INTERNAL ONLY: Cluster Education Senior Specialist (Stronger Together + Be There) Country Cluster: DRC, Uganda, CAR, South Sudan, Sudan, Chad

Your Mission

• Ensure effective coordination, coherence, and consistent implementation of War Child's Evidence-Based Methods (EBMs) within a designated thematic portfolio across an assigned cluster of partners and countries.
• Translate global strategies, standards, and methodologies into contextually relevant thematic and EBM support, ensuring feasibility, high quality, and measurable impact at the cluster level.
• Oversee EBM quality assurance, partner onboarding, thematic guidance, and adaptive learning processes, connecting strategic priorities to practical implementation.
• Provide direct line management and guidance to Education Senior Specialists supporting countries and partners within the cluster, fostering alignment and continuous improvement.
• Where assigned, deliver direct, hands-on support to a specific country or partner to ensure operational success and capacity strengthening.
• Manage clusters that may include DRC, Uganda, CAR, South Sudan, Sudan, and Chad, adapting approaches to diverse contexts.

Core Responsibilities

• Maintain cluster-level oversight of thematic quality assurance for EBM integration, implementation, and scaling by partners, ensuring high-quality delivery across all stages.
• Coordinate thematic support provided by Specialists within the cluster, prioritizing efforts and advising on optimal resource allocation to maximize impact.
• Ensure operationalization of thematic and EBM guidance and standards, guaranteeing contextual relevance and tailored support to each country and partner.
• Lead and facilitate adaptive learning cycles for EBMs at the cluster level, developing and executing learning agendas, documenting lessons learned, and translating findings into actionable improvements.
• Strengthen organizational and partner capacity in Education EBMs through targeted training, mentoring, and scalable learning approaches such as blended learning and training-of-trainer models.
• Represent War Child's EBM Care System Portfolio externally in appropriate forums, building organizational profile, fostering sector engagement and interagency collaboration, and contributing to policy and discourse.
• Contribute to the learning agenda for EBMs within your portfolio, systematically gathering and sharing insights from partner experiences and feedback to inform strategic direction.
• Actively foster a culture committed to War Child's mission, vision, internal safeguarding standards, JEDI (Social Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion) principles, and the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) framework.

Role-Specific or Context Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary internal and external thematic focal point for an assigned cluster, providing expert guidance and representation.
• Oversee thematic components of partnership engagement within the cluster, liaising with partnership colleagues and other cluster coordinators as needed to ensure coherence.
• Collaborate effectively with the Partnership Department, ensuring appropriate matrix management of Specialists and complementary responsibilities across functions.
• Contribute to developing EBMs Partnership Packages and other relevant resources, ensuring they are practical and context-sensitive.
• Strengthen and evolve the Education EBM Care System portfolio by compiling knowledge and lessons learned from countries and partners in the cluster.
• Coordinate and contribute to learning activities, task teams, working groups, and Communities of Practice related to the thematic area and EBMs, promoting shared learning.
• Support scalable learning approaches, including blended learning, training pools, and training-of-trainer models, by compiling cluster-level inputs to training content and materials.
• Coordinate support to MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning) processes within the cluster, ensuring compliance with Quality of Care indicators.
• Provide thematic and EBM surge support in emergencies or priority contexts where rapid deployment is required.
• Contribute thematic inputs to organizational processes such as strategy development, annual planning, and reporting at team, departmental, and organizational levels, leading cluster-level inputs where relevant.
• Lead cluster-level reporting in organization-wide reporting processes related to EBMs in the portfolio, and contribute to grant and project reporting as needed.
• Collaborate closely with teams in the department, including MEAL and Humanitarian, and with other departments such as R&D, Partnerships, Engagement, and Operations.
• Act as a back-stop for Specialists when necessary, ensuring continuity and coverage.

Your Profile

• Education: Relevant academic background in Education or a closely related field, providing a strong theoretical and practical foundation.
• Experience: Substantial professional experience in the thematic area, including in humanitarian or post-conflict contexts. Demonstrated experience working with partners on co-creation and delivery of programmes. Proven ability in programme design, needs assessment, learning cycles, and quality assurance. Experience developing methods, tools, guidelines, training, and learning materials. Strong facilitation skills for trainings, workshops, and virtual learning. Programme or grant management experience is considered an asset.
• Languages: Fluency in English is mandatory for this role. Additional languages such as Arabic, Dari, French, Spanish, or Ukrainian are highly valuable depending on stakeholder groups and organizational context.
• Technical Knowledge: Deep understanding of quality standards, evidence-based programming, and MEAL integration. Knowledge of cross-sectoral integration, including Education, Child Protection, and MHPSS. Understanding of localization, accountability, and participation principles. Familiarity with digital collaboration and learning tools such as Mural, Miro, SharePoint, and MS Teams.

What We Offer

• Eligibility: This vacancy is open to internal candidates only.
• Location: War Child operates globally with team members based across multiple countries, including Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine (registration in progress), and Yemen. Offices are also located in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Preference is given to candidates who reside in one of these locations and hold valid work authorization. Relocation support is not provided.
• Type of Contract: This is a locally contracted position. Salary and secondary employment conditions are aligned with the applicable in-country salary scale, and local terms and conditions will apply.