The role of Program Support Specialist – Survival and Early Childhood will provide subject matter expertise and collaborate with other Program Support Specialists, the Learning Team and Partnership Facilitators to ensure Frontline Church Partners are adequately informed and equipped to provide holistic development and needs of pregnant mothers, caregivers, infants, and children through the age of 5. This role should be able to provide and have a strong understanding of the current knowledge-base and trends in global and national maternal and early childhood health and education. Practically, he/she will have the ability to navigate and recommend local solutions to the unique and complex challenges in his/her country related to the holistic development needs of pregnant mothers and children.

The Program Support Specialist – Survival and Early Childhood role designs, contextualizes and supports holistic development programming for pregnant mothers, caregivers, infants, and children through the age of 5. The main areas of focus for this role are:

• Strategic & Operational Planning
• Age-appropriate Program Design & Delivery
• Consultation & Support
• Monitoring & Evaluation for Programmatic Innovation & Improvement

Strategic & Operational Planning

• The Program Support Specialist for Survival and Early Childhood will serve as a SME to the National Leadership Team as they develop multi-year, rolling strategic growth plans for Survival funding (in conjunction with Partnership Growth and CIV Strategies).
• He/she will work closely with PFs to plan for the expansion of home-based programming as appropriate.
• In collaboration with the Partnership Facilitators, the Program Support Specialist – SEC will identify areas that the PF will need to include as objectives in the Facilitation Work Plan so that the frontline church partners can be supported.

Age-appropriate Program Design & Delivery

To provide subject matter expertise to staff and Frontline churches, the Specialist will:

• Assess the availability and accessibility of existing development opportunities for caregivers and children through age 5.
• Collaborate with PFs to recommend age-appropriate curriculum and programming for all existing and new Frontline churches local context.
• Focus on equipping Frontline churches to understand CDPR measures for the 1-2 and 3-5 age-groups and how assessments for this age group are best performed.
• Be proficient in the relevant core and supplemental curriculum for caregivers and children through age 5.
• Assist PFs and Frontline churches to use Survival and Child Support funds strategically for caregivers and children through age 5.

Consultation & Support

• This role will collaborate closely with fellow Support Specialists in Health, Resource Mobilization, and Child Development to create comprehensive strategies and solutions to the multi-faceted issues facing mothers, babies, and young children.
• In addition, the Specialist will provide ongoing subject matter expertise to Program Trainers and Partnership Facilitators to ensure that Frontline Church Partners are adequately informed and equipped to provide holistic development to caregivers and their children.
• The Specialist will also collaborate with the M&E specialist to ensure that Front line Churches are adequately addressing the gaps in program quality and implementation.
• Lastly, the Specialist will collaborate with the Partner Preparation Specialists and Partnership Facilitators to identify candidates for Survival Launch Interventions, Sponsorship Launch Interventions, and any Church Planting Initiatives with home-based programming.

Monitoring & Evaluation for Programmatic Innovation & Improvement

• The Program Support Specialist – Survival and Early Childhood Development regularly monitors operational, health and other beneficiary data in order to identify good practices and areas for improvement.
• Based on these findings, he/she will recommend appropriate follow-up such as coaching, training, adjustments to program design, or ways to pilot or innovate in order to improve programming for pregnant mothers, caregivers and young beneficiaries.

Education

University degree in Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Public Health, Pediatric Health, Social Work or another related field. Advanced coursework preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to think strategically, create detailed plans and execute efficiently.
• Ability to design, implement and evaluate survival and/or early childhood programs.
• Ability to support, train and coach program generalists in survival and early childhood programming implementation.
• Ability to make recommendations on program delivery and influence peers.
• Ability to assess multiple data sources/information and make and communicate decisions.
• Ability to coordinate and facilitate discussions across multiple working groups and departments.
• Ability to work collaboratively with cultural sensitivity and high emotional intelligence.
• Ability to network with other ministries and organizations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

• Accountable for supporting, upholding, and engaging in Compassion’s core “Cultural Behaviors” in all internal and external communication and relationships.