Programme Officer x1 – TEVET for Young Female Learners Project Restless Development Zambia

About Restless Development

Restless Development is a global non profit agency. We support the collective power of young leaders to create a better world. Our young leaders lead change on some of the world’s biggest challenges – from gender inequality, youth unemployment to climate justice. All our work is co-led by young people in their local communities – and brought together by the Youth Collective, a growing global community for youth-led organisations. Ultimately, we know that the best people to support young leaders are other young leaders.

We are independently registered and governed in nine countries (India, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and a growing Youth Collective with members in 185 countries. We are committed to creating an agency that walks the talk on power shifting, using the power shifting checklist, both internally and externally

Our approach to Safeguarding

Restless Development considers the welfare and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults to be an organisational imperative with primacy over the success of programmes or strategic objectives. We recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we expect all of our staff, volunteers and partners to ensure we protect the communities in which we operate from harm and abide by our Safeguarding Policy.

About the Role

The TEVET for Young Female Learners Project seeks to reinforce the provision of technical and vocational education to 2000 young female learners in 20 selected secondary schools through; (i) the provision of youth-led school clubs which are already used to support co-curricular activities in schools.

New and existing school clubs will be used to expose learners to employability and entrepreneurial opportunities and skills development while addressing gender inclusion and sensitivity and (ii) strengthening the teaching pedagogy for the selected educators in technical and vocational training with support from TEVETA using capacity building and CPD to enable teachers to act as school club chaperons who provide guidance and oversight of the school clubs and (iii) Promoting engagements to align community development opportunities with school clubs activities that will be supporting technical and vocational education skills development in 20 secondary schools.

The overall objective will be to improve learning outcomes that enable 2000 young female learners to have employability and entrepreneurial skills while addressing challenges in respect to gender sensitivity and inclusion in accessing TEVET opportunities in 20 selected secondary schools in Mumbwa District. Restless Development Zambia will ride on the 2023 National Decentralisation Policy (NDP 2023) that has devolved education programming to District authorities and the 2021 Constituency Development Fund (CDF 2021) Policy that has provided local authorities with authority and fiscal capacity to sustain the intervention.

Restless Development therefore seeks to recruit a dynamic, inspired and innovative Zambian to fill the role of Programme Officer on the TEVET for Young Female Learners Project. The Programme Officer will be based in Mumbwa they will be responsible for the programme implementation, day-to-day project operations, establishing linkages with stakeholders at provincial and district levels in targeted schools and communities.

Desired and Essential skills :

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Development Studies or Social Sciences.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in program management, preferably in the education or development sector.
• Strong project management skills, including planning, implementation, and monitoring.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively engage with stakeholders and build collaborative relationships.
• Proficiency in conducting needs assessments, data analysis, and reporting to inform program design and decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team, with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Attention to detail and ability to manage program budgets effectively, ensuring financial accountability and compliance with funding requirements.
• Knowledge of technical and vocational education and training (TEVET) programs, policies, and frameworks is desirable.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing program needs and priorities.
• Commitment to gender equality and social inclusion principles, with an understanding of the unique challenges faced by young female learners in accessing education and training opportunities.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement, including working with government agencies, NGOs, community organisations, and other key partners.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating education programs, with a focus on improving learning outcomes and promoting gender equality.
• Experience in conducting needs assessments, baseline studies, and data analysis to inform program design and decision-making.
• Proven track record of successfully managing program budgets and resources, ensuring efficient allocation and utilisation of funds.
• Experience in facilitating workshops, training sessions, and capacity-building activities for diverse audiences, including educators, students, and community members.
• Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation methodologies and tools to track program progress and measure impact.
• Experience working in multicultural and multilingual settings, with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.
• Previous experience working in the field of technical and vocational education and training (TEVET) is an asset.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal).
• Fluency in written and spoken english.
• Familiarity with participatory approaches for engaging stakeholders and ensuring their meaningful involvement in program design and implementation.
• Knowledge of gender-responsive programming principles to address gender disparities in program outcomes and ensure inclusivity.