Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, March 08, 2023 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Background
Children in Crossfire is a registered charity in Ireland that facilitates International Development and Global Citizen Education (GCE) activities. Our vision is a compassionate world where every child can reach his or her potential. We work in partnership with local organisations in Tanzania and Ethiopia to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged young children, with a particular focus on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). By improving childhood care we are changing lives and empowering young children and their communities to build a better future. In Ireland, we work through GCE to engage the public in issues of global justice and increased investment in ECCE.

In Tanzania, Children in Crossfire implements a country programme that contributes to the school readiness of young children as well as wider ECD policy and practice. Our programme of work in Early Childhood Care and Education is popularly known as Watoto Wetu Tunu Yetu (Our Children Our Treasure). Children in Crossfire is currently establishing a new programme initiative to support improved quality and equitable access to daycare centres and ECCE opportunities in high-density low-income areas of Dar es Salaam City (Dar). A pilot intervention to be implemented from 2023-2025 will support engaging a market systems development approach to delivering quality improvements and optimizing business models for privately run [ECCE] daycare in low income settings of Dar. Ultimately, the aim is to promote early childhood development, and support micro-entrepreneurs and private providers to make quality improvements in ECCE provision and run commercially viable daycare centres in low-income settings of Dar es Salaam. This in turn will improve the early learning and wider care experience for thousands of vulnerable young children aged below 5 Years who live in poor high-density areas of one of Africa’s fastest growing cities. The goal is to improve these children’s school readiness and holistic development, and counter the cycle of underachievement, to unleash the development potential of a rapidly growing young population.

Context of the role
Reporting to the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Programmes Manager, and with matrix management support from the Senior Specialist for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), the Dar Urban Programme Manager will be based in the Children in Crossfire Dar es Salaam Country Office, and provide management lead to the set-up, quality delivery and continuous improvements of the pilot ECCE programme in Dar Urban.

Major Responsibilities
1) Provide programme leadership on effective markets systems development approaches for privately run [ECD] daycare centres in high-density low income Dar urban setting;
2) Provide programme leadership to improve the quality of ECCE experience for young children attending private daycare centres in high-density low income Dar urban setting;
3) Provide management leadership of strategic partnerships with the Dar Daycare Union (UVIWADA) and government MDA at national and local levels responsible for regulation and supervision of the daycare subsector;
4) Overall responsibility for excellent programme management across implementation, reporting, and finance management.
5) Work closely with the wider Children in Crossfire team providing support as and when required.

Specific Responsibilities
1) Provide programme leadership on effective markets systems development approaches for privately run [ECD] daycare centres in high-density low income (HDLI) Dar urban setting:
▪ Develop deep understanding of the market systems development (M4P) context for daycare centres in HDLI urban Dar;
▪ Develop partnerships to support improved microenterprise business development practice across daycare centre owners in HDLI urban Dar;
▪ Demonstrate the case for investing in quality improvements to daycare centres in HDLI urban Dar;
▪ Coordinate the designing of a portfolio of business products to increase access to finance for owners of daycare centres in HDLI urban Dar, including microfinance products and other innovative partnerships;
▪ Engage in market systems demand and supply dynamics for daycare centres in HDLI urban Dar in a way that promotes pricing models that optimise affordable access and quality ECCE for children from poor/poorest households.
▪ Pilot innovations compatible with market systems development approaches to increase equitable access for most vulnerable children to private daycare centres in high-density low income Dar. These can include influencing existing social protection schemes including conditional cash transfers, and to research and innovate output-based pilot interventions such as commercially underwritten voucher schemes to subsidize participation in daycares for most vulnerable children in HDLI Dar.

2) Provide programme leadership to improve the quality of ECCE experience for young children attending private daycare centres in high-density low income Dar urban setting:

▪ Oversee implementation of Children in Crossfire’s existing ECCE strategy within the context of HDLI urban Dar;
▪ Effectively draw on ECCE expertise across Children in Crossfire technical staff to ensure programme interventions that optimise quality ECCE within the prevailing context of HDLI urban Dar;
▪ Coordinate the rationalisation of and support minimum quality standards for infrastructural and learning environment considerations within the prevailing context of HDLI urban Dar;
▪ Develop strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, including academic institutions and other sectoral partners, to develop certifiable on-the-job training products for daycare careworkers that are relevant and scalable within the prevailing context of HDLI urban Dar;
▪ Promote and support play-based and early learning practice that is developmentally appropriate for young children of preschool age predominantly of 3-5 years;
▪ Promote and support play-based and early learning practice aligned to the Tanzania pre-primary education curriculum for children aged 5 and above before joining early grades of primary school;
▪ Implement strategies to increase parental [client] and community awareness and demand for ECCE that meets quality standards;
▪ Develop partnerships and referral networks that promote the role of the daycare centres in providing holistic ECD experience for young children in complement to early learning spanning health, nutrition, and safety and protection.
▪ Provide management of parallel project support to construct a small number of community-owned ECD Centres in identified primary school settings including supporting their initial functioning.

3) Provide management leadership of strategic partnerships with the Dar Daycare Union (UVIWADA) and government MDA at national and local levels responsible for regulation and supervision of the daycare subsector:
▪ Lead representation and strategic positioning of the Dar Urban ECCE Programme with stakeholders across national government, development partners, wider civil society, and the private sector;
▪ Develop effective working partnerships within the policy and regulatory ecosystem for daycare subsector considering the prevailing context of HDLI urban Dar;
▪ Rationalise and evolve a tiered framework to assessing quality standards of daycare centres in HDLI urban Dar that promotes practicable pathways to phased operational recognition and registration;
▪ Develop and manage a strategic implementation partnership with the Dar Daycare Union (UVIWADA) to support mutually prioritised areas of UVIWADA organisational development;
▪ Strategically engage UVIWADA in a programme of work to promote the business viability (including phasing compliance) and improved quality of ECCE across daycare subsector in the HDLI context;
▪ Provide Children in Crossfire management-lead for strategic, technical, and administrative support and supervision of UVIWADA partnership in successful delivery of the Dar Urban ECCE Programme.

4) Overall responsibility for excellent programme management across implementation, reporting, and finance management:
▪ Lead responsibility for the programme management, implementation delivery, and overall programme performance of Dar Urban ECCE Programme, in line with organisational and programme results frameworks, costed programme workplans, and donor frameworks;
▪ Lead responsibility to provide programme management oversight of finance performance including budget management, variance analysis and value for money, disbursements and accountabilities in line with Children in Crossfire finance policy, practices and procedures, and in full cooperation with the Children in Crossfire Finance Management staff;
▪ Ensure programme partners collaborate effectively and leverage collective potential on activities and partnerships across different levels of implementation (e.g. regional and local government, the daycare union, INGOs and Local CSOs, microfinance institutions and the private sector);
▪ Ensure the programme meets high technical standards in early learning and across other component of ECD (health, nutrition and protection), demonstrating adaptation and continuous development of good practices and utilising learning across the programme partnership;
▪ Engage closely with programme monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) processes and documentation, including implementing an effective results-based management approach and incorporating continuous reflection, learning and action into progress review cycles, in full cooperation with the MEL Senior Specialist;
▪ Lead responsibility for narrative reporting of the programme implementation both internally to Children in Crossfire, as well as externally to the donor and government;
▪ Implement and adhere to Children in Crossfire’s safeguarding policies, practices and procedures, across all aspects of the programme.

5) Work closely with the wider Children in Crossfire team providing support as and when required:
▪ Report to the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Programmes Manager on a monthly basis or as and when required and more specifically in relation to strategic performance objectives that are developed and signed off on annual basis;
▪ As part of a matrix management arrangement, maintain a close technical line of reporting and mentorship with the Children in Crossfire Tanzania MEL Senior Specialist with a view to continually pushing the strategic growth, high quality, and transformative ambition of the programme;
▪ Be a strong team player for Children in Crossfire both internally and externally by motivating others to become actively involved to support the organisation;
▪ Attend and participate fully in organisational team meetings as and when required;
▪ Be flexible in terms of working hours, as the role may include working at weekends and in the evenings;
▪ Adhere to all organisational policies, practices and procedures and implement accordingly;
▪ Undertake any other duties to support the operations of the organisation as and when required.

Safeguarding Risk
This role is considered to present a high-priority rating of safeguarding risk. The role works directly with children/vulnerable adults on a regular basis. In regular contact directly with children/vulnerable adults.

Person Profile
▪ Educated to minimum of a Bachelor’s degree level in relevant discipline (such as Economics, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and other related fields).
▪ Minimum of three years’ paid work experience in programme management with a specific focus on engaging markets systems development (M4P) for social development goals.
▪ Experience and understanding of early child development programmes and of the ECD landscape in Tanzania will be added advantage.
▪ Professional experience in market systems development and facilitation, and strong understanding of the private sector landscape for access to finance and business development services for microenterprises, especially in informal urban setting.
▪ Experience of providing project management, supportive supervision and capacity-building support to local implementing partners to effectively deliver on development programmes.
▪ Demonstrable experience of effectively engaging with government ministries in implementing development programmes (preferably in child development), at sectoral and coordination levels.
▪ Strong understanding of local government structures, systems and strategic points of engagement to integrate programmatic priorities in local government processes especially in the urban setting.
▪ Strong understanding of results-based management processes, including effectively linking Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning to informing ongoing project management and development.
▪ Excellent written and oral communication skills in Swahili and English, and demonstrable experience of taking lead in donor reporting to a high standard.
▪ Good understanding of key principles of safeguarding and child protection, including demonstrated practice of these in a professional context.
▪ Ability to work to deadlines, prioritise and take initiative.
▪ Committed to the aims and values of Children in Crossfire, and work as part of the team.
▪ Commitment to confidentiality.
▪ Carry out your work with integrity.



Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 36

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
This role is considered to present a high-priority rating of safeguarding risk. The role works directly with children/vulnerable adults on a regular basis. In regular contact directly with children/vulnerable adults.

All applicants are required to complete a Children in Crossfire Application Form and email to: jobstz@childrenincrossfire.org

Closing date for applications: End of day, Wednesday 22nd March 2023. Only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted.

To download the application form CLICK HERE

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