Junior Specialist – Academic Interventions, USAID School to Work (STW) Transitions Study

Social Impact is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits.

Project Objective:

The school to work transition study will focus on secondary school across the MENA region and what is needed to prepare youth to transition into the workforce and/or continuing education. The study will examine the existing secondary school systems in MENA and how they are, or are not, preparing young people with the necessary skills, knowledge and resources to successfully transition into work or further education.

The study will include overviews of each MENA country that USAID works in, looking at the current interventions within secondary schools, or those designed for secondary school aged youth, including both those within the formal curriculum of general education, in TVET, and non-formal curriculum programs and activities. Three focal areas will be used to investigate secondary school interventions: academic (formal curriculum), technical/professional (TVET and professional training), and career/livelihood (nonformal curriculum/ personal development). In the academic and technical/professional training areas, the study will focus on youth in secondary schools, but out-of-school youth will also be considered in the career/livelihood area. The working definitions and frameworks that fall within these focal areas will be fully developed as part of the design report of the study. These will include positive youth development (PYD). The study will also feature positive deviance examples that are working well in the region, including examples of what USAID is already doing, as well as other interventions initiated by governments, other donors, or through public, private partnerships that are perceived to be promising “models.”

Position Description:

Social Impact is seeking a Junior Specialist – Academic Interventions to provide research and other technical support to the School to Work Transition Study. The Junior Specialist will be responsible for supporting qualitative data collection and analysis as well as the development of high-quality client deliverables, including written reports and visually engaging PowerPoint presentations. The person in this position should also have some familiarity with secondary school-level curricula pertaining to career development, school-to-work transition, and personal including academic advising and guidance, as they will supporting the Senior Specialist in this area. This is a part-time, remote consulting position requiring a total of 25 days of work.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct a desk review of relevant literature to inform the study.
• Assist in the development of country-specific briefs on academic interventions in each of the 11 case study countries as well as a PowerPoint presentation outlining key findings and conclusions.
• Support qualitative data collection such as key informant interviews (KIIs) and assist with data analysis.
• Provide inputs to a PowerPoint presentation for a case study workshop to validate findings, conclusions, and lessons learned as well as a case study report with a general overview and sections related to each case study country.
• Communicate regularly with the Senior Specialist, Team Leader, and other SI HQ staff to provide status updates on data collection and the production of deliverables.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in education or another relevant field with three years of relevant work experience.
• Experience conducting qualitative data collection and analysis on donor-funded projects.
• Expertise in developing and evaluating formal secondary school-level curriculum in MENA countries, with some knowledge of those pertaining to career development, school-to-work transition, and personal including academic advising and guidance.
• Prior experience conducting assessments, evaluations, or other research studies in the education sector for USAID.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required. Arabic proficiency strongly preferred.

Come join our energetic and innovative team! We offer you the opportunity to play a leading role in the growth of our company, work as part of a creative and committed team, and make a difference in the well-being of our world.

To learn more about Social Impact, please visit our website: http://www.socialimpact.com

SI is an EEO/AA/ADA Veterans Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Please, no phone calls.