivering the programmes monitoring, evaluation, assessment, and learning component.
• Provide technical inputs in the preparation of training materials whenever required.
• Provide documentation and reports of activities, meetings, workshops to the National Coordinator, Schools2030
• Prepare reports on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
• Coordinate with the other AKF departments for procurement and timely distribution of programme funds
• Facilitate and support collection of regular data through monitoring activities as per the M&E plan.  
• Support and facilitate in the identification of challenges and constraints faced during the implementation
• Ability to formulate and develop activities based on project requirements.
• Ability to undertake extensive travel across the region/districts on field visits.

2. Coordination, Communications, and Networking 

• Maintain excellent communication and coordination within the National Schools2030 and AKF ( Pak) education and ECD teams and develop excellent relationships with the government and  AKF’s School Improvement Programme partners such as AKU-IED Professional Development Centres and those who have undergone the 2020 Virtual Human-centred Design Training from Stanford University and could serve as facilitators ( schools are to be chosen from the 335 SIP-supported schools).
• Prepare project data files of stakeholders for the National Advisory Committee and other partners
• Develop productive relationships with all relevant stakeholders, primarily Government and Community representatives.
• Organize and participate in meetings with learning partners and other stakeholders to implement, monitor, and document the implementation of the programme activities making presentations whenever required in both English and/or Urdu.
• Assist in the annual Schools2030 National Innovation in Education Event to disseminate the results of the programme by enabling schools, themselves to represent their solutions, evidence, and impact on improving learning outcomes

3. Professional Attitudes and Teamwork

• Role model and encourage the expected professional behavior, adhering to AKF (Pak) organizational policies, including the Safeguarding Policy and the AKDN Code of Ethics.
• Set high expectations for the level of quality programme implementation and tackle demanding goals and ambitious timelines with high levels of enthusiasm and optimism; inspires self and others to greater performance, professional standards and results; likes to get things done; accepts new challenges and opportunities; and gives and receives timely and balanced feedback.
• Undertake other duties as needed and assigned by the National Coordinator, Schools2030 Pakistan or the Director Education/ECD (AKF).

Required Qualifications, Experience & Qualities

• A Master’s degree or the equivalent in one or more of the following:  education, sociology, economics, international development, or a related field from a reputable and recognized institute.
• A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in the education sector.
• Knowledge of international development and education and a strong understanding of Pakistan’s education system and/or of resource-constrained education systems.
• Proven managerial skills.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English, Urdu, and local language.
• Strong administrative, work planning and coordination skills.
• Knowledge and expertise in making presentations for varied audiences.
• Experience in learning improvement data collection, analysis and utilization at the practitioner level; preference given for familiarity with human centred design principles.
• Familiarity with research and relevant research methodologies to link learning assessment data with teacher and/or school leader-led school improvement solutions.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, Teams)

Key Qualities/ Competencies 

• Excellent coordination and interpersonal communication skills: ability to build relationships with people from diverse segments (e.g. government, private sector, educators, communities, different geographical and socio-economic backgrounds) to meet a common goal.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate within a national network. 
• Ability to work well in a team and with other technical partners and agencies. 
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with demonstrated ability to prioritize and exercise initiative.
• Strong research and analytical skills and abilities in programme development, project cycle management, proposal writing and monitoring and evaluation.
• Demonstrated expertise in being able to write project progress reports of high quality.
• Ability to relate sensitively, with open-mindedness and empathy, to a diverse range of people of different strata, cultures, languages, faiths, gender, and abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written fluency in English and preferably Urdu. An understanding of regional languages is an asset.
• A drive for results; resilience and creative thinking.
• Integrity, energy, rigour, and passion for improving quality education for the most marginalized in society.
• Willingness and ability to undertake extensive regional and national travel for successful programme implementation and support.
• Commitment to the values of AKDN and Safeguarding. 

AKF (Pak) offers a competitive remuneration package and a conducive working environment. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

The deadline for applications is February 10th, 2023. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.