Senior Training Officer

Job Summary

Lively Minds is an award-winning NGO dedicated to improving the lives of deprived children in rural Ghana through an innovative early childhood development programme. We train and support Kindergarten Teachers and vulnerable mothers to run educational Play Schemes in school kindergartens and provide better home-based care. Our evidence-based approach has shown dramatic positive effects on children, teachers, and mothers. As we embark on a three-year grant to scale our model and hand over implementation to the Ghana Education Service (GES), we are seeking a highly motivated Senior Training Officer to join our small but dynamic training team. This role is pivotal in developing, delivering, and refining our training curriculum, as well as coaching GES stakeholders to take over responsibility for all training elements. If you are a creative problem-solver with extensive training experience and a passion for early childhood development, this is an exciting opportunity to contribute to transformative growth and lasting impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop high-quality training activities, including lesson plans, learning materials, budgets, and support tools, tailored to the target audience.
• Collaborate with GES and other stakeholders to adapt the training curriculum for scalability and cost-effectiveness, integrating training into existing GES activities where possible.
• Adopt a behavior-change approach by identifying desired behaviors, conducting needs assessments to uncover knowledge gaps, attitudinal barriers, and resource limitations, and designing creative methods to transfer key messages and motivate participants.
• Apply project management techniques to ensure timely preparation, effective resource use, and risk mitigation.
• Prepare colleagues and stakeholders to facilitate training activities, and facilitate training to the highest standard using effective communication techniques.
• Coach and support colleagues and stakeholders to deliver high-quality training, recognizing best practices and managing underperformance.
• Conduct field visits to supervise and observe training quality delivered by Kindergarten Teachers, colleagues, and GES partners.
• Monitor Play Schemes to analyze training effectiveness and identify further training or support needs.
• Report risks and successes that may impact program quality, developing and sharing plans to address needs and opportunities.
• Support data collection and evaluation of training activities, understanding and acting upon Key Performance Indicator (KPI) information.
• Maintain a database of all training materials for reuse and lessons learned.
• Work with colleagues to increase GES engagement and ownership, focusing on training GES staff to deliver activities currently delivered by Lively Minds.
• Develop and maintain stakeholder relationships, including with community leaders, GES partners, and other NGOs.
• Respond to the needs of the Training Manager and Office Manager, communicating any schedule issues promptly.
• Coach junior staff positively and constructively, and remain flexible to strategic changes.
• Ensure all work adheres to Lively Minds policies and procedures, promoting the organization's good name and reputation.
• Carry out any other tasks reasonably requested to the highest possible standard.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in training or teaching.
• Proven ability in managing and fostering relations with a large range of stakeholders.
• Ability to manage a complex and varied workload independently and work under pressure.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Licensed rider or driver.
• Fluent Gruni or Dagbani speaker.
• ICT skills: Microsoft Word (Excel and PowerPoint desirable).
• Experience in developing and delivering creative and motivational training workshops.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.

Skills Inventory

• Essential: Training design and facilitation, stakeholder management, needs assessment, behavior change communication, project management, coaching and mentoring, field monitoring, data collection and analysis, Microsoft Office, fluent in Gruni or Dagbani, licensed driver.
• Preferred: Experience in early childhood development, knowledge of GES systems, experience with NGO programs, advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills.

Salary & Compensation Estimation

The salary for this position is competitive and commensurate with experience. For a Senior Training Officer role in the NGO sector in Ghana, the typical annual salary ranges from GHS 60,000 to GHS 90,000, depending on qualifications and previous experience. Lively Minds offers a supportive work environment and the opportunity to make a significant impact on rural children's lives.