Zimbabwe International Job: Science Curriculum and Standards Specialist, RTI International

Employment at  RTI International, Science Curriculum and Standards Specialist,

Organization: RTI International

Job ID: #1734626

Career categories: Program/Project Management

Theme: Education

Job years of experience: 10+ years

Job type: Job

Closing date: 12 Nov 2016

Research Triangle International (RTI) is one of the world’s leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our staff of more than 4000 provides research and technical services to governments and businesses in more than 75 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy and the environment, and laboratory testing.

RTI seeks a qualified Project Manager for a USAID-funded education project in Jordan. RAMP, which is the Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Initiative, is being implemented by RTI and its lead partners: Queen Rania Teacher’s Academy (QRTA); Change Agent for Arab Development and Education Reform (CADER); We Love Reading (WLR) and Mercy Corps. The project is a national Ministry of Education (MoE)-led initiative designed to improve the reading and mathematics skills of students from KG2 through Grade 3 (KG2- G3). The five-year project began on January 1, 2015 and will end in December 2019. It was launched by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah as part of the MoE initiative to improve education.

The Science Curriculum and Standards Specialist will work under the direction of the Team Leader/Curriculum Specialist Manager. The applicant will be responsible for helping plan and coordinate policy dialogue and technical assistance support of an Advisory Team to the Jordan MoE as it reviews the K-12 science instructional content, and by:

· Organizing and managing technical aspects of concurrent technical workshops focused on capacity building development; and

· Providing secondary quality control for the Advisory Team’s technical assistance, ensuring delivery of world-class learning standards content and processes, appropriate to the local Jordanian context.

This technical assistance is intended to assist the MoE to better understand which aspects of instructional material the MoE should now revise; and the processes best suited to ensure MoE leadership and broader Jordanian input.

The Science Curriculum and Standards Specialist will support the Team Leader/Manager, who in turn will lead the team of eight experts in this effort. The team will also include long-term and short-term advisors with expertise in curriculum, Arabic, mathematics, technology, science, assessment and humanities. The candidate will be an international consultant based outside of Jordan. The candidate will be expected to travel to Amman for short-term technical assistance (STTA) twice a year during which he or she will provide on-the-ground technical assistance and help build capacity.

Curriculum Reform Context

Within Jordan, an increasing emphasis is being placed on modernizing and transforming the education system. This growing emphasis within Jordan has led to explicit calls from within the MoE and from stakeholders to revise the curriculum, learning outcomes, and learning assessment frameworks. The MoE is undertaking such reforms and requested this technical and capacity building assistance to support its own processes to design, implement, and manage a curriculum review and revision process.

General Duties and Specific Responsibilities

The Science Curriculum and Standards Specialist will work with the RAMP team and the MoE toward the achievement of six core outcomes. This will include planning, logistics, research and implementation support to the MoE Directorate for Curriculum and Training (DCT), the primary counterpart. DCT holds responsibility for design and management of curriculum, learning outcomes, learning and assessment frameworks, and teaching approaches.

The Managing Directorate of Examinations and Tests (DET), other MoE units, and stakeholders will also be engaged.

The six core areas will include:

1. Development of the General Framework of the Learning Standards and Assessment, using evidence-based trends, best practices, and proven theories of education change.
2. Development of General and Specific Learning Outcomes, intended for KG–12 subjects/grades.
3. Textbook Development Process**, exploring improvements for textbook development (e.g., specifications, assessment, etc.) and potential textbook policy changes.
4. Development of Learning Standards, Syllabi, and Instructional Material Implementation Plan, detailing the development processes, from start to conclusion, with feedback loops based on assessment results.
5. MoE Staff Capacity Development, building capacity of DCT and other staff to conduct and then sustain materials and national syllabi development processes to modernize the how science is taught within the Jordanian education system.
6. International Best Practices, drawing on the best modern international research, practices and theories and applying findings for a range of MoE reform efforts.

The applicant will help the Team Leader/Curriculum and RAMP team to strengthen and build MoE capacity to:

· Review and update national learning standards and educational framework consistent with Jordanian values and global best practice.

· Identify, collaborate with and train Jordanian experts in the development of K-12 instructional science materials.

· Assist the MoE in defining its own local, improved textbook development and assessment criteria for consistent application.

· Develop General and Specific Learning Outcomes elementary and secondary Science subjects. This should be done via an iterative process with the MoE

· Ensure that materials are sensitive to gender, disability and inclusive education

· Conduct and sustain processes for learning standards development and syllabi that modernize the subject of science within the education system.

· Make enhancements to the Textbook Development Process, including improvements for overall development (e.g., specifications, assessment, etc.) and required policy changes.

Qualifications and Skills

· Master’s degree in education with at least 10 years of relevant experience, PhD preferred.

· Experience in establishing learning standards and materials development

· Significant experience in education development in the field of science.

· Track record of performance excellence meeting targets and objectives on time.

· Demonstrated strong relationships with government counterparts, researchers and/or donors.

· Experience providing technical assistance, preferably with USAID-funded projects.

· Fluency in English required, Arabic preferred, with evidence of strong writing skills in both languages

Location and Period of Performance: Remotely-based. Begin as soon as possible and conclude in September 2018.

HOW TO APPLY:

To Apply: Qualified candidates are invited to apply at www.rti.org/job17556.

Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Only short listed applicants will be contacted. RTI is proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V.

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