Jobs and Opportunities at EdTech Hub

About EdTech Hub

Our goal is to empower people making decisions about technology in education. 

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the global learning crisis was affecting millions of children around the world.

Technology could play a huge role in helping to solve this crisis, if used appropriately. 

There are thousands of tools, products, services, and ideas for using technology in education. New ones appear almost every day. For decision-makers, the choices can be overwhelming. The EdTech Hub takes away that burden. 

We do the research, to rigorous academic standards. We try out new ideas by supporting innovators. We advise partners as they plan and implement education programs, finding the right role for technology.

With EdTech Hub’s help, decision-makers inside and outside government can benefit from free access to high quality professional research and advice.

EdTech Hub Specialist Network Consultant: Southeast Asia

What we’re looking for

The Specialist Network contributes to the Hub’s mission to build and apply the global evidence base about the use of technology in education in a practical way that supports decision-makers. Consultants who are part of the Specialist Network will be called on by EdTech Hub to carry out specific assignments based on their area(s) of expertise. The Specialist Network will also receive opportunities to connect, network, and learn from their peers around the globe. 

EdTech Hub seeks applicants with experience developing, implementing and / or evaluating education policies and programmes in Southeast Asia. Applicants must be based in Southeast Asia as well as have deep knowledge of the education and political landscape of one or more Southeast Asian countries. Fluency in a local language will be viewed as an asset. Applicants with experience living and working in one or more of the following countries strongly preferred:

  • Timor Leste
  • Cambodia
  • Laos
  • Vietnam

EdTech Hub seeks to ensure equal opportunities and an inclusive working environment for all team members. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. We embrace diversity and difference. 

Responsibilities

The Consultant will work with our Helpdesk and/or our Country Engagement teams and may have a range of responsibilities. These may include one or more of the following tasks: 

  • Prepare research or synthesise existing literature on country context and EdTech tools and innovations
  • Prepare guidance materials, draft strategies and related policy advice related to EdTech for country governments
  • Provide expert advice to country governments and their partners on EdTech issues 
  • Support education implementers to design for scale through rapid data collection and user testing of their models
  • Develop and facilitate workshops comprising key stakeholders (government and development partner) to support capacity development and / or program and policy design
  • Provide support to a new area of work that provides evidence-based technical input on the use of technology to support girls’ and marginalised children’s learning to improve foundational learning outcomes in ASEAN Member States

Given the flexible and demand-driven nature of the work, selection into the Hub Specialist Network does not guarantee a minimum amount of work. Consultants should clearly communicate their availability to allow for project planning.

Qualifications
  • Extensive knowledge of the education and political landscape of one or more Southeast Asian countries 
  • Must be based in Southeast Asia
  • Experience working and / or living in one or more of the following countries strongly preferred: Timor Leste, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
  • Expertise in digital learning and / or development of EdTech and education strategies, policies, and research / evaluation documents
  • Experience working with ministries of education and / or multilateral and bilateral education funders 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
  • Highly collaborative and approachable
  • Strong meeting facilitation, interpersonal, and project management skills
  • Strong analytical and research skills
  • Reading, speaking, writing and listening compréhension skills in languages relevant to the region, including but not limited to Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, Malay. Burmese, Tagalog, Thai and/or Tetun, are a plus. 
  • Candidates from Southeast Asia are strongly encouraged to apply. 
Deadline for applications is June 30, 2023.

Associate Director, Global Education, Evidence-Based Decision-Making

WASHINGTON, DC /DOMESTIC – EDUCATION /FULL-TIME EXEMPT/ HYBRID
What we’re looking for
As Associate Director, you will draw on your significant education and EdTech expertise to provide technical leadership for the Helpdesk workstream, working as part of a tight-knit team providing high-quality support and building strong relationships with education decision makers in low and middle income countries. This role is pivotal to furthering our team’s work to help decision makers in low and middle income countries translate evidence into practice, generate new learning, and facilitate evidence, knowledge and experience-sharing between experts, countries and stakeholder groups.
 
In leading the Helpdesk workstream, the Associate Director will take responsibility for the quality of Helpdesk support globally and manage relationships with key stakeholders with government agencies, UNICEF, the World Bank, FCDO and other partners. Each Helpdesk request involves interaction with senior decision-makers, so the AD must be comfortable to lead these engagements and coach others to do so as well.
 
Importantly, you will manage existing stakeholder relationships and cultivate new partnerships globally and regionally that maximize the impact of the Hub’s work, especially the Helpdesk portfolio. You will also play a key role in shaping the strategic development and direction of R4D’s Education portfolio and will make significant contributions to new business development, including in collaboration with other practice areas at R4D.
 
A successful candidate for this role will have EdTech research, implementation, and/or policymaking experience in low- and middle-income countries. The role requires empathetic listening to understand partners’ needs, combined with technical expertise in EdTech and people and program management skills to guide the oerationalisation of the support that decision-makers need. The AD must be a highly-motivated self-starter, a creative problem solver, have strong analytical, communication and collaboration skills, and will have a commitment to excellence and producing results. We are a team that is resourceful, responsible, tenacious, high-energy, and always has a positive attitude.
 
You will have the opportunity to have a significant impact by bringing your experience in education and EdTech to a team that has well-developed mechanisms for supporting decision-makers. You will have the chance to work on a daily basis with colleagues around the world, especially in Africa, South Asia, the US and the UK.
 
This position is open to in-person hybrid work or can be based remotely. It requires willingness and availability to travel internationally on an as-needed basis. It is open to candidates who are authorized to work from one of the following countries where R4D has a presence: Ghana (Accra), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), United Kingdom (London), United States (Washington, DC). The position reports to the Senior Program Director of R4D’s Global Education practice.
Responsibilities
  • Provide strategic and technical leadership and development of EdTech Hub’s Helpdesk portfolio, aligned to EdTech Hub’s strategy. Listen and probe to understand education decision-maker needs via Helpdesk scoping calls, and provide technical and managerial direction in responding to those needs. Link to existing EdTech evidence, examples, and resources
  • Conduct quality assurance (QA) reviews of Helpdesk deliverables, providing in-line comments, edits, and overall feedback on early and late-stage drafts. Guide teams on technical content, format, and length of deliverables that range from powerpoint slides and workshop agendas and materials, to topic briefs and evidence syntheses
  • Provide internal and external technical and thought leadership by:
  • representing EdTech Hub at events, conferences, workshops, and speaking engagements, both in-person (international travel expected) and virtually
  • contributing to technical guidance (i.e. good practices in education and EdTech) within EdTech Hub at both the senior leadership and implementation levels
  • coordinating and collaborating closely with EdTech Hub’s team of 14 country co-leads to provide technical input and expertise, quality assurance reviews, and strategic insight as requested 
  • Oversee and provide leadership of a team managing the day-to-day operationalisation of Helpdesk requests
  • give suggestions on staffing from across a multi-partner consortium and the Specialist Network, a group of diverse experts on EdTech
  • work with the Operations Senior Manager to identify operational needs for Helpdesk work
  • Lead a core Helpdesk team of 3 – 5 staff (ranging from 30% – 100% FTE) from R4D and partner organizations to action Helpdesk requests, supporting team members with:
  • Creative thinking to define next steps in response to partner needs
  • Guidance on level of effort (LOE) / days per request or task
  • Technical linkages across Helpdesk requests and Helpdesk / Country Engagement workstreams
  • Feedback to staff on performance and areas for growth
  • Oversee a complex, multi-donor annual Helpdesk budget, providing input to quarterly budget forecasting and working closely with Operations Senior Manager and R4D Finance teams to track R4D and partner spending, ensuring accuracy and compliance with funder requirements
  • Serve as a member of EdTech Hub’s Delivery Leadership Team, working to ensure alignment between EdTech Hub’s strategic operations and the delivery of its portfolio of work
  • Lead on select business development opportunities aligned with R4D’s organizational strategy, the R4D Education Team strategy, and EdTech Hub’s strategy, specifically contributing to EdTech Hub’s expansion within and beyond the life of core FCDO funding
  • Participate fully as a member of R4D by contributing, assisting and participating in projects, activities, and initiatives as requested by management
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