Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) Consultant – Policy and Advocacy

Job details

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: Level 3: The post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff. ROLE PURPOSE: The STTA will serve as the primary liaison between Save the Children International, implementing partners, the School Education & Literacy Department (SELD), Government of Sindh, development partners, and other key stakeholders. The STTA will be responsible for ensuring effective implementation, policy integration, visibility, sustainability, and scale-up of the school meals initiative across Sindh. SCOPE OF ROLE: • Type: Short-term consultancy for duration of 9 months • Travel: Required to field locations including but not limited to: Karachi, and Sindh Province target districts (e.g., Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan) • Budget responsibilities: None • Key internal contacts: USDA Project Management, SC Pakistan Senior Management Team • Key external contacts: Relevant Federal and provincial Government Departments and stakeholders KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DELIVERABLES: • Regular coordination with School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh and other stakeholders. • Facilitate the periodic meetings with SELD’s senior officials, including but not limited to Minister, Secretary, and other officials for sharing program briefs/progress and to seek their support where required. • Support cross-departmental coordination for Joint Steering Committee and Technical Advisory Group meetings, and onward engagement between SELD and Health, Social Protection, Sindh Food Authority, and Planning and Development Department staff and leadership as required for smooth implementation of SSSM activities. • Draft minutes of meetings and follow-up on procedural issuance through department. • Coordination with SELD’s Reform Support Unit, UNICEF, World Bank, and ADB for identifying areas of replication, materials support, mutual collaboration, and overall convergence of activities to ensure maximum impact in GoS schools. • Support ongoing efforts around use of/learnings from SSSM’s efforts to apply the School Specific Budget (SSB), the Student Attendance, Monitoring and Redressal System (SAMRS), and other best practices from within GoS projects to SSSM-supported schools and districts. • Support SSSM in ways that ensure continued, iterative alignment on GoS policies and plans, ranging from the Education Sector Plan to budgets, SOPs, new initiatives (in particular related to school health and nutrition), and relevant policies (around teacher professional development, foundational learning etc.) • Support continued alignment and close coordination between Save the Children and WFP in overall implementation of the activities under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Programme. • Work jointly with SSSM team to align visibility and dissemination of material and information pertaining to school meals with and through both SSSM-supported platforms as well as other donor/GoS activities focused on school health, nutrition, and early childhood and foundational learning activities. This may include: • Arrange Podcasts for raising awareness about SSSM’s work and alignment with GoS initiatives on school feeding, child health and nutrition, and educational quality. (Timeline: Ongoing; anticipated one activity per month) • Ensure visibility for SSSM activities/leadership with senior officials, local education and interest-based local education and other stakeholder working groups, as well as broader events/forums linked to public-private partnerships, literacy/numeracy/formal and non-formal education, and school health and nutrition. (Timeline: Ongoing; anticipated one activity per month) • Coordination with WFP on school health and nutrition campaigns, IEC messages, and other outreach activities. • Foster the implementation of ECCE & FL Policy in coordination with Directorate General of Early Childhood Education & Care. • Coordinate with SCI technical experts and other stakeholders (e.g., UNICEF/World Bank) to support a review of the Sindh ECCE & FL Policy 2024 and to guide SCI Technical team/consultants and other stakeholders towards a draft implementation framework for presentation to GoS stakeholders (Timeline: End of August). • Support SSSM in identifying and aligning with other stakeholders and CSR for uplifting community spaces as ECCE friendly safe spaces for learning in project focused areas. • Support SSSM in linkages with STEDA and other relevant departments to ensure ongoing prioritization of ECCE certification/certified teacher placements in SSSM intervention schools. • Any other task, mutually decided to support the effective implementation of SSSM Project. BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice ): Accountability: • Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values • Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved Ambition: • Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same • Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others • Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale. Collaboration: • Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters • Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength • Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to Creativity: • Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions • Willing to take disciplined risks Integrity: • Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity QUALIFICATIONS: • Master’s degree in education, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Management Sciences, Development Studies, Public Administration, or a related discipline. • Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in donor-funded education programs, INGOs, government reform initiatives, or development sector projects in Sindh. • Demonstrated experience of working closely with senior leadership of the School Education & Literacy Department, Government of Sindh. Current experience within SELD is required. • Strong expertise in education policy formulation, sector planning, reform implementation, governance, and stakeholder engagement. • Excellent command of English, Urdu, and Sindhi languages (written and verbal). • Comprehensive understanding of Sindh’s education reforms, sector plans, ECCE, foundational learning, school improvement initiatives, and public sector systems. Preferred Profile: • The ideal candidate will possess a profile closely aligned with senior education reform and policy advisory roles in Sindh, including: • Proven leadership in designing and implementing education sector reforms and strategic initiatives. • Extensive engagement with government departments, development partners, civil society organizations, and education stakeholders. • Experience in establishing Centers of Excellence, ECCE and Foundational Learning initiatives, communication and advocacy campaigns, and evidence-based policy interventions. • Strong understanding of public sector governance, planning, monitoring, and institutional strengthening. • Demonstrated ability to prepare high-level briefs, speeches, policy notes, and strategic communication products for senior government leadership. • Established professional relationships with key education sector stakeholders including UNICEF, World Bank, ADB, SEF, and other development partners. • Exceptional coordination, negotiation, representation, and stakeholder management skills. EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS: Essential: • Strong knowledge and understanding of government structures, functions, and coordination mechanisms. • Proven experience in government liaison and facilitation of official processes, including securing NOCs and departmental approvals. • Good understanding of issues and development challenges in Pakistan. • Excellent coordination, communication, and writing skills with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders. • Fluency in English, Urdu, and Sindhi required. • Applicants are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could compromise, or reasonably be perceived to compromise, their independence or impartiality in carrying out this assignment. This includes current employment, advisory engagements, or decision-making responsib