Recruitment at RTI Kenya (16 Positions)

 RTI is an independent organization dedicated to conducting innovative, multidisciplinary research that improves the human condition.

With a worldwide staff of more than 4,000 people, RTI offers innovative research and development and a full spectrum of multidisciplinary services.

RTI International is seeking qualified candidates for a USAID funded 5 year education project aimed at improving early grade reading nationwide in Kenya.

The project will establish one office in Nairobi and 4 offices in Counties to implement the project.

Deputy Project Director

The Deputy Project Director will manage and oversee all administrative and reporting activities for the project including:

    general office operations,
    financial management and communication information technology;
    budget and grants; and
    ensuring financial and administrative compliance with USAID regulations and timely reporting.

Qualifications

    Master‘s degree plus nine years of relevant experience post degree.
    Complementary experience working in administration and finance, particularly related budget and logistics management.
    Demonstrated knowledge of social sector development issues in Kenya and USAID.
    Experience in planning, management, USAID procurement procedures, administrative and financial procedures and reporting requirements.
    Prior experience managing geographically dispersed teams is preferred.
    Fluency in both written and spoken English required.

Finance Manager

The Finance Manager (FM) will oversee the management of financial and reporting functions for the Kenya education project in its Nairobi as well as its regional offices and will ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement with USAID/Kenya.

S/he will ensure appropriate systems and procedures (cash management, vendor payments, budgeting and other related FM duties) are in place to properly disburse, account, budget and report project funds which are cost effective, timely and have proper internal controls.

S/he will provide supervision of up to five other staff in her/his department. S/he is also responsible for transparent implementation of HR strategies.

Qualifications

    Bachelor degree plus six (6) years or a Masters degree plus three (3) experience in Finance or Accounting with CPA;
    At least three (3) years of experience working for a USAID project is desirable;
    Managerial experience is desirable with proven strong managerial skills;
    Experience overseeing human resource management;
    High proficiency in Excel and other Microsoft Office software and knowledge and experience with QuickBooks;
    ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.

Senior Education Advisor

The Senior Education Advisor will provide overall technical leadership in carrying out activities related to improving early grade reading in early primary grades.

S/he will oversee development of: teacher professional development content; teaching and learning materials development; teacher evaluation and student assessment systems and ICT into reading activities.

S/he will work with RTI technical staff to identify, harmonize effective mother tongue literacy and English transition instructional approaches to be used in early grades.

Qualifications

    Ph.D. in education or a Masters in Education with at least 10 years of relevant experience in literacy and teacher education.
    Demonstrated experience in literacy improvement, education management and governance, ICT in education applications, and/or assessment.
    Demonstrated ability to: manage and motivate a team of Kenyan technical staff and sub-project teams at the County level;
    work with government to deliver on results;
    and collaborate for policy promotion and capacity development with counterparts.
    Excellent oral and written communication skills.
    Fluency in English a must.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Director

The M&E Director will be responsible for coordinating and managing all monitoring, evaluation and research tasks and deliverables for the project including:

    establishing systems for gathering, reporting and analyzing performance data for impact and sustainability of project implementation;
    conducting monitoring on a regular basis;
    analyzing the data flows and ensuring quality of data being collected by regular visits to target project sites; and
    training regional staff in their M&E responsibilities, use of tools for data collection and application of M&E process for building capacity of local MOE counterparts in educational monitoring.

S/he will ensure that required reports and documentation for both internal and external needs are produced according to USAID/Kenya guidelines.

Qualifications

    Masters Degree in Economics, Statistics and or any other closely related areas.
    Six years of work experience with a focus on education programs.
    Exceptional technical skills in data management, M&E, survey design, mapping and/or assessment required.
    Proficiency in Excel, Word, and other MS Office software and data analysis software (such as SPSS or Stata) a must.
    Thorough knowledge of M&E systems and USAID regulations and strong oral/written communication skills in English.

Assessment Manager

The Assessment Manager will coordinate all project led assessment of program outcomes and will:

    develop instruments, tools sampling and , complex weighting;
    conduct analysis of data and draft reports;
    and train relevant project and counterpart personnel on Stata and/or SPSS analytic techniques.

Qualifications

    Bachelor or Master’s degree in Economics, Statistics or related field.
    6 years of work experience in assessments in education.
    Skills in SPSS, Stata, and other statistical software required along with all other MS Office software.

County Directors

(4 Candidates for 4 Regions)

The Country Director will oversee implementation of project activities at the county level, manage project systems and procedures, provide financial oversight of regional bank accounts, support technical implementation and activities when needed and supervise all staff in the county office.

S/he will each be charged with liaising with government counterparts and other stakeholders to foster good working relationships at the regional level with all counterparts.

Qualifications

    BA Degree in Business Administration, Management, Education or related field.
    At least 7 years of experience managing staff, budgets, and logistics for a large scale, preferably education, program.
    Demonstrated experience managing international donor projects with project management, human resources and/or financial administration of projects.
    Fluency in English, Kiswahili and other local languages and desirable.
    Excellent computer skills including Word, Excel, Access, and QuickBooks.
    USAID experience highly desirable.

Communication and Advocacy Specialist

    The Communication and Advocacy Specialist will provide overall communications management for the project.
    S/he will develop and implement communications strategies focusing on project priorities;
    contribute to enhanced production and dissemination of communication and advocacy and help raise national awareness on specific issues;
    edit reports, studies, press releases, speeches and good practice documentation to ensure quality.

Qualifications

    Master degree in Social Sciences, Journalism, or Communications/Public Relations. 6 years of experience in communications.
    Experience in: planning, executing and monitoring communications strategies, conducting communications campaigns and building capacity.
    Competence in information systems skills, particularly in publications software required.
    Excellent oral and written communications and editing skills in English;
    Experience working on a USAID-funded or other donor project.

Teacher Professional Development Specialist

The Teacher Professional Development Specialist (TPDS) will be responsible for: initiating and developing new methods training programs for teaching literacy in the early grades: reinforcing teachers’ understanding and use of English as a medium of instruction and transition to English.

S/he will also collaborate closely with ministry counterparts and local education officials; and coordinate, supervise and support all aspects of training delivery and in-school support.

Qualifications

    Master’s Degree in education with 6 years of experience or Bachelor’s Degree and 10 years of experience in developing teacher training curricula and coordinating teacher training activities and inputs.
    Significant experience in education development for reading and/or literacy in early grades. Established working relationships with education government counterparts.
    Experience providing technical assistance and coordinating program field work.
    Proven ability as a facilitator/trainer.
    Strong communication skills in English.

Curriculum Development Specialist

The Curriculum Development Specialist will develop teaching and student instructional materials in Kiswahili, English language and other mother-tongue languages..

S/he will be responsible for designing high-quality and appropriately sequenced reading interventions; translating them into guidelines for publishing high-quality educational materials; and organizing and managing technical aspects of concurrent technical workshops focused on materials development.

S/he will support capacity building efforts across all levels of the education system

Qualifications

    Masters degree in education with at least 4 years of experience developing educational materials for early grades including instructional materials for teaches and readers for children.
    Significant experience in reading and/or literacy in early grades issues and mother tongue and English transition instruction strategies.
    Strong relationship with government counterparts around policy and curriculum development aspects.
    Knowledge of Kenyan curricular norms and standards expected. Experience with USAID-funded projects preferred.
    Fluency in English and Kiswahili required.

Gender and Disabilities Specialist

The Gender and Disabilities Specialist will review language specific instructional materials teacher guides for gender fairness and inclusiveness in accordance with international and USAID specified frameworks.

S/he will be responsible for ensuring that inclusivity strategies are integrated into the teaching and learning materials and supporting capacity building efforts across all levels of the education system on gender sensitivity and disabilities issues.

Qualifications

    Masters degree in gender studies, sociology, anthropology, education or a related field with at least 4 years of relevant experience.
    Demonstrated knowledge of gender and inclusiveness issues in curricula and teacher training programs.
    Strong understanding of Kenyan laws and practices around gender, equality and inclusion.
    Fluency in English and Kiswahili required.

Kiswahili Language Expert

The Kiswahili Language Expert will provide overall leadership in developing and/or adapting Kiswahili language reading and instructional materials for teachers and students for the early grades of primary education.

S/he will collaborate with ministry counterparts the Kiswahili language content and support with advocacy campaigns and messages in mediums other than print.

Qualifications

    Advanced degree in Kiswahili language instruction and/or literacy with a focus on curriculum and instruction, early grade reading, teacher training, and/or assessment.
    A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience working in this field.
    Demonstrated ability to work with NGOs, technical experts, and government agencies in the design and implementation of large-scale educational programs.
    Fluency in oral and written Kiswahili as well as English required.

ICT for Education Learning Specialist

The ICT for Education Learning Specialist will support RTI’s work in applying innovative technologies to enhance classroom teaching and learning, teacher training, education management and capacity building and facilitate communication and collaboration among education stakeholders.

S/he will manage the integration of ICT for early grade reading interventions and provide technical assistance in developing appropriate ICT-enabled approaches.

Qualifications

    Bachelor’s degree in education, educational technology, or a related field.
    Minimum of 6 years of experience in applying ICT in education at the primary level for teacher training or other relevant training on the use of ICT (software and hardware) to support teaching and learning and professional development.
    Experience with open and distance learning mechanisms, including e-learning and m-learning (using mobile devices for training).
    Excellent computer skills in common productivity programs, solid photo and video editing and basic multimedia content /web development;
    Excellent soft skills, including interpersonal and communication skills and organizational and mentoring skills.

Procurement Manager

The Procurement Manager will manage the project’s overall logistics and procurement for national and regional offices and coordinate logistical arrangements with partner organizations and consultants.

S/he will manage procurements of large scale teaching and learning materials, their distribution and oversee all associated budget and expenditure responsibilities – in compliance with USAID rules and regulations. establish and maintain project electronic and paper files, provide support to track accounts payable and receivable, and manage logistics (including purchase of supplies, making photocopies, reservations, etc.) for national and regional travel.

S/he will also be responsible for other project procurements including vehicles, IT equipment and other equipment and materials.

Qualifications

    Bachelor’s degree plus 3 years of experience in procurement, logistics, supply chain management, or related field;
    Experience working with USAID or other US government-funded projects desirable;
    Must have strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task, and be detail and deadline-oriented.
    Knowledge of computer software such as Word, Excel, Power Point;
    Ability to communicate and liaise verbally and in writing with partners/ suppliers/visitors and staff, and interpret/respond clearly and effectively to verbal or written instructions

How to apply

RTI invites eligible candidates to indicate their interest in the position no later than March 12, 2013.

Applications should consist of a letter (maximum one page) with clearly specified position for which the candidate is applying, detailed curriculum vitae, and 3 professional references, including your professional relationship with that person, the person’s telephone number and, if possible, an email address.

Applications must be submitted via the Internet to the following address: kenyaedu@rti.org

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

To learn more about RTI and our work in international development, please visit www.rti.org/idg RTI is proud to be an EEO/AA