Duty Statement - Senior Program Manager (Education)

                                                                 

AusAID Bangladesh
Job Description and Selection Documentation
Senior Program Manager (Education) – O Based Level 6

About AusAID
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) is the Australian Government agency responsible for managing Australia's overseas aid program. AusAID is an Executive Agency within the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio and reports to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Objective
AusAID’s objective is to help people overcome poverty. This serves Australia’s national interests by promoting stability and prosperity both in our region and beyond. Australia is committed to the Millennium Development Goals, the internationally agreed targets for poverty reduction. AusAID’s five strategic goals are:

 saving lives
 promoting opportunities for all
 sustainable economic development
 effective governance, and
 humanitarian and disaster response.

AusAID's head office is in Canberra. AusAID also has representatives in 37 Australian diplomatic missions overseas. For more information about AusAID visit www.ausaid.gov.au.

AusAID’s People
The growing aid program and changing approaches to aid management means AusAID needs to ensure its workforce has strong capabilities in two critical areas. The first is in public policy, as required by a responsive, credible and effective public service agency. The second is in the core operations of the aid program, including designing, managing and delivering good quality aid and conducting effective aid policy dialogue. These two critical skill sets are not mutually exclusive. Underpinning both are the foundation skills required of all APS employees.

AusAID’s Education Program
Education is Australia’s flagship development program. Australia’s development assistance in education is focused on supporting the delivery of quality basic services in a sustainable way, especially to the most poor and vulnerable population groups. Priority is placed on increasing access and improving education quality and the systems needed to achieve better education, particularly in the areas of teacher quality, learning assessment, and education financing. Within this context, an emphasis is placed on supporting the achievement of the education MDGs and the Education for All Goals. AusAID also works closely with global education agencies at the global and country program level, including as a partner and member of the Board of the Global Partnership for Education (formerly the Education for All Fast Track Initiative).

About the Branch/Post
The Australian aid program in South Asia is in a new phase of expansion and reorientation, associated with the development of Country Strategies for all major programs and the anticipated growth of the global aid program. The South Asia Section includes 4 Posts which support 6 country programs (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and India). In Canberra, this section is supported by a small team.

The Australian Government will provide approximately AUD$100.50 million as development aid to Bangladesh in financial year 2012-13. The Bangladesh program is AusAID’s largest program in South Asia. The key priority sectors are health, education, extreme poverty reduction and climate change. Bangladesh also has large scholarships and volunteers programs. AusAID’s office in Bangladesh consists of 14 personnel. In education, Australia is providing support mainly to primary and pre-primary education through the Government of Bangladesh’s sector wide program and BRAC.

Position Description
As a member of the AusAID Bangladesh team, the Senior Program Manager will manage implementation and review of Australian aid program activities in the education sector. The role involves contractual and financial oversight of a range of funded activities. It also involves engagement with the Government of Bangladesh, other development partners, program implementers and other key internal and external stakeholders. This position works closely with the Regional Education Adviser with oversight by the First Secretary (Development Cooperation).

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

 Proactively managing the implementation of programs and activities in the education sector;
 Providing a strong results-based focus to monitoring and evaluating progress of activities, in line with AusAID’s performance and quality requirements and policies;
 Being informed on current and emerging issues and trends pertaining to the education sector both locally and internationally;
 Undertaking financial administration of activities to achieve compliance with AusAID financial budgetary and system requirements including preparation of financial estimates, coordination of budgets and monitoring of expenditure;
 Complying with all AusAID systems, including quality processes, to ensure that aid effectiveness principles are applied to all activities;
 Assessing and managing fiduciary risks in the education sector and liaising with Canberra for technical support on Public Financial Management (PFM) and procurement.
 Undertaking policy engagement/liaison/negotiation with Government of Bangladesh officials, development partners, consultants and contractors, AusAID head office staff, the education thematic group in Canberra, other development partners and other sector stakeholders;
 Developing and maintaining constructive relationships with the Government of Bangladesh, other key agencies and development partners;
 Preparing analytical documents, reviews and advice / briefings for AusAID on issues specific to the education sector;
 Ensuring AusAID policies, including those on gender, disability and child protection are taken into consideration and that gender and inclusion considerations are fully integrated into education programs;
 Representing AusAID in relevant fora; and
 Other duties, if required, as requested by senior post management which includes travelling and working non-standard hours, when work demands dictate.

Reporting Arrangements
The Senior Program Manager (Education) reports to the First Secretary (Development Cooperation).

Capabilities of the Person

Support and contribute to strategic direction
Relevant capabilities and behaviours:
 participating in policy development through consultation, stakeholder engagement, scoping, development, implementation and review
 clearly communicating goals and objectives to others
 identifying broader influences and considering solutions
 applying critical thinking to understand patterns
 thinking laterally, using sound judgment
 identifying and implementing improved work practices.

Achieves result
Relevant capabilities and behaviours:
 sharing information with others and encouraging cooperation in coping with change
 monitoring project progress and adjusting plan
 making effective use of individual and team capabilities
 managing resources including external partners, contractors and providers in line with AusAID policies and procedures.

Value teamwork and build partnerships
Relevant capabilities and behaviours:
 collaborating with key stakeholders to formulate and implement new/revised initiatives
 building capability of others through guiding, monitoring performance, providing regular and constructive feedback
 recognising different working styles
 encouraging diverse views and harnessing the benefits of such views.

Exemplify personal drive and integrity
Relevant capabilities and behaviours:
 persevering to achieve goals in the face of obstacles
 remaining calm and in control under pressure
 coping effectively with setbacks
 acknowledging mistakes and learning from them.

Communicate and work with influence
Relevant capabilities and behaviours:
 anticipating and identifying relevant expectations
 delivering influential advice, briefing and counter-arguments
 using appropriate, unambiguous language.

Aid Management and Development
Relevant capabilities and behaviours:
 awareness of the Australian Government’s priorities for international development; and
 understanding of international and domestic political, economic, social and cultural issues affecting the attainment of the Government’s international goals and the Australian aid program objectives.

Country Specific Knowledge Requirements
Relevant capabilities and behaviours:
 understands the political landscape of Bangladesh including history, key stakeholders and processes; and
 understands Bangladesh’s key economic factors and issues including development issues.
 understands how Government of Bangladesh’s systems public sector environments, processes and systems including key stakeholders in bilateral relationships.

Education specific knowledge, skills and experience
Relevant capabilities and behaviours:
 introductory knowledge of public sector planning processes, relevant to the education sector;
 introductory knowledge of key education statistics and indicators, as a means of understanding sector progress and trends.
 demonstrated knowledge and experience of a range of financing options in the education sector, and the ability to recommend and implement context appropriate modalities;
 demonstrated knowledge of education priorities, including relevant inter-sectoral linkages (e.g. health, governance, infrastructure, gender, rural development, marginalisation) in Bangladesh; and
 demonstrated knowledge of the purpose, function, structure and strategic intentions of key development partners; knowledge of partnership approaches and opportunities, including comparative advantage, political drivers and support mechanisms.

Selection Criteria
Essential Selection Criteria
In addition to the above capabilities, the essential selection criteria are:
 Postgraduate qualifications in education and international development or a related social science with and a minimum of 8 years of professional experience (preferably in a development and education context);
 Sound understanding of public financial management and procurement, as it relates to engaging in the education sector;
 Demonstrates ability in education planning, management and administration;
 Demonstrated understanding of broader development issues and a capacity to apply this to wider organisational goals;
 Demonstrated ability to analyse, interpret and provide input to education policy development;
 Proven representation skills and ability to develop effective stakeholder relationships;
 Demonstrated ability to produce high quality education policy advice and technical input to program design/management, program quality and performance assessment processes, and strategic planning as part of ongoing efforts to improve aid effectiveness;
 Demonstrated understanding of gender equitable and inclusive development analysis and practice, and the ability to incorporate gender and inclusivity into education program design/management and assessment; and
 Excellent English and Bengali communication skills and ability to work both independently as well as part of a multicultural team.

Desirable Selection Criteria
 Knowledge of development, political and economic issues in the South Asian context; and
 Knowledge of the Australian Government’s aid policy and programs.

NB: All AusAID employees demonstrate a commitment to the APS Code of Conduct and Values, as well as to workplace diversity, occupational health and safety and employee participation principles and have appropriate cross-cultural sensitivities.