Governance Advisor – Education

Ethiopia

About Tony Blair Institute for Global Change:

At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change we are dedicated to making globalization work for the many, not the few. We do this by helping countries, their people and their governments, address some of the most difficult challenges in the world today – beginning with those where we think we can break new ground, offering leaders new thinking and new approaches. Our staff – over 200 of them, based all over the world – are working on some of the most intractable problems around issues of co-existence, governance, the peace process in the Middle East and renewing the center.

Focus of the Role:

Our Governance work supports the governments and leaders of fragile, developing, and emerging states to enhance their effectiveness. We are focused on helping governments and leaders make their vision for the development of their country a reality. We work in the center of government and key line ministries and our work is shaped by national priorities.

Role objectives

Access to education and quality of education have a strong link to economic development.  The key to sustainable inclusive growth is also education reform.  According to the 2018 World Development Report 2018, “education is a foundational building block for achieving nearly every other development goal.”

Ethiopia can only benefit from its rising youth population and maximize its potential for a demographic dividend if it establishes an effective education program.  With a literacy rate not much higher than 40%, there are fundamental issues to be addressed in the sector.  Significant support is required to enhance the access to, and quality of, education including the quality and number of teachers, the learning environment and the capacity of key government institutions such as the Ministry of Education.  To achieve better impact on job creation, critical intervention is also necessary on the linkages between educational systems and the skills that industry requires. 

As an integral component of the Growth and Transformation Plan of the country, the education sector development plan for 2016-2020 focuses on addressing the four main challenges in Ethiopia's education system; increasing access, ensuring equity, improving quality, and improving management. Different development partners are active in supporting the Government of Ethiopia achieve against this plan and overall sector reform.  TBI plans to focus on identifying key challenges to implementation and delivery of education targets set by the government and will work closely with key implementing institutions.

Over an initial period of 24 months, the overall objective of the Advisor’s assignment is to support the government’s Educational reform process by advising on critical implementation gaps.

More specifically, the Advisor will perform the following;

1. Conduct Assessment of the current deficit in the Education program

• Evaluate the current landscape and trajectory against the sector development plan to identify specific intervention areas.
• Determine key bottlenecks and potential root causes which are critical to address in order to meet the GoE’s goals.
• Strengthen relationships with development partners operating in the sector in order to align activities and to determine the effectiveness of the collective effort.

2. Prepare preliminary recommendations to address challenges

• Conduct benchmarking studies to understand how other countries resolved the challenges identified in Ethiopia.
• Prepare recommendations and advice for enhancing institutional frameworks, policies and other relevant factors then validate with key stakeholders in the sector.

3. Work alongside key government counterparts to accelerate education reform and support implementation

• Develop implementation plans and establish monitoring and evaluation tools to assess progress and impact.
• Support the Ministry of Education and other relevant institutions to deliver priorities against set targets. Work with relevant staff to support prioritization, planning and implementation of these priorities.

4. Other (internal TBI) responsibilities

• Actively coach junior staff (analysts/associates) assigned to work with you to improve their skills contained in their development plan.
• Contribute to the development of the wider Tony Blair Institute, sharing lessons learned and contributing to TBI’s thought leadership and organisational development as necessary; especially on the education sector.
• The Advisor will report to the Country Head, and also to the government counterpart at the relevant institution.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• A minimum of 6-8 years demonstrated experience in planning and implementation oversight of education sector projects or experience in management consulting focused on the education sector; (interest and familiarity with tools in the edtech space in contexts similar to Ethiopia’s.)
• Excellent operational and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent in building and managing effective relationships with limited supervision
• Strong team player with outstanding team management skills
• Energetic self-starter and proactive problem-solver
• Willingness to closely manage and invest in the development of junior staff
• Ability in influencing, coaching and delivering change through others
• A creative and entrepreneurial approach to overcoming barriers and making change happen; and the ability to cope in emotionally demanding environments
• Ability to reside in Addis Ababa for the duration of the project – Two (2) years (open to negotiation)
• Fluency in English and Amharic (oral and written communication skills)

Values we look for:

COURAGE… because to tackle global challenges, we must innovate and take smart risks

COLLABORATION… because when we work together and with external partners, we can overcome even the largest problems

COMPASSION … because our work is ultimately about improving people’s lives

To apply please visit our website via the link.