Senior Advisor, Education

Position title: Senior Advisor, Education

Location: Flexible

ChildFund office: International Office

Manager/Supervisor title: Vice President, Program Resources & Institutional Learning

Position type: Full-time regular

Work environment: Remote

About ChildFund

ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that works in 23 countries to connect children with the people, resources, and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled, and safe, no matter where they are.

ChildFund’s Values

We aspire for every person in our organization—program participants, supporters, staff, and volunteers alike—to feel free, safe, and confident to be themselves. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.

ChildFund’s Commitment

ChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.

About This Role

This is a full-time, open-ended, remote position open to internal and external candidates in the United States, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Uganda, and Zambia. To be eligible, candidates must have current work authorization and residence in one of the above locations.

The role of the Senior Advisor, Education at ChildFund International encompasses several key elements that are crucial for the success of the organization's global education program portfolio. The Senior Advisor, Education provides technical support and leadership to strengthen ChildFund’s global Education program portfolio, enhancing program design and delivery, ensuring that Education programs are designed for impact while incorporating ChildFund’s evidenced-based approaches and the latest global best practices.

ChildFund’s Education program portfolio seeks to transform education for children by creating safe, inclusive, and holistic learning environments. We strengthen national education systems and partner with local organizations to improve access, quality, and protection outcomes. Our programs integrate social-emotional learning (SEL), teacher training, and community engagement to ensure children not only attend school but thrive—academically, socially, and emotionally. From early childhood through adolescence, we deliver evidence-based interventions that reduce violence, enhance well-being, and build resilience, equipping children with the skills and support they need to learn, grow, and succeed in life.

The Senior Advisor works closely with the Program and Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) teams to draft well-crafted programs that are aligned with ChildFund’s Results Framework and key sectoral and global best practices, ensuring global impact. Together, they also guide ChildFund’s Education program evidence and impact assessment needs and thought leadership.

The role also requires working closely with the Business Development and the Grant Acquisitions teams to expand and diversify resources for ChildFund’s education programs, which is essential for securing funding and creating new opportunities for the organization and global aspiration of positively impacting children and their families around the world.

Required Experience and Education

Experience

• A minimum of 8 to 10 years of progressive program management or technical advisor experience in education across multiple countries or regional contexts with responsibilities for program design, technical leadership, innovation and business development within the international development or humanitarian sector.
• Demonstrated experience leading program design for large-scale education-focused grants, such as those from the USG, EU, UNICEF, foundations, and multilaterals.
• Experience in strategic education program design with a focus on children’s rights and well-being and incorporating innovative approaches.
• Strong technical writing and proposal development skills that includes the ability to showcase well-designed, impact-focused programs.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) in Education, child development, or related field required.
• Master’s degree or higher in education, child development, or another relevant field is preferred.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Technical Support and Leadership: The Senior Advisor, Education provides technical support and leadership to strengthen ChildFund International’s global education program portfolio including cognitive and social emotional learning for children. This involves enhancing program design, quality and ensuring that education programs are designed for impact while incorporating ChildFund’s evidenced-based approaches and the latest global best practices.
2. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning:: The Senior Advisor, Education works closely with the Program and Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) teams to draft well-crafted programs that are aligned with ChildFund’s Results Framework and key sectoral and global practices, ensuring global impact. Together, they will also guide ChildFund’s Education program evidence and impact assessment needs and thought leadership.
3. Partnership Cultivation: The Senior Advisor, Education actively cultivates partnerships with private sector actors, government stakeholders and other external organizations, stakeholders, and donors to enhance the program’s impact and sustainability through collaboration opportunities, securing funding and promoting ChildFund International's Education initiatives.
4. Resource Expansion and Diversification: The role also requires working closely with the Resource Mobilization and the Grant Acquisitions teams to expand and diversify resources for ChildFund’s education programs, creating new opportunities for the organization to positively impact children and their families around the world.

Others

1. The Senior Advisor must remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable them to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child safeguarding policy and procedures, and behave in a manner consistent with the Child Safeguarding Policy.
2. Travel domestically and internationally up to 20%.

Required Competencies

ChildFund’s Core Competencies

• Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
• Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
• Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
• Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
• Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
• Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.

Other Required Competencies

• Language: English fluency is required. Proficiency in second language is preferred.
• Technical Expertise and Leadership: The ability to provide technical support and leadership that ensures the delivery of quality programming across ChildFund’s countries of operations.
• Knowledge in Child Protection programming: ability to understand, analyze, apply and align appropriate child protection strategies in Education programming.
• Grant Proposal Development: Strong skills in technical writing; ability to collaborate with the Director of Program and Product Design and Resource Mobilization teams to craft well-aligned grant proposals that adhere to ChildFund’s Global Results Framework, key sectoral and global practices, and evidence of impact, supporting the expansion and diversification of revenue streams.
• Donor Relations and Funding Models: Proficiency in identifying global donors, cultivating relationships with key donors, advising on donor trends, knowledge and understanding of existing and emerging funding models.
• Impact Assessment and Collaboration: Competence in guiding ChildFund’s education program evidence and impact assessment needs, priorities, and thought leadership.
• Capacity Building and Training: Demonstrated ability to conduct effective capacity building and training in virtual settings.
• Work effectively in a matrix environment: Ability to navigate and collaborate within a geographically dispersed, matrix organizational structure, where multiple reporting lines and cross-functional teams are common.
• Effective representation and networking: Proven ability to build and maintain strategic relationships internally and externally, fostering a focus on strong donor engagement and creating effective funder-focused communications.
• Strong technology skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office suite applications.