Education Officer

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC has a focus on narrowing the gender gap in humanitarian aid and ensuring that we contribute to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in both our programs and operations by working to establish a context where our clients (including those from minority groups) enjoy the same rights and opportunities as well as equal access to services. The IRC also has a strong commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive culture, where safeguarding is upheld in our workplace and programs. We are determined to protect our clients and staff from safeguarding violations through prevention and, where misconduct is alleged, to address it without fear or favor.

Job Overview:  
Playful Education Pathways in Ethiopia (PEPE) is a transformative, three-year initiative led by IRC in partnership with Luminos Fund, Emmanuel Development Association (EDA), and other local actors. PEPE aims to strengthen cost-effective, government-supported alternative learning pathways for out-of-school children (OOSC) in conflict-affected regions of Amhara and Tigray. The initiative blends crisis-responsive, play-based learning with accelerated education models to support the Ethiopian education system’s resilience and recovery, with a strong focus on girls and marginalized learners.

Major Responsibilities: 

The Education Officer will support the implementation of the Playful Education Pathways in Ethiopia (PEPE) initiative in Shire and Central Tigray, with a specific focus on Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs). The officer will work through both direct IRC-implemented schools and partner-supported sites to ensure high-quality delivery of ALPs. This role requires strong field-level engagement, contextual awareness, and collaboration with facilitators, community structures, and local education offices to promote inclusive, resilient, and child-centered learning opportunities for out-of-school children.

Key Responsibilities
1.    Program Implementation & Oversight

• Support the day-to-day implementation of Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs) in Shire and Central Tigray, ensuring activities are delivered on time, to quality standards, and in line with project objectives.

• Provide ongoing technical support and mentoring to ALP facilitators to sustain inclusive, child-centered, and participatory learning environments.

• Track progress against agreed targets and indicators, conduct regular classroom visits, and document challenges and successes for reporting to the Project Manager.

• Assist with planning and logistics for ALP sessions, including the distribution of learning materials, classroom setup, and coordination of community-based learning spaces.

• Work closely with local implementing partners to harmonize ALP delivery, share best practices, and ensure consistency across sites.

• Identify operational or contextual challenges affecting ALP delivery and propose timely solutions, escalating issues to the Project Manager when necessary.

• Ensure all ALP activities promote inclusion, gender sensitivity, and safeguarding, with particular attention to the needs of girls and marginalized learners.

2.    Stakeholder Coordination

• Work closely with woreda and regional education offices to align Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) activities with local priorities, share updates, and ensure smooth integration into existing education structures.

• Assist implementing partners in harmonizing ALP delivery, share field-level feedback, and contribute to joint problem-solving to strengthen program quality and consistency.

• Mobilize caregivers, volunteers, and PTSAs to build ownership of ALPs, encourage school reintegration, and promote sustainability of learning pathways.

• Participate in local coordination meetings and forums as delegated by the Project Manager, providing accurate updates on ALP progress and challenges.

• Information flow: Ensure timely communication of field-level issues, successes, and lessons learned to the Project Manager and partners to support adaptive programming.

3.    Team Leadership & Capacity Building

• Provide day-to-day technical support and mentoring to ALP facilitators in IRC-implemented schools and partner-supported ones, ensuring lessons are child-centered, inclusive, and aligned with project standards.

• Conduct regular visits to ALP classrooms to observe teaching practices, provide constructive feedback, and document strengths and areas for improvement.

• Encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing among facilitators, volunteers, and education officers working in different schools to strengthen consistency and quality across sites.

• Identify skill gaps among facilitators and volunteers, and organize targeted training sessions, refresher workshops, and on-the-job coaching to build competencies in participatory pedagogy, safeguarding, and inclusive education.

• Track facilitator attendance, lesson delivery, and learner progress, reporting challenges and successes to the Project Manager for adaptive support.

• Work with parent-teacher-student associations and local education committees to strengthen accountability, promote school reintegration, and encourage community ownership of ALPs.

• Uphold IRC safeguarding principles by ensuring safe learning environments, reporting concerns promptly, and modeling inclusive, respectful behavior in all interactions.

• Foster open communication and teamwork among school-level staff and partners, encouraging reflection sessions and sharing of best practices to improve program delivery.

4.    Crisis Modifier Activation

• Observe and report local conflict dynamics, displacement trends, and other early warning indicators that may disrupt ALP delivery, school operations, or community safety. Maintain close communication with local authorities, community representatives, and partner organizations to ensure timely flow of information to the Project Manager.

• Assist in implementing contingency measures during shocks such as conflict, displacement, or natural disasters. This includes helping relocate learning spaces, distributing emergency learning materials, and mobilizing facilitators and volunteers to sustain learning continuity.

• Engage caregivers, local education committees(PTSAs), and volunteers to support children’s safe access to ALPs during crises, encouraging community-led solutions to minimize disruptions.

•  Contribute to school-level preparedness activities, such as developing relocation plans, identifying alternative learning spaces, and ensuring facilitators are trained in conflict-sensitive and inclusive approaches.

• Promote resilience strategies in daily program activities by encouraging flexible teaching methods, psychosocial support for learners, and inclusive participation of marginalized groups.

• Ensure safeguarding standards are upheld during crisis response, reporting concerns promptly and supporting safe learning environments for children.

• Record and share lessons learned from crisis response actions, including successes and challenges, to inform adaptive programming and strengthen future preparedness.

• Support partner organizations in activating their crisis response plans, harmonize approaches across sites, and provide field-level feedback to strengthen joint resilience efforts.

5.    Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEAL)

• Collect and compile accurate attendance, enrollment, and learner progress data from ALP classrooms directly implemented by IRC and those managed through partners. Ensure timely submission of data to the Project Manager and MEAL teams.

• Check the accuracy and completeness of facilitator records, lesson delivery reports, and learner assessments to maintain high-quality data for decision-making.

• Contribute to monthly and quarterly reports by providing field-level updates, highlighting successes, challenges, and recommendations for improvement.

• Capture lessons learned, case studies, and success stories from ALP implementation, reflecting on both direct delivery and partner-supported schools. Share insights during reflection sessions and project cycle meetings.

• Facilitate learner and community feedback sessions, ensuring that concerns and suggestions are documented and communicated to MEAL teams for follow-up.

• Participate in joint monitoring visits with partners, local education offices, and community structures to assess ALP quality and impact. Provide field-level observations to guide adaptive programming.

• Assist facilitators and volunteers in using MEAL tools (attendance sheets, learner assessment forms, feedback registers), and provide basic orientation on data collection and safeguarding-linked reporting.

• Encourage facilitators and partners to use monitoring results and feedback data to refine teaching approaches, improve learner outcomes, and strengthen program sustainability.

• Ensure that data collection and feedback processes respect child safeguarding principles, confidentiality, and inclusivity, especially for girls and marginalized learners.

6. Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure all ALP activities in IRC-implemented and partner-supported schools comply with IRC policies, donor requirements, and safeguarding standards. Model integrity, accountability, and transparency in daily work.

• Promote child safeguarding and protection principles at the school level by orienting facilitators, volunteers, and community education committees on codes of conduct and reporting procedures.

• Monitor classroom practices, material use, and activity delivery to confirm alignment with approved work plans and donor expectations. Report any irregularities promptly to the Project Manager.

• Collect and compile accurate field-level data and narrative updates on ALP implementation, highlighting achievements, challenges, and lessons learned. Submit timely reports to the Project Manager for consolidation.

• Work with facilitators and MEAL teams to ensure reports are supported by reliable data, learner attendance records, and feedback from communities.

• Support the roll-out of feedback mechanisms at school level, ensuring learners and caregivers can safely raise concerns, which are documented and shared for follow-up.

•  Contribute to success stories and case studies from ALP classrooms to strengthen donor reporting and visibility.

Safeguarding Responsibilities: - 

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC 

• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies

Job Requirements: 

• The Education Officer should have strong background in Education in Emergencies program management expertise and experience. They need to have good understanding and experience of the humanitarian context to design and implement emergency response interventions.  

Educational Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in education, International Development, Social Sciences, or related field.

Preferred experience & skills: 

• Minimum 2 years of experience implementing education or Education in Emergencies (EiE) programs in humanitarian or conflict-affected contexts.

• Demonstrated experience in accelerated learning approaches, classroom facilitation, and learner assessment.

• Practical skills in program implementation, monitoring, and reporting at school/community level.

• Proven ability to support and coach facilitators, volunteers, and community education committees to strengthen inclusive, child-centered learning.

• Strong team spirit and ability to collaborate effectively with partners, local education offices, and community stakeholders under pressure.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise field-level reports and updates.

• Strong time-management skills, with a track record of meeting deadlines and delivering results in dynamic environments.

• Good analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly in identifying and addressing challenges affecting ALP delivery.

• Ability to work independently while maintaining close coordination with the Project Manager and partners.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and basic data management tools for reporting and monitoring.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with local stakeholders and partners at woreda/community levels.

• Flexibility and resilience to adapt to change and proactively support continuity of learning during crises.

Language Skills:  

• Proficient in English and Knowledge of local language is advantageous.

Location – Shire and Central Zone ​

Disclaimer: - Please note that IRC will never request applicants or candidates to make any form of payment at any stage of the recruitment process.

IRC is an equal employment opportunity employer.  IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

Cookies: https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/cookiesettings