Project Director - School Disaster Management

Role
Save the Children is about to begin the implementation of an 18-month project with funding from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO). The project focuses on school disaster management (SDM) in Bangladesh by operationalising the global Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF).

The objective of the project is to increase the resilience and safety of students, teachers, schools, and the education programme in Bangladesh through the institutionalisation of SDM in the education sector in the primary, secondary, and non-formal education (NFE) systems.

This will be achieved through significant advocacy efforts and technical support for the Government of Bangladesh to support the institutionalisation and capacity-building process. The project focuses not on establishing new systems but rather on incorporating SDM within existing systems, programmes, and policies. As Save the Children is the co-lead of the Education Cluster, the project will also lead on SDM coordination and advocacy efforts more broadly among education stakeholders in Bangladesh. The project will support the joint development of SDM technical documents with Government of Bangladesh education authorities, including guidelines, training manuals, and policies/logislation. The project will also support the update of the Bangladesh national curriculum and the development of educational materials to assist teachers in delivering DRR lessons in the classroom.

The International Project Manager – School Disaster Management will be responsible for the overall management, implementation, and coordination of the project, including activity monitoring, financial monitoring, and reporting. S/He will be responsible for representation and relationship-building between Save the Children and other international and national NGOs, donor partners, and government stakeholders at national coordination and advocacy platforms. S/He will be responsible for the development and delivery of advocacy activities with donor partners and government stakeholders, both high-level (policy/legislation) and project-level. S/He will act as the lead on SDM activities in country and will provide technical support to other ECHO-funded projects and other stakeholders as requested. S/He will provide technical support to the development of all written materials produced under the project, including guidelines, training manuals, education materials, curriculum, and policies/governance documents. The position will be the head of the Save the Children SDM Unit, directly supervising and six national staff. The project will be implemented by three local partner organisations, and this position will be responsible for ensuring that sufficient technical and operational support is provided to the partner organisation and that programme quality is maintained.

Key Area 1: Advocacy

• Build relationships with key government stakeholders in Bangladesh, especially education authorities at ministry and directorate level, government education training departments, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), and the Department of Disaster Management to encourage the implementation of project activities and influence government policies, procedures, and systems.
• Build relationships with key donor partners in Bangladesh, especially those who support education programming, to encourage uptake of SDM within education sector-wide programmes, the prioritisation of SDM as a quality-linked issue within the education sector, and the continued/future support of SDM programming.
• Support and supervise the development and implementation of a joint advocacy strategy and action plan together with other ECHO-funded disaster risk reduction actors in Bangladesh. Support the implementation of the Education Cluster advocacy strategy.
• Support the active engagement of Education Cluster members in SDM issues/activities and provide technical support and mentorship to the Senior Manager – Education Cluster.
• Build relationships with key education international and national NGO stakeholders and networks to create collective positioning and action on SDM issues and encourage replication of SDM models.

Key Area 2: Coordination/Representation

• Represent Save the Children in coordination fora and promote the inclusion of SDM on the agenda of coordination meetings in the Humanitarian and Education sectors.
• Prepare and deliver presentations on SDM in Bangladesh and the ECHO-funded SDM project to raise awareness among key stakeholders, including donor partners, government stakeholders, and the (I)NGO community.
• Maintain regular, productive communications with donor agencies, consortium members and other actors working in the education sector and DRR, as well as all projects within the Save the Children Education, Humanitarian, and Child Protection teams.
• Communicate with DG ECHO in Bangladesh on any query related to the ECHO-funded SDM project in coordination with Save the Children Sweden who lead on the relationships with ECHO in Brussels.

Key Area 3: Technical Support

• Provide technical support and mentorship to all SDM team staff to build the overall team capacity in disaster risk reduction in education, education in emergencies, community-based disaster preparedness, and disaster response.
• Provide technical support to all Save the Children Bangladesh Education and Humanitarian sector staff to promote the mainstreaming of SDM and ensure the technical quality of SDM activities implemented by other projects.
• Ensure the technical quality of all written documents produced through the project, including guidelines, training manuals, and policy documents.
• Ensure the technical quality of the implementation of all project activities, including drills, planning exercises, etc.
• Liaise with Save the Children global DRR technical advisors, SCI South Asian School Safety Initiative (SASSI) technical advisors, and Save the Children Sweden technical advisors to promote knowledge/resource sharing and coordination and ensure that the technical approach of the project is in line with the overall approach of Save the Children and ECHO.
• Provide technical support on SDM to all ECHO-funded DRR partners, Education Cluster members, and others implementing SDM activities in Bangladesh as requested.
• Ensure the consideration of gender and disability throughout all project activities.

Key Area 4: Programme Implementation and Monitoring

• Lead on the development, review, and periodic revision of the project Detailed Implementation Plan and ensure that the project is implemented effectively, on time, and within budget.
• Coordinate with the SCI Grants team and Save the Children Sweden to produce and distribute monthly Budget vs Actual (BVA) tracking. Coordinate the SDM team to review the BVA monthly to ensure that spending is on track throughout the project period.
• Monitor project progress through field visits, review of indicators, and meetings with staff, communities, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements at all levels (reporting, procurement, visibility, budget, etc).

Key Area 5: Reporting, Documentation, and Communications

• Prepare periodic reports for internal monitoring and the interim and final reports for the donor.
• Provide technical support, training, and mentorship for the SDM team and partner NGO on proper programmatic and financial monitoring and reporting.
• Provide editing support to documents produced under the project, such as newsletters, brochures, press releases, case studies, etc.

Key Area 6: Program Development

• Support the development of proposals for new SDM-related funding opportunities as needed, especially in case of emergency