Education Strategy and Policy Advisor at VSO

VSO is the world’s leading international development charity that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. At VSO we pride ourselves on doing development differently. We fight poverty not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. We bring key stakeholders together to co-ordinate collective action, from local organisations to national governments. Our programmes in Africa and Asia focus on health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience, peace building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change that will improve the lives of generations to come.

The BeFIT Strategy & Policy Advisor is responsible for growing VSO’s visibility and influence in Malawi’s national Education Sector, delivering high impact strategy & partnerships with government ministries (MoE), donor agencies, and BeFIT member consortium, and positioning VSO strategically as a BeFIT Lead Implementing/Executing agency.

Skills and Experience

• Significant leadership, policy and business pursuit experience with a proven track record of leading national initiatives, building partnerships with governments, donor relationships and high impact consortia.
• Significant experience managing transitional programmes and engaging with multiple donors.
• Solid risk and incident management experience including appropriate communication and escalation capabilities

Competencies and Behaviour

At VSO we believe progress is only possible by working together. Whether you want to join us as an employee, or as a volunteer working in your own country, overseas or online, our selection process includes an assessment based on these core competencies:

• Ability to be open minded and respectful
• Ability to be resilient and adaptive to new situations
• Ability to facilitate positive change and build sustainable working relationships
• Ability to seek and share knowledge

Equal Opportunities

VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.

Note: This is a Talent Pool role.

VSO reserves the right to close this job early if we receive a sufficient number of applications.