POSITION OBJECTIVE
AKF (Afghanistan) has been selected as a grant agent of Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to implement its System Transformation Grant (STG) in Afghanistan. AKF is the lead agency responsible for managing a consortium of LNGO partners working in eight provinces of Afghanistan. The consortium will implement STG with a budget of $25+ million to pilot community-based schools (CBS), support formal schools, establish Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), and Catch-up and Remedial classes with a focus on equity and inclusion. The project will run for 29 months, with the possibility of extension and pending project results.
The consortium is managed by a Kabul-based Project Management Unit (PMU) within AKF, led by the National Manager, Education (GPE STG), who will manage the PMU team made up of a National Coordinator, Technical Advisor, and MERL Coordinator. The National Manager, Education (GPE STG) will be responsible for coordinating project deliverables with consortium partners and the AKF (Afg) Education team. monitoring and evaluation, reporting, supporting partners’ understanding of compliance requirements, and representing the consortium in education working groups and forums. In collaboration with consortium partners, the PMU will maintain strategic relationships with education stakeholders and a cohesive and organized approach to achieve project goals.
The scope of work includes:
• Maintain strong relationships with consortium members and AKF (Afg) Education team, to deliver quality education for children and young people in marginalized communities of Afghanistan, in line with donor, AKF, and MoE requirements, standards, and policies.
• Provide overall strategic leadership to achieve project objectives and manage implementation with consortium partners.
• Maintain relationships with donors and other key external stakeholders, including representing the consortium in external meetings, forums, and working groups at the national and international level.
• Oversight of relevant monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) efforts, including high-quality project reporting, effective knowledge management, and dissemination of evidence-based best practices.
• Support oversight of financial, auditing, and compliance matters.
S/he will be based in Kabul with travel to AKF (Afg) and consortium partners’ coverage areas in Afghanistan.
JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Leadership: Provide strategic and operational leadership for the PMU and executive support to the Project Steering Committee; and manage project planning, quarterly reviews, evaluation activities, and project implementation in coordination with the PMU team, consortium partners, and other key stakeholders.
• Quality Oversight and Compliance: Periodically review tools and systems that support implementation of all aspects of the project including operations, financial management, monitoring, and reporting; Communicate changes to the context, project delays, and compliance reports with the donor / Ed-STWG; and Coordinate with consortium partners on program and financial monitoring visits/audits/field visits from the donor / external firms; and Build partner’s understanding of compliance requirements.
• Knowledge Management: Work closely with PMU MERL Coordinator and consortium partners to manage the monitoring, research, evaluation, and learning (MERL) components of the project including improving data and reporting quality, design of M&E framework, contracting and oversight of external researcher for project studies and third-party monitoring (TPM), as per donor/project requirements; and Support PMU MERL Coordinator to maintain organized and updated electronic records.
• Strategic Communications: Represent the consortium and build constructive relationships with education stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ed-STWG, when engaging in education policy and strategic planning (particularly the AESSP) dialogue, and disseminating communications materials with the national education cluster, Ed-STWG, and relevant national and international forums/events; and Oversee the development of communication materials, articulating project achievements, impact, research findings, case studies, best practices, and lessons learned.
• Staff Management and Development: Manage the recruitment of PMU staff, in coordination with HR and Education Management Team; Identify PMU staff professional development needs and assess their annual performance; Maintain clear communication with PMU staff, especially the PMU Coordinator, who will be the backstop for the PMU Manager; and support PMU staff, as necessary, to ensure they understand their roles, responsibilities, and project requirements.
• Coordination and Facilitation: Maintain regular communication with AKF Global, National, and Regional Teams, donors, MoE, and consortium partners to ensure their understanding of key project issues; Organize monthly and ad hoc meetings with partners, to coordinate project activities and events, and discuss project adaptations, delays, and other project matters; and Facilitate learning exchanges with partners to share project progress, lessons learned, best practices, key achievements, and mitigation strategies in response to implementation challenges.
• Reporting and Documentation: Coordinate with consortium partners, PMU Coordinators, and AKF (Afg) regional teams to develop high-quality and timely submission of project reports, workplan, log frame, and other required documents to the donor and/or the MoE; and Work closely with above stakeholders to monitor project progress (including identifying implementation challenges and changes to the context) and negotiate with donors to approve consortium’s requests for adapting activities and revising budgets, targets, timelines, or other project documents.
• Fund Mobilization: Provide support to AKF’s National and Global Partnerships Unit in developing and submitting proposals/concept notes to mobilize funds to continue support for project beneficiaries beyond the first phase and to expand community-based schools (CBS).
• To carry out responsibilities of the role in a way which reflects AKF’s commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy and Child Safeguarding Policy.
• To report any suspicions or actual violations of the Safeguarding Policy and/or Child Safeguarding Policy as per the given training.
OCCASIONAL SIGNIFICANT DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Answer ad hoc requests and report/present project progress to AKF Global/National Office, MoE, and other education stakeholders.
• Provide input on program approaches, training packages, and tools to ensure alignment with project objectives/scope.
DECISION-MAKING & AUTHORITY
• All project areas (after consulting partners if the decision impacts them): Administration, HR, Finance, Technical, and Programmatic.
