Education Specialist

The Education Specialist strengthens the quality, relevance and development of Suyana’s education work in Uganda, while contributing to regional learning and collaboration where relevant. Working closely with the Uganda Country Coordinator, the MEL Officer, the Regional Programmes Manager Africa, and implementing partners, the role supports partners to design, implement and continuously improve high-quality education programmes aligned with national priorities and Suyana’s integrated development approach. Job descriptions & requirements - Work closely with implementing partners throughout the project cycle and provide practical advice that strengthens delivery and results. - Assess partners’ technical capacity and provide coaching, training and practical support to strengthen education systems, teaching practices and programme quality. - Facilitate workshops and learning sessions for partner staff, teachers, facilitators, school leaders and community stakeholders. - Support partners to adapt education approaches to local contexts while maintaining clear standards for quality, inclusion and safeguarding. - Help partners identify and solve implementation challenges in a timely and constructive way. - Lead the design and improvement of education initiatives through needs assessments, contextual analysis, programme design workshops and stakeholder consultations. - Develop or review theories of change, logical frameworks, indicators, implementation strategies and education budgets. - Guide foundational learning, teacher development, learning assessment, learner wellbeing, gender responsive education, inclusive education for children with disabilities, safeguarding and community engagement. - Promote equitable access to quality education for all learners, with particular attention to girls, children with disabilities and other vulnerable or marginalised groups. - Ensure that education programmes integrate gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) principles across design, implementation and monitoring. - Work closely with Suyana’s Health, Livelihoods and other technical specialists to ensure that education activities are well integrated with Suyana’s broader work on health, livelihoods, WASH and community development. - Contribute to concept notes, proposals, donor reports and learning products. - Maintain regular exchange with Suyana’s Education Specialist in Rwanda to promote practical collaboration and shared learning. - Work with the MEL Officer to ensure education programmes have relevant indicators, monitoring tools and learning processes. - Support the use of education data, assessments and feedback to improve programme quality and decision-making. - Review monitoring reports, assessment findings and evaluations, identifying lessons, risks and options for adaptation. - Contribute to baseline studies, evaluations, reviews and research activities where required. - Document and share lessons across projects, partners and countries. - Build and maintain constructive relationships with schools, education authorities, teacher training institutions, local government and relevant networks. - Represent Suyana in technical meetings, coordination forums and learning events. - Support partners to strengthen their own stakeholder engagement. - Monitor education sector priorities and trends, and share relevant information with Suyana teams. - Identify opportunities for collaboration, partnership and future programme development. - Promote a strong safeguarding culture across all education activities. - Apply child safeguarding and child protection standards in school and community-based education settings. - Support partners to apply safeguarding standards and report concerns through the appropriate channels. - Ensure education activities prioritise the safety, dignity and wellbeing of children, young people and other participants.

- Hands-on attitude and willingness to work closely with partners, schools and communities. - Strong initiative and ability to identify opportunities and solve problems proactively. - Empathy, cultural sensitivity and respect for diverse communities. - Excellent teamwork and ability to build trusting relationships. - Strong communication, facilitation and listening skills. - Adaptability and ability to work in changing environments. - Commitment to continuous learning, quality improvement, inclusion and safeguarding. - Strong organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage several priorities. - University degree in Education, Educational Planning, Pedagogy, Development Studies or a related field. - Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in education programming, including programme design, advisory support or implementation oversight. - Strong knowledge of school-based education, foundational learning, teacher development, learning assessment, learner wellbeing, educational inclusion and community engagement. - Experience supporting education programmes in partnership with local organisations, schools and communities. - Demonstrated commitment to gender equality, social inclusion and safeguarding in education programming. - Experience applying child safeguarding and child protection standards in school or community-based education settings. - Experience contributing to proposal development, quality assurance, project cycle management and results-based programme design. - Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation systems and using evidence to improve programme quality. - Strong written and verbal communication skills in English. Knowledge of a Ugandan local language is highly desirable. - Strong digital literacy, including Microsoft Office and relevant education data or reporting tools. - Master’s degree in Education or a related field. - Familiarity with Uganda’s education system, including primary education, school governance structures, district-level education coordination and relevant policy frameworks. - Experience supporting integrated, multi-sectoral education programmes, preferably in holistic community development contexts. - Experience working in diverse cultural contexts within Uganda. - Experience supporting local partner organisations and strengthening their technical systems.