Project Manager: Online School For Afghan Girls

Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan
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Status: Part-time (2.5-3 days/a week)  

Type: Employment 

Location: Remote / home-based  

Eligibility: Open to candidates of any nationality

Employer: Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan)  

Duration: 24-month contract (including a 3-month probationary period) with the possibility  of extension  

Apply by: Open until filled

Job Description:

CW4WAfghan founded an independent, fully online secondary school serving Afghan girls and women, in 2022, as a response to the closure of girls’ secondary schooling in Afghanistan, building on our decade plus of experience conceptualizing and delivering programming in the area of technology for education, in the Afghan context. We have an exciting school growth plan for a school that will prepare girls in grades 7-9 to transition into a Canadian curriculum for grades 10-12, from which they will receive a Canadian high school diploma. We are seeking an exceptional leader with experience managing education projects in the Global South, who is focused on the achievement of learning outcomes among learners facing adversity. This role will include leading a diverse team of project personnel – including school leadership, coordinators, teaching support, technical specialists, and others – to achieve our target outcomes, through careful management of the project work plan and budget, rigorous performance measurement, and continuous team building. We are seeking a passionate, hardworking project management and educational professional who will play a pivotal role guiding this school into its next phase, creating bright futures for girls in Afghanistan who would otherwise be deprived of an education. 

Job Duties and Key Responsibilities:

  • Manage and convene the project team regularly, working towards the achievement of the deliverables outlined in the work plan;
  • Supervise a cross cultural project team, supporting staff performance, development and improvement; 
  • Support project personnel recruitment, with support of HR Associate; 
  • Work with school leadership to ensure quality control;
  • Prepare project narrative reporting (semi-annual reports and a final report, and serve as primary contact with donor;
  • Manage the school/project budget; 
  • Lead the development of key school policy documents including the school charter, operational forms, student evaluation and teacher supervision, development and evaluation policies; admissions criteria;
  • Utilize the support of, and supervise, the project’s technical specialists; 
  • Liaise with school institutional partners in Canada, Afghanistan and the region; 
  • Support and collaborate with the Projects & Performance Coordinator to monitor school performance and use results data to inform project decision making;
  • Ensure compliance with project contract and applicable policies and laws; 
  • Ensure project team adheres to good recordkeeping system, data management practices, and support organizing of knowledge management resources for team;
  • Liaise with the CW4WAfghan communications team as needed, to provide project data suitable for sharing with members and/or the public;
  • Participate in (remote) CW4WAfghan staff meetings, (in-person) annual staff retreat, and other organization-wide gatherings, as needed.

Qualifications:

  • Minimum eight years’ project management experience in the international development sector, in the field of education
  • Demonstrated understanding of theory of change, logic models/frameworks, performance management frameworks, and other results-based management tools
  • Master’s degree from accredited university
  • Passion for making the right to learn a reality for all and for the power of education to transform futures
  • Commitment to high standards in project management
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
  • Experience preparing results and operations reports for Government of Canada or other institutional donors
  • Able to take initiative, work independently and with a can-do attitude, juggling competing demands (e.g. remaining responsive to both internal and external requests)
  • Able to operate strategically but also with attention to detail
  • Respectful of deadlines, with strong time management skills
  • Ability to work independently and complete delegated tasks with own initiative
  • Fluency in spoken and written English is required;
  • International travel may be required in this role; however, not to Afghanistan.

Preferred/helpful:

  • Previous experience with projects funded by institutional donors (e.g. USAID, FCDO, World Bank, GAC, etc.)
  • Familiarity and experience with project management approaches (e.g. Scrum and alternatives) and tools for remote teams (e.g. Slack, Basecamp, etc.) 
  • Expertise in virtual and distance education
  • Familiarity with the administration and management of online schools
  • Experience working with a multinational team both in person and remotely
  • Experience working on shared drives such as GoogleDrive

To Apply:

Applications should include:

●  A cover letter describing the applicant’s relevant experience and interest in the position. The cover letter should be in the body of the email, and not an attached document.

●  Recommended: please include attachments or links to writing samples such as policies, project reports, or work plans developed by the applicant.

●  Applicant’s resume including two professional references.

Please apply soon, as applications are considered as they are received, via email to: Recruitment@CW4WAfghan.ca. Please insert the following text in the subject line of your email: “Vacancy: Project Director.” No phone calls please. Compensation package inquiries by email welcome. Only successful applicants will be contacted for an interview.

About CW4WAfghan:

Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan) exists to make the right to learn a reality.

We have supported human rights and education opportunities for girls and women in Afghanistan since 1998 by providing access to quality, gender equitable education. We have trained 10,000 teachers, established 300 libraries and science labs, and established a digital library with tens of thousands of downloads each month.

As of August 2021, Afghanistan became the only country in the world to ban women and girls from receiving an education. Working in partnership with Afghan women, CW4WAfghan has adapted programs to offer free virtual courses to connect thousands of Afghan women and girls with quality education. Our programs transform lives, promote gender equality, and uphold the right to learn.

Learn more about our work at cw4wafghan.ca