Summary
Date Posted: 19th March 2019 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed , Employment Type: Full_Time , Currency: RWF , Value: 500000 , Minimum: 350000 , Maximum: 1500000 , Period: MONTH

JOB DETAILS:
Job Description – Learning and teaching MATERIALS SPECIALIST Job title: Learning & Teaching Materials Specialist (Local)
Dept/Project/Service: Building Learning Foundations (BLF)
Reports to: HoD CTLRD /REB
Usual office base: Curriculum and Pedagogical Materials Department Rwanda Education Board, with field visits
BACKGROUND
Education Development Trust (EdDevTrust) is the lead partner in a consortium that has secured an accountable grant from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to deliver a programme of support to the Rwanda Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) towards improving the country’s primary education system. The Building Learning Foundations (BLF) is a three-year, £25m MINEDUC and Rwanda Education Board (REB) programme funded by UKAid that aims to strengthen the Rwanda education system through a series of targeted interventions that will improve the quality of teaching and leadership in primary schools to improve learning outcomes in English and Mathematics for 2.6 million children.
The BLF programme is delivered through three ‘Foundations’: Foundation 1 focuses on improving foundational skills in English and Mathematics for teachers and Foundation 2 focuses on professional development for head teachers on leadership for learning while Foundation 3 focuses on strengthening the education system through a mix of technical assistance, capacity building as well as MIS development and data activities. BLF is implemented by a consortium of EdDevTrust (lead partner), the British Council and VSO.
As part of Foundation 3’s technical assistance to REB, BLF is supporting four long-term experts in public financial management (PFM), internal audit, monitoring and evaluation and planning, and the management of learning and teaching materials (LTMs).
REB has the overall responsibility for curriculum development and support and has traditionally contracted commercial publishers to publish textbooks and other LTMs for all the schools that it is responsible for. Until recently, REB has limited its role regarding LTMs to evaluations, approvals and to ensuring timely delivery of the materials to schools. Within the context of implementing a new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), REB is now implementing the in-house LTM publishing as part of its new strategy on LTM.
In this regard and in partnership with REB, the BLF is seeking applications from qualified and suitable persons for the position of Learning and Teaching Materials Specialist (LTM Specialist) to be based within REB’s Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Resources Department (CTLRD) in order to support REB’s internal processes on developing and publishing of teaching and learning materials, printing and delivery. The position, initially for one year, is based full-time in Kigali, Rwanda (with some travel anticipated to locations outside Kigali) and will be working under the direct management of CTLRD.
Job purpose
• The purpose of this role is to provide technical support to the Rwanda Education Board on all aspects of REB’s new strategy on the publishing in both printed and electronic formats as per the scope of work defined below.
JOB OBJECTIVES
The LTM Specialist will advise and assist the Rwanda Education Board (REB) with respect to:
• The quality assurance of REB-owned Learning & Teaching Materials across all subject areas (both paper-based and digital).
• Implementing REB’s strategy of support of the ongoing in-house development of printed and electronic LTMs and improved LTM production and delivery;
• Undertaking capacity assessments and the design and implementation of a long-term capacity building and training program on different aspects of LTMs and related REB information systems on LTM creation and production (both paper-based and digital).
• The production of relevant and timely data and statistics as inputs to various reports and the generation of relevant and timely analytics for various meetings and forums as assigned.
Budgeting and Reporting
The post carries no direct responsibility for budgeting. However, the LTM Specialist will advise Rwanda Education Board on all financial aspects of the educational publishing strategy..

Scope
• As an advisor to the REB DG, the LTM Specialist will work directly with the technical day-to-day management of REB’s Head of the CTLRD. The scope of work will include:
• Develop, update, REBs’ in-house textbook development implementation strategy.
• On implementing REB’s strategy of the in-house development of printed and electronic quality-assured, paper-based and digital LTMs and improved LTM manufacturing and delivery:
• Assist in developing and implementing REB’s LTM creation, design, development, manufacturing and delivery strategy and REB’s plans to ensure the most effective use of contract outsourcing and in-house resources to provide timely and effective LTMs to all schools and subjects that REB is targeting;
• Develop procedures for, and assist in the undertaking of a comprehensive quality assurance on all LTMs to ensure LTMs produced are of the highest quality possible;
• Work closely with REB’s procurement function to ensure that strategies and plans for contracting of LTM development (selecting and commissioning writers, designers and illustrators), manufacturing (pre-press and printing) and delivery are well executed and timely;
• Provide advice to REB on ongoing and emerging assumptions, risks and mitigating factors with respect to the roll-out of the new LTM development, manufacturing and delivery strategy;
• Advise REB regarding the potential for electronic development and delivery options for all newly produced/revised LTMs and work closely with REB’s ICT for Education Department to ensure that the newly produced/revised LTM strategy for electronic materials aligns with REB’s ICT Strategy;
• Ensure a Value for Money approach is applied to all financial decisions within the new LTM strategy.
• On capacity assessments and capacity building for LTMs and related REB information systems:
• Assist in the development of a strategy for capacity building in REB to support the new strategy of in-house LTM development and production management;
• Establish improved systems for the efficient publishing of high quality LTMs;
• Work closely with the Head of CTRLD to identify required new capacity for LTM development and delivery, including developing job descriptions and participating in hiring processes for all required LTM development, and publishing skills;
• Develop in-house training courses, tools, and approaches for capacity-building and training on LTM development and delivery;
• Advice on the equipment required for the professional in-house publishing/production of all printed and electronic resources.
• On the production of data, statistics and reports:
• Develop and produce timely and relevant quantitative reports pertinent to LTM development and production processes in REB and organise feedback sessions geared to using this data towards improvements of the processes and procedures;
• Provide input to any REB report as required.

Skills
Essential
• Excellent IT skills, incl. all MS Office applications.
• Excellent LTM planning, writing and editing skills with the ability to work under tight deadlines;
• Strong communication, inter-personal and presentation and networking skills;
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team environment;
• Strong negotiating, analytical, critical thinking, reporting and influencing skills;
• Results-oriented, a team player, exhibiting high levels of enthusiasm, tact, diplomacy and integrity;
• Cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Fulfil all obligations to child protection awareness, gender sensitivity, with zero tolerance of sexual harassment and corruption.
• Demonstrable ability of working independently while managing risks and ensuring VfM and cost-effectiveness;
• Demonstrable ability in the facilitation of stakeholder engagements and training workshops.
• Desirable
• Strong skills in the design and implementation of electronic LTMs;
• Skills in classroom teaching and pedagogy.
• Skills in mainstream desktop publishing applications
Time Frame: 1-year contract, renewable once UPON performance and availability of funds
REPORTING
The role will be under REB’s direct management and reporting on a day-to-day basis. Monthly timesheets will be co-signed by REB and the expert, to be sent to BLF for processing of payments. Monthly and quarterly reports on progress, co-signed by REB and the Specialist, will be sent to BLF for the purposes of reporting upwards through the BLF logframe.

Experience
Essential
• A minimum of ten years of senior-level experience working in a similar role in educational publishing, including commissioning, copyright, editorial and in the creation, design, editing, revision, updating, and quality-assuring of and distribution and knowledge;
• A minimum of five years cumulative post-graduate professional experience of working in low-income countries;
• This above experience will include a minimum of five years’ experience of capacity building of and managing publishing teams, including editorial;
• Experience of building the capacities of production departments as well as practical experience in publishing development or education-related professional development programmes in publishing
Desirable
• Experience of classroom teaching in low-income countries, or experience as a Teacher Educator or School Inspector;
• Extensive experience of LTM publishing, production and distribution in Rwanda, the East African region or Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Experience in electronic publishing;
• Experience of working with national level ministries and agencies like REB, and local government institutions, senior government officials, development partners as well as in low-income countries;
• Experience of engaging with staff across diverse technical areas;
• Must have experience of working in cross-functional teams;
• Must have demonstrable ability of working independently while managing risks and ensuring VfM and cost-effectiveness;
• Must have demonstrable ability in the facilitation of stakeholder engagements and training workshops.

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Job application procedure
Interested and suitable candidates should ensure they forward their applications along with their curriculum vitae, to: BLF-recruitment@educationdevelopmenttrust.com  mentioning the position applied for in the email subject not later than April 5th, 2019.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted