Assistant Education Specialist, Ghana

The Assistant Education Specialist (AES) 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 the Education Quality program implementation, 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 [Senior] 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.
• Collaborate with [Senior] Education Specialists to 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 with a Cluster Leader, Deputy Cluster Leader, and Cluster Administrator.
• 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

• Co-Facilitate delivery of School Leadership Professional Development training led by Education Specialists and or Senior Education Specialists on leadership and management best practices, including budgeting, marketing, and branding, financial management, staff engagement and retention, among others.

Teacher Mentor Professional Development

• With guidance from a Senior Education Specialist, develop mentorship capacity of teachers through Joint Practice Development (JPD) by facilitating independently and/or collaborating with external trainers. Through ongoing coaching and training, JPD targets the improvement of teacher motivation, subject matter expertise, and pedagogical skills within school Clusters and Opportunity International’s broader network of schools.

Learning & Knowledge Management

• Document case studies of ongoing effective practices and innovations from the field for dissemination to internal and external stakeholders.
• Liaise with learning partners, as necessary, who engage with the EduFinance program to evaluate effectiveness and impact.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 3-5 years of experience working in the field of affordable private education in Ghana.
• At least 1-2 years of experience as a classroom teacher at pre-primary and primary levels.
• Degree in a field related to school-based education, or education development, with experience in the education field.
• Strong writing, data collection, and ICT skills (e.g. Microsoft Office products, mobile tablets, etc.).
• International education experience or training is preferred.
• Experience working within cross-cultural global organizations and NGOs is added advantage
• Strong communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are required.
• Strong communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are required.
• Readily identifies mistakes and works to actively develop fixes and solutions.
• Aggressive pursuit of excellence, including regularly going above and beyond the call of duty to achieve results that will contribute to the development goals of the organization.
• Flexibility in ambiguous work environments without losing sight of desired outcomes.
• Honest and direct in communication and business practices.
• Embodies ethical and high moral standards and can identify unethical behavior and report to EduFinance senior management.
• An understanding of and a commitment to advancing the mission and values of Opportunity International.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Written and verbal fluency in English, additional 1 or 2 local languages required. Must be able to attend & fully participate in meetings conducted in English.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• Access to a personal vehicle for 80% domestic travel
• Able to travel with minimal notice and maximum flexibility.
• Willing to travel independently and without escort or planning support.

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve people living in poverty. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, and  Instagram.

CHILD PROTECTION COMMITMENT
Opportunity believes that all children have a right to protection from any form of abuse regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Opportunity operates in line with international best practices for child protection and recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all employees. This policy applies to anyone acting on behalf of Opportunity or is involved in its programs in any capacity. All employees are subject to background checks, which include criminal checks and sex offender list checks, as allowed by local law.