Senior Education Officer

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The International Rescue Committee, IRC, is a leading humanitarian and development organization working in more than 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future.

The IRC has been operating in South Sudan since 1989 and is registered as an international NGO. IRC currently delivers multi-sectoral programming directly and through partners across seven states and two administrative areas. These include Northern Bahr el Ghazal, covering Aweil East, Aweil West, and Aweil South counties, Unity State, covering Rubkona, Koch, and Panyijiar counties, Upper Nile State, covering Maban, Renk, Panyikang, Nasir, Ulang, and Panyikang counties, Lakes State, covering Rumbek Centre, Rumbek East, and Yirol West counties, Central Equatoria, covering Juba, Yei, and Kajokeji counties, Eastern Equatoria, covering Kapoeta East, Jonglei, covering Ayod, Twic East, Uror, and Akobo counties, as well as Abyei Administrative Area and Ruweng Administrative Area, including Pariang County and Ajoung Thok and Pamir refugee camps.

Background and Objectives of EFASS

The Education for All in South Sudan, EFASS, project aims to improve access to quality, responsive education for vulnerable children and strengthen the systems required to sustain equitable education service delivery. IRC will directly implement education activities in Aweil South and Aweil East under the project.

The Senior Education Officer, will provide senior technical and operational support for IRC’s direct implementation of education activities in Aweil South, ensuring strong field coordination, activity quality, and support to junior education staff.

Scope of Work

The Senior Education Officer will provide senior technical and operational support for IRC’s direct implementation of education activities in Aweil South under EFASS. The role will support detailed planning, supervision, quality assurance, and day-to-day coordination of field implementation related to enrolment and retention, foundational learning interventions, teacher and facilitator support, classroom monitoring, learner assessment, and school-community engagement.

The post holder will play a strong field-facing role in supporting the Education Manager to ensure that direct implementation activities are delivered effectively, documented properly, and adjusted in response to field realities and monitoring findings. This role will also be a focal person for the education team in EFASS in Aweil South under the supervision of the Education Manager.

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical and Operational Support to Direct Implementation

• Provide senior technical and operational support to IRC’s direct implementation of education activities in Aweil South.
• Support implementation of community outreach, enrolment and re-enrolment activities, back-to-school campaigns, transition support sessions, and learner retention follow-up.
• Support the roll-out of TaRL, remedial learning, catch-up classes, and other agreed foundational learning interventions in target schools and learning spaces.
• Follow up implementation of teacher support, learning materials distribution, learning space improvement, and classroom-based activities.

2. Teacher and Facilitator Support

• Support organization and follow-up of teacher and facilitator training, refresher training, mentoring, and coaching for learning recovery delivery.
• Conduct regular classroom observation and supportive supervision visits using standardized tools.
• Support teachers and facilitators to improve lesson delivery, learner grouping, progression tracking, and use of teaching and learning materials.
• Help organize periodic review meetings with teachers and facilitators to reflect on implementation progress and challenges.

3. Learner Assessment and Progression Monitoring

• Support implementation of baseline and endline learner assessments, learner placement, progression tracking, and transition follow-up.
• Monitor learner participation, attendance, retention, and readiness for progression or transition.
• Support field follow-up for learners at risk of dropout and learners requiring additional support.
• Work closely with RMEAL staff to ensure assessment and monitoring data are collected and used appropriately.

4. Community and School Coordination

• Work closely with schools, PTAs/SMCs, caregivers, and County Education Office counterparts to support implementation.
• Support community sensitization on learning recovery opportunities, ALP, retention, girls’ participation, and inclusion of vulnerable learners.
• Follow up school- and community-level issues affecting implementation quality, attendance, retention, and participation.

5. Documentation, Reporting, and Quality Follow-Up

• Support collection and review of activity records, attendance sheets, classroom observation records, and implementation evidence.
• Prepare field updates, implementation summaries, and follow-up notes on key activities and issues.
• Support routine review of implementation quality and recommend corrective actions where needed.
• Document lessons learned, challenges, and promising practices from direct implementation in Aweil South.

6. Safeguarding, Inclusion, and Protection Mainstreaming

• Promote integration of safeguarding, child protection, referral pathways, disability inclusion, gender-responsive approaches, and safe learning environment practices into field implementation.
• Support schools and field teams to identify and appropriately refer at-risk learners through established procedures.
• Ensure that field implementation remains responsive to the needs of marginalized learners.

Confidentiality: Ensuring the non-disclosure of any information whatsoever relating to the practices and business of IRC acquired in the course of duty, to any other person or organization without authority, except in the normal execution of duty.

Key Working Relationships

• Position Reports to: Education Manager
• Position directly supervises: Education Officer and County Education Officer in Aweil South
• Other Internal and External Contacts
• Internal: Education Manager, Education Officer, Education and Child Protection Coordinator, RMEAL team, County Education Officer, field teams, safeguarding staff
• External: County Education Department, schools, PTAs/SMCs, communities, implementing partners, and other education stakeholders

Job Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Education Planning, Social Sciences, or a related field required.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in education programme implementation, including field supervision or senior-level implementation support.
• Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, or low-capacity settings required, preferably in South Sudan or similar contexts.
• Experience working with schools, communities, and government education structures is highly desirable.

Technical Skills and Competencies

• Strong technical and operational support skills in education programming.
• Strong field supervision, mentoring, coordination, and reporting abilities.
• Ability to support implementation quality and solve practical field challenges.
• Good communication, teamwork, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Language Skills

• Fluency in spoken and written English is required.

Safety and Security Situation

All staff must comply with all IRC South Sudan security policies and procedures.

The IRC Core Values and Commitments:

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Safeguarding and PSEA policy: The IRC has a zero-tolerance policy for safeguarding/PSEA violations by staff, incentive workers, visitors, sub-grantees, suppliers/sub-contractors, and implementing partners. Safeguarding/PSEA at the IRC is an integral to organizational values and ethics, and staff and associates are expected to take all reasonable steps to prevent the sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment of any person linked to the program by both its employees and any downstream partner. The successful candidate will be subject to a thorough background check and satisfactory references.

Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC. Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies. IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients

Narrowing the Gender Gap: The International Rescue Committee is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including a flexible hour (when possible), maternity leave, transportation support, and gender-sensitive security protocols.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants because of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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