Impact Network works with the Ministry of Education in its efforts to achieve universal primary education. Founded in 2009, Impact Network is a Zambia-based non-profit organization that is working to improve the quality of education in Zambian community schools. Impact Network works in Katete, Sinda, Lusangazi, and Petauke Districts in Eastern Province. Impact Network is an equal opportunity employer. For more information see: www.impactnetwork.org.

Job Description

This role is responsible for implementing the Monitor to Achieve Project, which involves working with the Ministry of Education to support community and government schools outside of our network. This role will work directly with Standards Officers located within the District and selected school Head Teachers to increase school accountability, and improve their leadership of the school.

Project Description

The monitoring tools will be centered around Impact Network’s Six Principles – a set of priorities that our model has found to be necessary for academic success. We will work with local Standards Officers and the broader Ministry of Education to adapt accountability metrics into their own school monitoring work. We would work with the Standards Officers to align these principles with any mandated data collection they have, using mobile data collection tools. These would feed into a Power Bi Dashboard and/or an auto-generated summary report based on the data entered.

This individual will work across multiple districts and schools, and with their associated Standards Officers. Impact Network will work with the local District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) to identify champion Head Teachers and Standards Officers who have best embraced the Six Principles.

Responsibilities and expectations include:

Coordination and collaboration with MoE across assigned districts:

• Conduct consultations with Standards Officers and other Ministry officials on the project concept
• Complete a “Deep Dive” on existing reporting structures and tools used by the Ministry
• Discuss initial set of accountability metrics from the Six Principles
• Develop joint schedule with Standards Officers for target number of visits + schools
• Continual advocacy work within MoE in order to see gradual shifts in accountability

Create tools & dashboards:

• Design Principles dashboard and data collection tools that fit with standardized reports from the Ministry, with input from the data team
• Design training materials for the Six Principles framework to be rolled out with Standards Officers
• Design incentive system: Rankings that will feed back into the dashboard to celebrate individuals & schools making progress, working with DEBS to inform government-initiated programs.

School selection and data collection:

• Work with MoE to select schools that will participate in the project
• Termly results uploaded to the dashboard and shared with the district through a termly analysis review meeting
• Glows and grows highlighted in order to support incentive structure and support gradual growth
• Collect baseline, midline, and endline data collection to see progress over 18 months.

Conduct school monitoring visits jointly with Standards Officer

• Conduct initial school visits and observations, using adapted tools
• Support school leaders by providing constructive feedback, with clear and achievable targets
• Build capacity at district-level to create sustainability and forward-looking plans designed to reach 10-year targets.

Requirements:

• Passionate about ensuring a high-quality education to rural, underserved students.
• Degree in education with 4+ years relevant work experience required.
• Experience working in a school leadership position at primary schools preferred.
• Experience and knowledge of how to support others to improve education outcomes
• Exceptionally organized with strong time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to build effective working relationships and present diplomatic solutions to obstacles encountered.
• Experience working with rural community schools a plus.
• Excellent communicator, both written and verbal in Cinyanja and English.
• Tech skills: Typing, E-mail, Word, Excel, online and offline applications.
• Punctuality, reliability and strong attention to detail.

Impact Network is highly committed to keeping children safe from harm. We therefore take our responsibility to promote safe recruitment practices very seriously, including conducting appropriate reference and background checks. We also operate a zero-tolerance approach to any Impact Network employees who breach our Safeguarding Policy, which all employees are required to sign upon induction.

Only candidates with the right to live and work in Zambia will be considered for this role.

This position is based in Eastern Province.

Applicants must be prepared to commit to a minimum of 2 years in the role.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.