Dexis Consulting Group is recruiting for a Professional Development and Training Specialist that will be embedded within USAID’s Office of Education (ED) within the Bureau for Education, Environment, and Economic Growth (E3). The position will sit on the Office’s Program Team and be supervised by the Program Team Lead . He or she will work with members of the Program Team, other teams at USAID, and external partners to manage professional development and training opportunities for the entire USAID education sector as part of a spectrum of continuous learning.
USAID’s Office of Education (ED) in the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3) supports the implementation of the USAID Education Strategy, which has the following strategic goals:
- All Children Reading : improved reading skills for learners in the primary grades
- Education in Crisis and Conflict : improved educational outcomes for children and youth living in crisis and conflict
- Putting Education to Work : increased employment for youth; and
- Higher Education Systems : strengthened capacity to achieve country development goals.
The Professional Development and Training Specialist will be responsible for designing, coordinating, and leading the training and professional development of USAID’s education sector (i.e. Washington and field-based staff and new education Foreign Service officers). A key aspect of this role will include working with subject matter experts, senior management, and the knowledge management specialist to develop an education sector professional development plan. The Professional Development & Training Specialist will act as Activity Manager for professional development activities under the Education Office’s primary support contract, providing technical leadership, project management, and quality control. In addition, the Specialist will also play a coordination role in leveraging and creating synergies between the professional development activities implemented through various communities of practice managed out of the Education Office. In this way, the Specialist will serve as an in-house advisor across activities, bringing a depth of experience in adult learning approaches, in-person and virtual facilitation techniques, peer-to-peer exchange, virtual learning platforms, and other cutting-edge practice.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- Serves as Activity Manager of the Professional Development and Training workstream in the Education Performance Improvement, Communications and Knowledge (EPIC) contract
- Key responsibilities include overseeing the implementation and monitoring and evaluation of annual workplans, reviewing related staffing and budget considerations, convening regular meetings of the USAID Education Professional Development Working Group, and collaborating with other Activity Managers on related activities
- Takes a holistic view of professional development and training to create an education sector professional development plan that fits within a spectrum of continuous learning for Washington and field-based staff; this plan will take into consideration a) feedback from the education sector to inform updates to the BS-60 (Education) USAID training competencies, b) professional development offerings by other E3/ED teams, USAID bureaus, and other donors and training providers; and c) methods to peer-to-peer exchange across time and space
- Leads the implementation and review of ongoing needs and learning assessments, including via EPIC and other training evaluations, to continuously revise and improve the responsiveness, effectiveness, and quality of professional development offerings
- Coordinates closely with subject matter experts to inform high-quality course curriculum based on target audience need
- Identifies and experiments with innovative approaches to instructional design and facilitation
- Uses basic understanding of online learning principles to adapt elements of in-person trainings to virtual audiences
- Coordinates with the Knowledge Management specialist to ensure training materials are captured and re-packaged to extend their value beyond the immediate training beneficiaries
- Other duties as assigned
- Is responsive to office demands as priorities shift
Qualifications
- Previous experience designing and implementing adult learning training modules including curriculum, lesson plans, objectives, and learning assessments required
- Previous experience developing or reviewing training/course materials, facilitation guides, and technology integration required
- Previous experience supervising or administering training programs, including evaluation, required
- Strong familiarity and application of instructional design principles strongly encouraged.
- Experience managing service delivery contracts desired
- Demonstrated commitment to producing outstanding work as a member of a growing, fast-moving, hard-working team
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to successfully and effectively liaise with people within and across departments in a multi-cultural environment; confident communicator with proven negotiation skills
- Ability to work independently, resourcefully and to own initiative, with flexibility to changing priorities and an eagerness to learn under pressure
- Previous experience working on international education development programs strongly desired
- Overseas experience in a developing country preferred
- Master’s degree in Education or a related field required
- Minimum of 5 years related professional experience required; 10 years of related professional experience strongly desired
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