LIT TRAIN Pillar Lead job at British Council | Apply Now

The post-holder is expected to provide technical leadership in the design, delivery and management of LIT TRAIN’s portfolio of technical assistance components, and to be accountable for the project’s successful implementation, working closely with LGF, project partners, ministry officials and key stakeholders in the Ugandan education sector. The post-holder will lead a team of six technical and administrative staff with responsibility for delivering and co-ordinating all aspects of the pillar: scholarships, smart classrooms, pre- and in- service CPD, and low cost materials.The post-holder will report to the British Council Country Director and will sit on the senior level LIT Programme Implementation Unit board. The main duties and responsibilities will be in line with our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Safeguarding and other overarching corporate policies and include:

Planning

• Lead the TRAIN pillar technical teams in developing an effective project management plan (PMP) for the implementation of the project’s technical components. To ensure the PMP is approved by the lead partner and LIT Programme Implementation Unit . To review and update the PMP and its annexes at regular intervals during the project’s lifetime.

• Lead the technical team in planning and recording envisaged project outcomes, outputs and audiences

• Work with the LIT Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning lead to put in place a fit-for-purpose system of MEL

• Plan and refine budgets for project income and expenditure ensuring replanning and reforecasting takes place at regular intervals in line with LGF, British Council, and client requirements

Leadership and management

• Represent the programme when required. Provide inspiring and motivational leadership that role-models the British Council’s values and behaviours, and empowers and enables staff to deliver excellence, whilst promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.

• Agree project deliverables with government partners (including the Ministry of Education and Sports, and other government bodies), the LGF Team Leader, the LIT Programme Implementation Unit and the client.

• Lead and coordinate the management and delivery of all of TRAIN’s technical components during the inception, implementation and closure phases.

• Manage the project according to the project management plan and ensure that it delivers and is in compliance with the following: monitoring, evaluation and learning plan; risk and change management plans; stakeholder management and communications plan; lessons management plan, contract guide; information management plan, supplier management and procurement plan; and consultancy management plan.

• Oversee and coordinate the delivery of TRAIN’s technical outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and the deployment of resources, initiating corrective action where necessary.

• Lead and motivate the TRAIN technical team to develop a comprehensive and achievable project implementation workplan in line with client specifications and stakeholder requirements.

• Ensure workplans for the project’s individual technical components are appropriately integrated and that opportunities for cross-component collaboration and efficiency savings are identified and maximise

Financial management

• Ensure accurate financial planning and forecasting across implementation of all project technical components

• Monitor relevant project expenditure, ensuring re-planning and re-forecasting takes place as required and in a timely manner

• Plan the project’s technical staffing requirements and relevant costs, re-planning and re-forecasting as required

• Make sure all actual project staff time – including postholder’s own time – spent on the programme is recorded in line with British Council, LGF1 and client requirements

Communications

• Ensure project communications are provided to both external and internal audiences through relevant communications and media channels and in line with corporate and project standards

• Ensure key project achievements are communicated internally and externally

• Work with the Communications firm to develop a comprehensive communications strategy for the programme and ensure that programme activities and events are communicated effectively.

Reporting

• Report on project activities and progress as required and on a regular basis to the LGF Team Leader, the LIT Programme Implementation Unit and the Project Steering Committee, and other internal and/or external stakeholders

• Work with the LGF Team Leader on developing, inputting into, co-ordinating and finalising all reporting to the client and to other senior level stakeholders

• Ensure all milestone achievements and impact results are accurately reported and recorded to the satisfaction of the LGF Team Leader

Monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL)

• Work with the Programme MEL Lead to ensure that all of TRAIN’s technical components have a monitoring process embedded, that evaluations are conducted, and that lessons learned both feed into on-going project design and delivery and are disseminated through agreed channels.

• Agree TRAIN MERL deliverables with the Programme MEL Lead, the LGF Team Leader, and Ministry of Education and Sports partners/ stakeholders.

• Liaise with the Programme MEL Lead to ensure monitoring reviews of project activities take place on a regular basis. Work with LGF Team Leader, the project technical team, and other stakeholders in developing strategic responses to any perceived or actual shortcomings identified.

• Manage the quality assurance of MERL reporting and ensure that findings, success stories, case studies, and policy briefs are disseminated through agreed channels.

Risk and compliance

• Lead the technical team in identifying risks, issues. and possible changes to agreed project scope

• Escalate identified issues, risks, and proposed changes to the LGF Team Leader and LIT Programme Implementation Unit , and ensure all agreed actions and mitigations are implemented in line with agreed timeline and the LGF Team Leader’s/board’s expectations

Technical expertise

• Ensure strategic alignment and coherence of TRAIN’s technical components in line with project terms of reference, LGF Team Leader and client expectations

• Ensure project activity complements and builds upon achievements of previous and/or ongoing education reform programmes being implemented by the Ugandan government and/or other donors

• Apply areas of own technical expertise and project management to build capability, embed/champion good practice and improve performance

• Advise technical team on component delivery approaches and contents as required, drawing upon internal and external expertise when appropriate

• Work with technical team on ensuring technical components are suitably integrated and mutually supportive, taking advantage of opportunities for collaborative programme delivery

• Ensure technical team apply lessons from previous Ugandan and regional projects and programmes where relevant

• Lead on the review and quality assurance of technical inputs

• Advise the project team on ways to incorporate British Council content (and other partners’ content if required) into appropriate models of delivery

• Apply an evidence-based approach to the design and implementation of project activity, appropriate to the local context, and incorporating project MERL results

• Represent the British Council and/or the LIT project at relevant external and internal meetings, conferences, and/or policy dialogue

Relationship and stakeholder management

• Build and manage relationships with key decision makers in the Ministry of Education and Sports, UNITE, , teacher training colleges, and from other relevant branches of the Ugandan school education sector.

• Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with other donors, funders, and international and national organisations working in the education sector