Recrutamento: Academic Director

ACADEMIC DIRECTOR FOR ITREB KENYA

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Academic Director (AD) is a senior education manager with responsibility for all aspects of religious education for the Jamat. The AD will focus on strengthening the quality of Religious Education programming from early childhood (ECD) to post-secondary/and youth (up to 25 years). Under the supervision of the Board, the AD will play a pivotal role in ensuring that ECD, primary and secondary curriculum work, teaching and learning initiatives, and parental education and engagement strategies are (i) grounded in the IIS curricular perspectives, (ii) appropriate to the developmental needs of children, adolescents, and youth, and (iii) that programmes are in line with ITREB’s constitutional mandate.

The AD will also actively develop strategic partnerships with relevant National Council Institutions towards integrated programming for the Jamat. The AD will be required to liaise with global ITREBs for human resource capacity building and support, as well as the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) for academic direction in areas of ECD, Talim, STEP.

The Academic Director will report to the Executive Officer of ITREB Kenya and will be based in Nairobi.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic/Operational Planning and Direction

1. Contribute to the development of the Religious Education (RE) strategy from ECD to Youth (0-25yrs).
2. Propose annual operating plans and contribute to the budget preparation exercise for these segments.
3. Efficiently manage programme budgets and operations to attain targets and benchmarks set for access and quality.
4. Work with the relevant Board Members to conceptualize, design and develop programmes and other alternative delivery approaches to strengthen, enhance and make the RE offering more effective to the Jamat.
5. Work with the relevant Board Members to analyse the existing RE programmes, activities, performance and identify gaps and opportunities. Organize periodic evaluations of RE programmes and suggest areas of improvement.
6. Support and mentor the development of all STEP teachers via the SPDPR rubric which would involve setting targets and facilitating mentorship of the teachers’ classroom practice.
7. Stay abreast of external and internal issues, trends and techniques concerning education and teaching in the secular system and where possible including religious instruction in other faith community contexts and suggest best practices applicable to our Religious Education programming.
8. Work with the Board to develop and enhance strategies for parental and community engagement to implement RE across ECD to Youth.
9. Attend all quarterly National Board Meetings, quarterly Access Strategy meetings and monthly Access meetings for reporting.
10. Travel throughout the jurisdiction to observe and assess RE programme implementation and in consultation with the relevant Board members provide necessary direction and guidance on the implementation plans.
11. Teach a minimum of one STEP Class and facilitate Talim/STEP Camps in collaboration with Camp Board Member as per the annual plans set across the jurisdiction.

Academic and Curricular Direction

1. Monitor and ensure that RE instruction is in line with ITREB’s objectives.
2. Implement strategies to ensure that the ITREB’s education professionals have the requisite, conceptual understanding, content knowledge, and age-specific pedagogy to effectively teach the curriculum. Organize a structured approach to regularly refresh their knowledge, drawing on authorized subject matter experts (chosen from amongst ITREB staff, TKN volunteers, IIS graduates, AKDN agencies and external institutions with prior consultation with the DJI and IIS).
3. In collaboration with the local and IIS teacher educators, support and provide guidance to the teachers on the conceptual understanding of curriculum content, IISCurriculum aims, goals and philosophy. Work with the local teams to increase teacher competencies in curriculum development and pedagogical competencies through regular in-class support and observation.
4. Develop and sustain a working relationship with the IIS in all areas of teacher education, curriculum development and implementation, including the planning and recommending long-term strategies to fulfil future country requirements for a well-trained teaching force.
5. For episodic programmes (ie. camps) where IIS-developed curriculum has not yet been prepared, work with Camp Board Member to develop content and support in trainings for the relevant human resources involved in the implementation of these sessions.
6. Under the supervision of the Board, serve as a dialogue partner on behalf of the ITREB with the IIS on matters requiring academic input.

Teaching and Learning Quality

1. Oversee the implementation of a quality assurance framework for RE, ensuring that it is in accordance with the curricular goals established by the IIS.
2. Provide guidance, direction and quality assurance to Teacher Leads to ensure teacher education initiatives increase teacher quality as per the ITREB Kenya Teacher Standards (including SPDPR), and promote student learning within a positive classroom environment.
3. Develop suitable tools and processes for capturing and measuring growth in teaching quality.
4. Develop and implement student assessment processes where applicable to obtain meaningful data on how curricular outcomes are being achieved.
5. To continue with research and Professional Development practices that will ensure delivery of the Religious Education is informed by best practices in teaching and learning.

Parental Education & Engagement

1. Plan and implement National parental education and engagement initiatives to increase parental awareness, parental knowledge of student learning and parental commitment to RE Programmes.
2. Work with the Training & Development Unit on an integrated parental education strategy through establishing regional professional learning communities of BUI educators and waezeen.

Recruitment, Induction and Deployment

1. Working with the Board Members, support the recruitment and induction of volunteer teachers, teacher educators, camp facilitators, and other educational personnel for RE programmes. Organize teacher orientation and ongoing training programmes, drawing on experts in age-specific pedagogy and content.
2. Working with the IIS, oversee the tasks that ITREB is responsible for in the recruitment of STEP teachers. Oversee the selection processes including the pre-programme practicum and candidate assessment. Mentor candidates through their pre-programme and field research practicums. Serve as their primary contact while they are at the IIS and induct them upon their graduation.
3. Working with the IIS and ITREB Internal Mentor, support the in-training PTE on completion of the PTED cycle 2022-2024.

Human Resource Development and Practices

1. In line with the IIS trainings and Talim Content lead Board member, develop mentoring support to the teachers to enhance curricular, pedagogical and facilitation capacities.
2. Develop (or implement an IIS-recommended) process for teacher assessment and documentation of teacher growth and performance.
3. Design Professional Development programmes for teachers, Board Members and other volunteers to ensure the quality of RE is maintained to high standards.
4. Work with the Executive Officer and the relevant Board members on the long-term retention plans for STEP teachers and other ITREB educators/volunteers. Recommend HR policies appropriate for an educational environment.
5. Working in partnership with the IIS and relevant Board members, implement and support the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) strategy for STEP teachers and other PD programmes for other academic staff and volunteers.
6. Make proposals concerning his/her own continuing professional development.
7. Undertake other assignments and duties, commensurate with the role, as directed by the, Chairman and/or Honorary Secretary and the Executive Officer.

PROFILE:QUALIFICATIONS,EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES

The ideal candidate should be an exceptional educational practitioner and leader with several years of experience managing education systems and programming and has an understanding of Ismaili Religious Education. A Master’s degree in education, with STEP qualification is a minimum requirement. The candidate should have at least 5 years of experience with familiarity of the RE system such as ECD, Primary, Secondary and youth education. Ability to manage diverse staff, develop, nurture and work as a team member. Expertise in implementing professional development for teachers, monitoring and evaluation of education programmes.

Experience within the Jamati system, either as a volunteer or professional, would be highly desirable.

The following attributes and skills are essential:

1. Familiarity with and empathy for the Jamat, including cultural diversity within the Jamat.
2. Deep sense of responsibility, sound judgement and discretion.
3. Good inter-personal skills in dealing with senior leaders, volunteers and staff in the system.
4. Effective problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
5. Capacity to be effective through collaboration and teamwork.
6. Demonstrated experience in successfully managing teams, staff, and/or projects.
7. Well-organized, self-motivated, able to multi-task, paying attention to detail, a “can do” attitude, a problem-solving mindset, and creativity in educational contexts.
8. Excellent project management and organizational skills.
9. Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills. An ability to articulate reports that are concise and coherent.
10. Comfortable in working with computing, information and communication technology.
11. Willingness to travel from time to time within the jurisdiction and internationally as required.
12. Fluency in English language. Knowledge of Gujarati and Hindi/Urdu would be an asset.

APPLICATION DETAILS:

• This is a full-time position with ITREB Kenya
• Remuneration will be competitive
• Interested applicants must submit a cover letter and resume for consideration via email to the Executive Officer of ITREB Kenya on [email protected]
• Application Deadline: December 31st 2022