Senior Program Officer, Systems Strengthening/Assistant Program Manager job at Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)

About the Organization

The RIMS platform is used to manage RUFORUM core activities such as scholarship and grants management, projects, alumni, etc .

Job Description

The SPO Systems Strengthening is a senior level position that shall be based at the RUFORUM Secretariat. The holder of this position shall be responsible for overseeing the strengthening of systems at higher education and tertiary educations (i.e. universities and TVETs) teaching and learning ecosystems including curriculum innovation, continuous professional development programs that enhance institutions’ capacities to address teaching, learning, knowledge translation and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Further, the office holder will support the realization of transformative education delivery through contributing to innovative recruitment of program participants, design and implementation of training and social services for students, universities and TVET institutions. Further, He/she will work with university leaders, program officers, and other stakeholders in aligning training programs with educational goals and initiatives for producing leaders and entrepreneurial graduates that are change agents in society.

Duties and Responsibilities

Facilitate improvements in institutional governance in universities and TVETs with special focus on; rules, policies, practices, feedback loops, and partnerships that make universities transformational learning institutions
Work with universities, higher education agencies to provide systems and procedures to sustain existing policy initiatives and facilitate development and implementation of new policies, particularly in the areas of gender and safeguarding, operations and administration, education quality and support, and monitoring and accountability.
Facilitate universities to develop, domesticate and operationalise service delivery charters that enable universities to be more inclusive and provide greater value proposition to students and the public
Streamline recruitment of program participants, and provision of training, skilling and career services with a focus gender mainstreaming and compliance to safeguards.
Facilitate universities to advance information communications technologies integration and advancement of e-learning through Education Management Information System (EMIS), monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning.

Activities

Facilitate review of university policies, processes and standards with a strong focus on faculty training, curriculum development and pedagogy – to nurture problem-solving, critical-thinking skills and experiential learning
Facilitate strong and relevant research-inspired training and skilling programs for generating the next generation of science leaders for Africa’s agriculture designed and delivered by member universities
Facilitate the review and development of policies, systems and structures at university & TVETs to support the delivery of inclusive, entrepreneurial, experiential education

Establish a Community of Practice of Higher Agricultural Education Curricular practitioners
Support targeted universities to develop a collaborative regional specialized degree program in climate finance and leadership
Develop program standard operating procedures and all associated reference Program documents for TAGDev

Deliverables

Capacity of TVET institutions to develop, deliver and scale innovative training curricula and new models of agricultural education strengthened
RUFORUM strategy to guide adaptation and implementation of the interventions in teaching and learning
Regional specialized degree program in climate finance and leadership
Secretariat and Institutional based Publications including: recruitment guidelines manuals such for curriculum development, pedagogical skills/strategies among others peer reviewed articles Periodic reports on a month, quarterly and annual Grant proposals for resourcing

Qualification, Experiences and Competencies

PhD in Education including; curriculum studies, economics, policy, and education methods, public administration
At least 10 years of experience working in higher tertiary education sector.
Peer reviewed publications and evidence of capacity to write for diverse audiences.

Experience as Head of Department in a university/tertiary education institution with evidence of teaching and learning ecosystems reforms including curriculum and pedagogy at unit/department.
Commitment to university reform process, and an effective student support system that works with vulnerable young women and men, including refuges and those with disabilities).