Deputy Director, Content

A joint venture by Pratham and J-PAL, the TaRL Africa team supports partners working to address the learning crisis in primary schools in Africa through the evidence-based TaRL approach.

Summary of the Role:

The Deputy Director of Content & Training at TaRL Africa plays an integral role in supporting the management and delivery technical aspects of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach as well as other foundational literacy and numeracy innovations implemented by the organization. To support the diverse learning needs and operating realities across contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Deputy Director should have expertise in growing and managing technical teams, providing direct support to programs, building content and training modules, contextualizing innovations, and identifying needs for and delivering capacity building activities to support programs.
The Deputy Director will have the responsibility of managing and supporting the operations of a strong and diverse content & training team at the central and country levels to support the growth and quality of programs and partnerships, under the leadership of the C&T Director.

Roles and responsibilities:

Develop deep knowledge and experience of the TaRL approach (if applicable)
Attend trainings and workshops to gather knowledge of the TaRL approach
Deep engagement with Pratham teams to understand origins and principles of the approach
Practice the approach in realistic settings to understand how it translates on the ground
Develop understanding of all TaRL materials, data, research and resources in consultation with relevant stakeholders to build own knowledge
Spend adequate time on the ground to understand program delivery and the technical approach

Team management and oversight

Lead the management of the central and country content & training team
Directly manage central Manager level team members and provide indirect oversight for the management of the rest of the central and country-level Content and Training teams
Ensure adequate staffing and capacity building of team to support ongoing and emerging programming and research activities, under guidance of Director
Coordinate recruitment and structuring of C&T teams at country level
Provide support to partners to build C&T function
In collaboration with Director, design overall team structures with country and partner teams
Ensure adequate capacity-building support is planned and provided to country and partner teams across functional areas

Contextualization/adaptation of TaRL approach

Support teams on contextualization of the TaRL methodology in new country/implementation contexts
Support teams on development of the overall program model in new country/implementation contexts with a focus on program delivery, training, and classroom methodology
Review and develop best practices for content design and training
Work with the Director to develop the capacity of country and partner teams on both content design and training
Developing relevant training and content guidelines for use by country and partner teams
Ensure quality of TaRL materials and training delivery across country contexts
Development of additional material inputs as required and identified by country teams

Training & ongoing capacity building

In collaboration with Director, develop plan to build partner and country team capacity on TaRL content and delivery
Lead/support training workshops for countries and provide general support on content and training
Lead/support regional training workshops for partners
Lead training design and delivery across countries
Engage with country and partner teams on an ongoing basis
In collaboration with Director, identify areas for improvement in program design & methodology, and develop strategies to address the same

Innovation & learning

Identify potential areas for strengthening or broadening programs in collaboration with country and partner teams
Support design of program approach for pilots, innovations, and experiments to address the above
Collaborate with other teams on design and questions
Stay abreast with developments in the global education space identifying potential areas for research & innovation for FLN solutions like TaRL
Support program design & execution for research activities
Engage on an ongoing basis with the MLE and Programs functions to collaborate and support identification of areas for improvement and research.
Ensure that research findings on what is most effective are applied to Content and Training as relevant.

Documentation & Advocacy

Support review and update on of all documentation on the TaRL methodology – including website content, manuals, guides, technical notes, etc for use by different stakeholders
Document experiences and observations from program implementation across countries
Contribute to TaRL literature and articles by writing blogs, papers, collaborating on documentation initiatives, etc
Support the development of "Leaders of Practice" across internal and partner teams through ongoing efforts including championing and ensuring the success of the Bootcamps and Fellowship strategies

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Directly manage at least 3 Manager level staff
Manage team at central and country level to support content & training function
Become an expert and gain practical experience in the TaRL approach
Provide technical input and expertise to all Content activities as needed, at central and country level, and with partners
Collaborate with Director C&T to lead all content and training activities planned by TaRL Africa or in which TaRL Africa is a part and take ownership of quality and execution of the same
Ensure timely and quality execution of all Content activities

Profile
Required Minimum Qualifications:

A degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Economics, Education or a related field
At least 5 years of experience of working in education programming, with significant experience in Africa
Excellent spoken and written English
Proficiency in at least one local African language

Required minimum Skills and Competencies:

Prior experience in delivering quality improvement programs in education, preferably focused on foundational skills
Interest in continuous quality improvement and willingness to engage directly with program implementation, including gain or leverage direct teaching experience
Strong understanding of TaRL approach, and other evidence-based strategies for improving learning outcomes
Familiarity with key national and regional curriculum and assessments especially those focused on FLN
Experience working on content development, training and capacity building in education programs
Experience managing teams
Experience of working with governments on building and strengthening education programs
Experience / interest in using technology for education

TaRL Africa Values

We put children’s learning first.
We are always learning, improving, and innovating.
We are locally rooted for high-quality delivery and sustainable impact.
We are kind, respectful and collaborative.
We are proactive, committed to integrity and doing our best each day.