About Chemonics UK
Chemonics International is a major international development consultancy, with a 46-year history and a track record for delivering integrated solutions across multiple sectors and geographies to support the achievement of sustainable development goals. With experience in over 150 countries and global network of over 5,000 technical specialists, Chemonics is recognised as one of the world’s leading partners for international development.
Chemonics UK was established in 2019 and has quickly developed a strong and diverse portfolio of UK Aid-funded programmes. Chemonics UK works with government and development sector counterparts across three continents to deliver programmes in sectors including climate action, education, governance, peacebuilding, stabilisation, social cohesion, and research.
Chemonics UK is developing greater autonomy and identity within the Chemonics International group and has ambitious growth plans for UK and European funded work, alongside the development of its own administrative and procedural functions.
The Role
Title: Education Programme Director
Location: London, UK
Salary: Competitive
Job Summary
The Education Programme Director is a senior management position responsible for the performance of the education technical area for Chemonics UK and is responsible for providing senior-level, technical oversight and expertise, helping to build and oversee an education programme portfolio, including market positioning, business development, project management, and team management and leadership. The director will undertake technical assignments, take a leadership role in engaging with Chemonics UK’s clients, and contribute to UK and corporate strategies and initiatives.
Responsibilities
Technical
• Applies in-depth education technical expertise to projects’ technical goals and objectives, new business efforts, projects and Chemonics knowledge base
• Advances body of knowledge (e.g., innovations, best practices, lessons learned) and quality standards in education and practice networks; formulates approaches to guide project work, new business efforts, and technical assignments; and advises clients on technical trends and programming priorities
• Assumes a leadership role(s) in education network development and professional societies, represents company at technical conferences, and prepares or improves technical and development practitioner publications
• Ensures quality of project reports and deliverables; ensures project technical objectives are met in partnership with the team leader and troubleshoots when deviations are needed
• Identifies opportunities to conduct billable assignments in coordination with supervisor; sets billability targets to contribute to a billable project work or technical area
• Ensures that existing best practices and innovative learning methods are utilised in our current education programme/s and proposals
Market Positioning and Business Development
• Takes a leadership role in growing Chemonics UK’s education portfolio through strategy setting, outreach and network development, proposal development, and positioning with Chemonics’ clients and within the industry
• Leads proposal teams including through strategy formulation and defining technical solutions
• Cultivates partnerships with strategic organisations
• Tracks, analyses, and shares development trends and priorities within the education sector
• Travels periodically to explore new business opportunities. Interacts with key client and counterpart staff related to new programming opportunities
Project Management
• Directs programme implementation for one or more programmes within the UK by leading and supervising the PMU team which provides contractual, financial, and administrative support and technical quality assurance. Responsible for providing project management and technical support and oversight at advanced levels of authority and accountability to achieve results
• Collaborates closely with team leader(s) in developing work plans, ensuring timely resources to execute plans, supervising progress, and reporting of implementation, ensuring proper technical direction in fulfilling the project scope of work, and conceptualizing new strategies to improve performance
• Tracks project performance against workplan milestones and logframe targets and ensures the submission of all required deliverables on time and at high quality, elevating any deviations for resolution
• Manages project risk profile, actively solving problems as they arise and thinking critically and creatively about how to mitigate risk; maintains familiarity with the risk appetite of the client and UK leadership; and raises issues through the appropriate channels. Is responsible for contractual compliance, safeguarding of project staff and constituents; duty of care, ensuring reputational integrity, and minimizing fiduciary risk
Responsibilities
• Supervises project financial performance and reporting, to ensure project is meeting corporate and client spend targets and accurate forecasting, maximising p to ensure assigned project(s) are meeting corporate annual budget targets, managing the project to meet, but not exceed, client annual and life of project spend allocation, accurately forecasting costs, monitoring gross profit and fee, and minimising unexpected unallowable expenses)
• Identifies and resolves problems related to project implementation. Conducts periodic supervisory visits to assess the status of project activities or to participate in technical or evaluation work in the project office
• Plans and directs corporate office and project technical activities for project start-up, briefing the project team on the business development proposal and award process, with special emphasis on the technical approach strategy and resulting initial work plan, and ensuring clear approaches to GESI, stakeholder mapping, and engagement, communications, risk, procurement, local registration, and resourcing
• Serves as negotiator or leads negotiation team for amendments and other changes to assigned contracts or agreements
• Serves as acting team leader as necessary
• Oversees partner performance with emphasis on managing positive and effective relations with international and regional partners. Serves as primary point of escalation for any partner performance issues
Client Engagement
• Develops effective working relationships with clients, counterparts and stakeholders and continually promotes outstanding client service with corporate office staff and project teams; leads discussions as part of quarterly client
consultations; leads response on annual client performance reviews in consultation with the team leader and submits the final version in the system
• Develop a deep understanding of the changing client requirements and priorities and adapt the project as necessary and/or seek opportunities of new funding
• Feedback any relevant client insights to new business team
Management and Leadership
• Supervises, mentors, and evaluates multiple direct reports by communicating clear performance goals and standards, offering regular performance feedback, and conducting performance reviews with ample time and opportunity offered to support their growth and development in key competency areas. Promotes staff development through coaching, mentoring, and facilitating professional growth
• Promotes and exemplifies Chemonics’ values and ethical standards and manages staff to achieve team and development objectives
• Demonstrates inclusive behaviours and leadership consistent with Chemonics’ values and leadership competencies
• Creates a productive and motivating work environment for staff by promoting cooperation and teamwork across departments, staying abreast of management, leadership, and team-building strategies, and advocating for them within Chemonics; promotes the building of a strong partnership between project and corporate offices based on open exchange
• Supervises team leader and programme managers and provides timely and constructive feedback through frequent as well as quarterly and annual reviews
• Performs other duties as assigned
Candidate Profile
• Degree in relevant field or equivalent work experience required; advanced degree preferred
• Demonstrated experience in managing and building education programmes, field-based project leadership experience preferred
• Experience in the technical design of education programmes designed to work at scale and work systemically
• Experience in providing direct technical assistance to education projects and to develop and manage short term assignments delivered by technical specialists.
• Demonstrated understanding of education management, teaching and learning and education assessments
• Demonstrated experience solving complex technical, managerial, or operational problems and evaluating options based on relevant information, resources, well-rounded experience, and knowledge
• Ability to comply with corporate and client codes of conduct
• Demonstrated progressive professional experience including positions requiring supervision and mentorship of multiple staff required
• Fluency in donor/client regulatory and management requirements and demonstrated ability to apply and adhere to those requirements in project management
• Operates at advanced levels of authority and controls significant activities, budgets, and resources to produce and take responsibility for results
• Advanced knowledge and skills within a relevant technical or professional discipline with broad understanding of other areas within the job area
• Fluency in and demonstrated application of financial and project management systems
• Conceptualises, outlines, performs, and directs the research and writing of technical documents (reports, proposals, professional articles)
• Leads effective meetings and demonstrated presentation skills
• Recognised by others as an experienced international development practitioner in a specific technical area; contributes consistently to mentoring staff
• Demonstrated leadership, management, organizational, and decision-making skills
• Demonstrated experience managing and supervising staff assigned to a department or several project teams and new business efforts; demonstrates leadership, versatility, and integrity
• Previous experience working in international development and/or living or conducting work in developing countries preferred
• Demonstrated awareness of cultural sensitivity and an ability to manage with sensitivity to cultural differences and similarities
• Works effectively both independently and as part of a team
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
• Foreign language proficiency in a relevant region we operate in preferred
• Willingness to travel and work abroad up to 3 months per year
• UK work authorisation
How to Apply
All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process. The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.
Your CV and Cover Letter should be saved in PDF in the following format: Your First Name-Your LastName-Document Name-Date (mmyyyy) eg, Pat-Jones-CV-052023ChemonicsInternational or Pat-Jones-CoverLetter-052023-ChemonicsInternational.
Please note that all our clients recruiting in the UK are legally obliged to confirm that the appointee is eligible to work in the UK. As of 1 January 2021, government’s new regulations will apply. For further information visit the Home Office website.
Timeline
Closing Date: 2nd July 2023
First stage interviews: TBC
Final interviews: TBC
Selection Process
All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.
Equality Statement
Equality and diversity are at the core of Chemonics International’s values. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.
Queries
If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email at chemonics-education-director@oxfordhr.com in the first instance.
About Oxford HR
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Oxford HR is a global leadership consultancy dedicated to searching for and supporting remarkable leaders and teams in purposeled organisations.
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