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Job Title:  Program Officer

Organisation: NFT Consult Limited

Duty Station: Eastern & Western Uganda, Uganda

About the Company:

NFT Consult Limited is a business process outsourcing firm with offices in Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Botswana Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Burundi and South Sudan.

About Our Client

We are an indigenous nonprofit organization that nurtures leaders who are committed to advancing equitable access to quality education for children in low-income communities in Uganda through a two-year teaching as collective leadership fellowship program. We recruit, train and place graduates from varied academic backgrounds to serve as full-time teachers (fellows) in underserved primary schools to improve foundational literacy and numeracy skills for children while developing their leadership skills.  Post fellowship, our alumni become lifelong advocates of quality education as community leaders, social entrepreneurs, and policy influencers collectively addressing the systemic challenges that hinder children from fulfilling their potential. We currently operate in 10 districts i.e., Mukono, Bugiri, Namayingo, Buikwe, Kayunga, Hoima, Kikuube, Kagadi, Buliisa and Kibaale; impacting over 100,000 children in 182 schools.

Job Summary:   The programs team is responsible for the training and support of client Fellows both before and during their fellowship in order to ensure Fellows’ growth and impact as leaders both in the classroom (as measured by student achievement) and beyond. Program Officers play a fundamental role in client’s work, as they are directly in charge of delivering pedagogical and leadership support to Fellows. They serve as coaches for a group of 20 Fellows, regularly monitoring both their teaching practice and leadership growth through observation and coaching cycles, weekly check-ins, and reflections. At the first and primary point of contact between Fellows and the organization, they are also responsible for cultivating strong and productive relationships and a positive team culture. Program Officers also work with school leaders, teachers, parents, district leaders and development partners within their area of operation to build effective community partnerships.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Fellow Support and Management (60%)

• Conduct classroom observations with a clear objective and focus area, utilize observation time to collect diverse data, including student and teacher actions, and synthesizes key insights to facilitate impactful feedback discussions regarding teachers’ areas for improvement, underlying challenges, and propose actionable solutions.
• Prepare for and conducts tailored coaching conversations with fellows, accurately assess and tracks their growth, and providing feedback and customized support to address individual fellow challenges effectively.
• Provide instructional technical support to fellows through demonstrating and modelling various teaching techniques, including play-based learning (TaRL ) techniques and student data analysis to support fellow effective teaching.
• Create well-organized & detailed session plans and utilizes creative and engaging strategies for adult learners to effective deliver and facilitate training sessions.
• Manage fellows by communicating clearly, setting clear direction for them and holding them accountable to set targets.
• Build team culture of Fellows and mentor them to transition into alumni who are lifelong advocates for educational equity.
• Conduct Fellow cohort health surveys and work with the Monitoring and Evaluation team to analyze results and develops strategies to address identifies gaps.
• Seek out and create opportunities for professional exposure, development and mentorship during the Fellowship to prepare Fellows for success as alumni.
• Act as a mediator or facilitator in conflicts that might arise between Fellows, or between Fellows and other stakeholders like school administrators, parents, or community members.
• Plan for the sustainability of initiatives started by Fellows, ensuring that there are handover mechanisms or local capacity building to continue projects or programs after the Fellows leave.
• Implement or support initiatives aimed at the mental health and well-being of Fellows. This could include setting up peer support groups, providing access to counseling services.

Program implementation and coordination (25%)

• Plan, project manage and coordinate logistics to ensure training sessions are achieving goals and outcomes during pre-service, in-service and leadership development training programs.
• Plan and organize activities with Fellows, including excursions, team building activities, and training sessions.
• Collaborate with the Senior Program Officer and other team members to implement field program activities and ensure program quality.
• Compile monthly reports to show progress in program implementation and submit to MEAL department.
• Maintain detailed records of best practices, successful strategies, and lessons learned to inform future cohorts and broader educational strategies within the client’s place.
• Coordinates the implementation of the client’s supported projects in client schools.

Stakeholder management (15%)

• Engage and maintain strong relationships with head teachers, school management committees, teachers, students, parents, community leaders and education leaders.
• Serve as point of contact between placement schools and organization.
• Manage organization’s relationship with local government leaders, and other development partners.
• Effectively communicate program progress and challenges to the Senior Program Officer and other stakeholders.
• Contribute to the development and dissemination of program reports and success stories.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education from a reputable university
• 1-2 years of full-time teaching experience
• 3 years’ experience working in an Education NGO is preferred
• Experience in managing a large diverse team
• Coaching or tutoring experience
• Experience designing and facilitating training sessions
• Ability to set goals and use data daily to guide actions
• Knowledge of the Uganda lower primary school curriculum.
• Knowledge of Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology.
• Deep understanding of and strong alignment to Client’s mission, vision and core values

Preferred Competences

• Ability to ride a motorcycle (this will be tested) with a valid class A riding license.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working in rural communities.
• Exceptional attention to detail to ensure content is of the highest possible quality
• Strong pedagogical skills, including planning (lesson and long-term level), delivery, classroom management and student engagement.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, collaborative and strategic planning skills.
• Ability to work in fast-paced, results-oriented culture

How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates should apply online through the NFT jobs portal.

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Deadline: 24th January 2025    

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