Regional Program Officer

TITLE: Regional Program Officer

POSITION LOCATION: Fergana, Uzbekistan

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Full Time (40 hours/week)

Summary of Position: American Councils seeks a qualified Regional Program Officer for the five-year USAID-funded Uzbekistan Youth Employment Skills (YES) Activity. The purpose of the activity is to equip youth in grades 8 -11 with the necessary skills as they prepare to enter Uzbekistan's economy as skilled employees or entrepreneurs. In order to achieve the activity's purpose, YES will focus on the following intermediate results: i) improved quality of school-based economics and entrepreneurship programs; ii) improved quality of afterschool entrepreneurship, soft skills and work readiness programs; and iii) strengthened enabling environment to support and engage youth.

The successful candidate for this position is expected to have basic knowledge in curriculum development, design of textbooks and other teaching and learning materials, teacher training, as well as deep familiarity with the local education context at the secondary level.

The successful candidate will be based and work in Fergana, Uzbekistan. The Regional Program Officer will support the Tashkent-based Technical Objective 1 Lead in effectively engaging with the Regional Departments of Education of the Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan, Republican Education Centre, Avloniy National Research Institute, pilot school principals, teachers, parents, private sector entities, and other stakeholders in Fergana region. The designated Regional Program Officer will report directly to the Technical Objective 1 Lead (with regular coordination with the Regional Coordinator). 

Responsibilities: 

 ·       Support and identify curriculum and training needs through regular consultations with regional stakeholder representatives while incorporating youth and private sector perspectives.

·       Support a participatory process led by the Technical Objective 1 Lead that engages key stakeholders in Fergana region including the review of in-school economics and entrepreneurship curriculum for grades 8-11.

·       Support training sessions led by Objective 1 Specialists in the region on topics such as learner-centered pedagogy, experiential learning, and inclusive instructional practices.

·       Support participatory curriculum development processes that are expected to result in the development of curriculum frameworks for economics and entrepreneurship curriculum.

·       Support adaptation and digitalization of TLM for a virtual learning format. 

·       Contribute to the development of workshop guides and other materials to support regional teacher training sessions on universal design for learning (UDL) principles, student-centered learning, positive youth development, effective use of formative and summative assessment, as well as the new content and instructional practices included in the revised economics and entrepreneurship curriculum.

·       Jointly leading training of trainer sessions with the Objective 1 Specialist in partnership with regional Avloniy NRI trainers on coaching methodology. Work with regional Avloniy NRI to support the ongoing training of professional development and mentoring of pilot schoolteachers in order to improve the effectiveness of classroom instruction.

·       Support day-to-day realization of Peer Learning Teacher Circles.

·       Develop strong working relationships with pilot school management and teachers to support piloting of new TLMs for grades 8 to 11.

·       Contribute to the development of work plans and reports. 

·       Other responsibilities that may be assigned

Requirements: 

•  Uzbek citizenship or residency with work authorization is required.
• Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred in one of the following study areas: Curriculum Development, Instructional Design, Education, Education Policy, Youth Development, or related field.
• Fluency in Uzbek, good working level of Russian required. Professional English verbal and written communication skills highly preferred.
• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience in education, educational management or administration, or youth development, preferably at the secondary level
• Strong research, analytical, problem-solving, technical writing, and instructional/curriculum design skills
• Previous experience working collaboratively with others to produce and deliver inquiry-based training, curriculum and professional development is desired.
• Experience working with youth ages 14-18 in formal in-school activities or other areas of non-formal education is desired.
• Familiarity with student-centered learning approaches / competency-based instruction
• Demonstrated administrative skills. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and to meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and multicultural skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships in various environments.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills; including experience supporting training required.
• Flexibility and ability to handle stressful situations and support project staff in times of pressure.
• Well-developed knowledge of the best practices in learning and teaching and the education system in Uzbekistan and internationally is desired.
• Flexibility to occasionally work on weekends and evenings.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office software suite, Google Workspace, and common social media platforms.
• Ability to work across various teams with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to the principles of inclusive approaches to programming that encourages full participation of individuals regardless of gender, disability status, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or other marginalized status

Compensation

American Councils for International Education offers a competitive international salary based on Tashkent, Uzbekistan cost of living standards.

Starting Date: ASAP

TO APPLY:

· Please send to uzjobs@americancouncils.org your resume/CV as well as a cover letter that includes the following: (i) why you are interested in the position, (ii) why you are well suited for the position, and (iii) what you would expect as a monthly salary (final take home salary amount per month after taxes).

· Your resume/CV should be saved as follows: LAST NAME OF APPLICANT – resume.doc (for example, if your last name is Kayumov, the file should be Kayumov-resume.doc).

· Your cover letter should be saved as: LAST NAME OF APPLICANT – letter.doc (for example, if your last name is Kayumov, the file should be Kayumov-letter.doc). File extensions of .docx and PDF are also acceptable.

· Write LAST NAME OF APPLICANT – Regional Program Officer FERGANA in the subject line of your email.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY – American Councils is committed to taking affirmative steps to enhance employment opportunities for minorities, women, veterans, and people with disabilities, and strives to ensure that meaningful employment and promotional opportunities are maintained for everyone. American Councils’ commitment to equal employment opportunity is based not only on federal requirements, but also on a longstanding commitment to maintaining a diverse workforce reflective of the communities in which we operate.

PAY TRANSPARENCY NONDISCRIMINATION PROVISION – The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information

ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT IS OPEN UNTIL FILLED