Recruitment at Creative Associates International
Creative Associates International is a dynamic, fast-growing global development firm that specializes in education, economic growth, democratic institutions and stabilization. Based in Washington, D.C., Creative has a field presence in more than 15 countries with a strong client portfolio that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, among others. Since its founding in 1977, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor
Ref Id: SENIO01960
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Type: Full-Time
Project Summary
- This position is for an upcoming education project in Nigeria, which seeks to improve student access to school and literacy outcomes in a language they use and understand in Grades 1-3 in select areas of Nigeria, equitably and sustainably.
Position Summary
- The Senior Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Advisor establishes and manages the overall activity system to track progress towards meeting contract results, indicators and targets.
Reporting and Supervision:
- The Senior M&E Advisor reports to the Deputy Chief of Party and will directly supervise project staff.
Primary Responsibilities
- Manage and coordinate program effectiveness evaluation, including quality implementation of early grade reading assessment; and
- Manage and coordinate field-based monitoring and evaluation specialists, and any other staff responsible to performance monitoring, oversight, and data collection and reporting.
- Ensure that performance monitoring, action research, and evaluations are consistent with program results and track activity progress towards achieving targets and results;
- Ensure that the methodologies proposed by the contractor to measure the program impact on access, retention, reading and learning outcomes, school safety, community engagement, gender, disability-inclusive, and conflict sensitive measures, are being consistently and systematically tracked and reported;
Required Skills and Experience
- At least eight (8) years of experience with design and M&E for programs in the education sector required; West Africa, Nigeria experience preferred;
- Demonstrated success and experience in monitoring results and indicators of education access and quality, learning outcomes, and community engagement required;
- Prior experience organizing, implementing and reporting on early grade reading assessments of oral reading fluency required;
- Prior experience with monitoring and reporting requirements for USAID programs highly desired;
- Demonstrated excellence in communications and interpersonal skills;
- Professional proficiency and fluency in written and spoken English; and
- Fluency in relevant languages of instruction (Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba) highly desired.
- Master's Degree or higher in Education, Research Methods or another relevant Social Science is required. Training in qualitative and quantitative analysis is required;
Job Title: Chief of Party
Ref No: CHIEF01963
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Type: Full-Time
Project Summary
- This position is for an upcoming education project in Nigeria, which seeks to improve student access to school and literacy outcomes in a language they use and understand in Grades 1-3 in select areas of Nigeria, equitably and sustainably.
Position Summary
- The Chief of Party is responsible for the overall planning, implementation and management of the project as well as the achievement of the goals and objectives of the project in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Reporting & Supervision:
- The Chief of Party reports to the Project Director based in Headquarters and supervises project staff.
Primary Responsibilities
- Provide overall technical and administrative leadership and expertise for the activity and serves as the primary liaison with USAID on management and technical matters;
- Effectively manage and implement the activity per USAID rules and regulations;
- Lead and coordinate among USAID and ministry institutions and departments as well as other key stakeholders, including USAID implementing partners;
- Supervise activity implementation and ensure the activity meets stated goals and reporting requirements, including n-time submission of all due deliverables to USAID, in compliance with Creative policies and USAID rules and regulations;
- Develop and execute work plans and reports;
- Assure quality of activities, interventions and deliverables, and monitoring and evaluation systems; and
- Hire and manage program staff for effective delivery of program interventions
Required Skills and Experience
- Master's Degree or higher in education Planning, Public Policy, Management and Administration, Social Science or related and relevant field. A focus on education policy change implementation, program/project management, curriculum, bilingual education or early grade literacy is preferred;
- At least 10 years of experience in relevant management, supervisory and technical experience working with programs that are of a similar scope and scale to this project is required. (Of these at least 10 of these years must be in a management/leadership position);
- At least 10 years’ experience in the education sector in Sub-Saharan Africa is desired, preferably with experience in Western sub-Saharan Africa, preferably with USAID funding;
- Demonstrated experience improving evidence-based education programming, capacity building and professional development, including rural, multilingual, and underserved populations;
- Ample experience in project design, policy dialogue, strategic planning and implementation, education reform and national-level quality improvement and classroom reforms is required;
- Prior experience in policy advocacy, monitoring and oversight, capacity development in education sector, and experience in awarding and managing grants to local organizations to promote education-related goals is preferred;
- Political savvy and experience interacting effectively with numerous ministry institutions and senior-level national and subnational-level government officials;
- Demonstrated ability to work in complex, politically charged environments, work across different cultures, and manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines; and
- Fluent English; strong oral and written communication skills.
Job Title: Senior Learning Advisor
Requisition Number: SENIO01961
Location: Abuja
Job Category: Manager
Project Summary
This position is for an upcoming education project in Nigeria, which seeks to improve student access to school and literacy outcomes in a language they use and understand in Grades 1-3 in select areas of Nigeria, equitably and sustainably.
Position Summary
- The Senior Learning Advisor provides technical support and guidance to the project’s work in improving the literacy outcomes of students in Grades 1-3.
- The Senior Learning Advisor’s work will be primarily concentrated in the areas of design of quality learning approaches, language-appropriate materials development, and professional development of teachers.
Reporting & Supervision:
- The Senior Learning Advisor reports to the Deputy Chief of Party. The Senior Learning Advisor will directly supervise project staff.
Primary Responsibilities
- Ensure that children in activity-supported schools and communities achieve improved literacy outcomes;
- Provide technical leadership to the project team, USAID, and other stakeholders on high-quality and developmentally appropriate learning interventions;
- Supervise and provide quality assurance to the production of activity-supported materials, trainings, coaching, and student assessments;
- Provide leadership in organizing curation and authoring of materials that are leveled and differentiated to meet learning needs;
- Ensure that activities and approaches across geographic areas are complementary and equitable, including underserved populations and those in need of inclusive education;
- Liaise with government representatives and technicians on technical matters; and
- Manage, lead, and mentor technical staff.
Required Skills and Experience
- Master’s Degree or higher in education, preferably with a speciality in early grade literacy;
- At least eight (8) years of experience in instructional development and support to education programs;
- At least four (4) years of experience improving educational quality in developing countries;West Africa, specifically Nigeria experience preferred;
- Demonstrated experience improving evidence-based education programming including rural, multilingual, and underserved populations;
- Prior experience with the development and implementation of evidence-based education materials, and preferably materials in local languages, training programs, classroom monitoring protocols, and tests and assessments, including Early Grade Reading Assessment;
- Prior experience with supporting civil society-based monitoring of reading outcomes highly desired;
- Professional proficiency and fluency in written and spoken English; and
- Fluency in relevant languages of instruction (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba) highly desired.
Job Title: Senior Finance Director
Job ID: SENIO01964
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Level: Manager
Job type: Full-Time
Project Summary
- This position is for an upcoming education project in Nigeria, which seeks to improve student access to school and literacy outcomes in a language they use and understand in Grades 1-3 in select areas of Nigeria, equitably and sustainably.
Position Summary
- The Senior Finance Director will be based in Abuja, Nigeria. S/he will provide overall financial management and oversight for the project and will work closely with the Chief of Party (COP).
- This position will also be a liaison with the Home Office to ensure full compliance with regulations and policies with regard to implementation of effective internal controls.
Reporting & Supervision:
- The Senior Finance Director will report to the COP.
Primary Responsibilities
- Establish and maintain financial management and accounting control systems for program expenditures;
- Ensure that the project meets all donor contractual requirements and complies with donor policies and regulations;
- Receive and account for all funds for the project (performing weekly and monthly cash checks).
- Liaise between Creative Associates' field and headquarters offices;
- Participate in ongoing analysis, forecasting and review of project expenses;
- Participate in budget planning and realignments as required;
- Track the transfer of funds between headquarters and the field office, and manage accounting and finance records of in-country expenses, including developing spreadsheet programs for tracking and monitoring all financial project activities, and maintaining spreadsheets with current project expense data;
- Provide Project Director/HQ updates on the status of fund requests and work with Finance and Contracts (F&C) in Washington, DC to ensure the timely transfer of funds;
- Submit wire transfer requests for field offices to F&C for processing;
- Process check requests and wire transfer requests for payments to vendors in compliance with contract requirements;
- Review and process invoices and in-field fee payments in accordance with Creative accounting procedures and contract policies;
- Work closely with field-based subcontractors to ensure budgets, projections, and invoices are completed according to Creative/USAID policies and procedures;
- Manage personnel and payroll office staff and procedures;
- Maintain project financial and contractual files;
- Develop financial procedures manual;
- Provide financial management and systems training for project staff;
- Maintain a database of accounting documents, in both electronic and hard copy;
- Consolidate accounting data into a monthly return to be forwarded to Headquarters in paper and electronic copies;
- Prepare the requisite financial documents and vouchers;
- Draft quarterly and annual financial reports on financial status of project expenses and budget information and forward to F&C for review and approval by the Controller;
- Coordinate with USAID regarding the management of U.S. dollars and local currencies;
- Ensure monthly field expense reports;
- Travel to field offices when necessary; and
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Required Skills & Qualifications
- M.S. degree in Accounting or Financial Management desired;
- At least eight (8) years of experience in financial management of development activities with increasing levels of responsibility;
- Experience in financial management on USAID-funded projects is required;
- Public or private sector management, financial analysis, cost accounting and relevant experience preferably in developing countries;
- Membership in a professional body such as those for Certified Public Accountants preferred;
- Experience working in Africa preferred; and
- The candidate must be professionally.
Job Title: Deputy Chief of Party
Requisition Number: DEPUT01962
Location: Abuja
Job Type: Full Time
Reports to: The COP and Supervises Program Staff
Project Summary
- This position is for an upcoming education project in Nigeria, which seeks to improve student access to school and literacy outcomes in a language they use and understand in Grades 1-3 in select areas of Nigeria, equitably and sustainably.
Position Summary
- The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) acts as the Chief of Party (COP) in the absence of the COP. The DCOP will be responsible for management of the technical activities and implementation of the project.
Primary Responsibilities
- Work under the leadership of the COP to support the technical teams in the implementation of programs to improve the early grade literacy through enhanced school leadership and teacher training, improved instruction and assessment, community-based initiatives, and improved learning delivery systems;
- Provide technical direction and guidance to the technical team members, working with the COP to craft technically-sound training and early grade literacy programming;
- Support development of implementation strategies and work plans, and coordinate the day-to-day management of technical staff and technical management of the program in the field offices;
- Facilitate knowledge management, communications, and information flow for program implementation;
- Support timely report preparation, including quarterly and annual reports and ensure compliance in reporting to USAID, home office, and government counterparts;
- Maintain a working knowledge of work plan budgets and expenditures, and assist the technical teams to set up and implement appropriate systems for program implementation;
- Build strong technical team management structure that enables teams to function productively and collegially with program partners and stakeholders; and
- Represent the project in local, national, and international meetings and events in the absence of the COP.
Required Skills and Experience
- Master's Degree or higher in relevant field such as Education, Management, Social Sciences, or Development Studies;
- At least seven (7) years of demonstrated experience in management of high-quality development programs is required, or an additional three (3) years of experience to substitute the education requirement;
- At least six (6) years of experience in senior program management including direct supervision of professional and support staff improving educational quality in developing countries;West Africa/ Nigeria experience preferred;
- Demonstrated experience improving evidence-based education programming, capacity building and professional development, including rural, multilingual, and underserved populations;
- Prior experience in policy advocacy, monitoring and oversight, capacity development in education sector, and experience in awarding and managing grants to local organizations to promote education-related goals is preferred;
- Previous experience with USAID-funded programs is required;
- Knowledge of basic education program design and technical issues;
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills; and
- Fluent English; strong oral and written communication skills.
Note
- Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply.
- Position contingent upon donor funding.
- Equal Opportunity Employer / Protected Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities.