Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The first international organization I chose to explore was Save the Children.  This organization invests in children – every day, in times of crisis, and for the future. The organization helps children in the United States and from around the world.

“Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm . We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.” (Official USA Site, n.d.).

Save the Children has several program and policy focus areas.  These include humanitarian response, child protection, HIV/AIDS, education & child development, health & nutrition, hunger & livelihoods, and US programs.  The focus area that resonated with me is that Save the Children understands that education is the road that children follow to reach their full potential in life, yet many children in need around the world do not get a quality education where they can learn and develop. To advance learning, Save the Children supports education programs for children in the classroom and at home (Official USA Site, n.d.). Save the Children also supports early childhood interventions in education in many countries including the U.S.  I was able to find a job opportunity within this organization that interested me.

Manager, Early Childhood Education/Family Community Partnerships Location: US – ND – Williston Division.: U.S. Programs Description Summary The Early Childhood Manager/Family and Community Engagement manager is the person who provides early childhood technical and management oversight and support to the Head Start program to ensure effective coordination, implementation and monitoring of the education services and management of family services and community partnerships.  Under the supervision of the Program Director Head Start Programs, and working as a team member with other Save the Children early childhood staff, the ECM oversees the implementation of the education services at all  county sites, and works with all local educational institutions including LEAs, community partners, and other STC Head Start partners. Supervision of Family Service staff will provide management of the following; community partnerships, social services, ERSEA, volunteers and parent involvement. Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or related field and 5 years of relevant early childhood experience Experience in supervision Experience in working with low income children and families Training Experience Knowledge of the purpose of the Head Start/Early Head Start Program

The second international site I chose to explore was the Academy for Educational Development.  The site is now known as FHI 360 which stands for Family Health International.  FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization.  Their mission is, “To improve lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions for human development” (FHI 360, n.d.).  Staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research and technology creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today’s interrelated development challenges (FHI 360, n.d.). One section on this site sparked my interest.  This section described how FHI helps to provide educational opportunities to people of all ages. FHI is involved in innovations in early childhood education that help children enter school ready to learn. One job I found that looked interesting is as follows:
Director, Monitoring and Evaluation – Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and Family Planning

Job ID 18717

Job Locations Zimbabwe-Harare

Description: FHI 360 seeks to recruit a Director of Monitoring and Evaluation for an anticipated five-year Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and Family Planning project in Zimbabwe, focused on improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health services in targeted areas through a combined MNCH/FP activity. The Director of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) will be responsible for the design, implementation and technical quality of all monitoring and evaluation activities on the project. The M&E Director will ensure that all aspects of project performance are monitored and evaluated in accordance with the highest standards of data collection, management, and reporting, and in line with US AID’s requirements. S/he will lead analysis of data collected for assessment of progress and areas of improvement, guide reporting processes, consolidate program reports, promote learning and knowledge sharing of best practices and lessons learnt. S/he will supervise and support all M&E staff.

The major qualifications included:

Master’s degree or higher

8 years experience at senior level

Excellent report writing, analytical, and communication skills, including oral presentation skills

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The last international site that interested me was UNICEF. UNICEF is an organization that believes that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress.  UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path.  UNICEF believes that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity. This organization advocates for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future (UNICEF Home, n.d.). I took interest in the UNICEF site because they support goals for positive early childhood education experiences for the first years of life. UNICEF works with governments, civil society, communities and other stakeholders to design and implement inter-sectoral evidence-based ECD programs and policies that help young children reach their full potential by supporting families and communities, and by increasing access to quality early childhood care and education (UNICEF Home, n.d.).  UNICEF has jobs all over the world, and I found one that was of interest to me.
Education Officer, (NO-A), Beijing, China, Temporary Appointment 1 year

 UNICEF works with the Government of China to improve the quality of education across the country. We are now looking for a new stellar staff member to join our team to provide support to the quality basic education program, specifically, the child friendly school aspects. The incumbent will work with a number of colleagues and partners to:

• Support the management and monitoring of child friendly schools programme (CFS). This includes a focus on teaching and learning, social and emotional learning, sports and physical education, and WASH in schools
• Provide technical support to a large scale CFS impact study which is currently underway

To qualify, you will have…

• Master’s level university degree in Education or related discipline; Master’s in Education an advantage.
• Demonstrated expertise in conducting research and research skills
• Minimum two years of professional experience in education program implementation, administration, or monitoring and evaluation
• Expertise in teaching and learning and training experience an advantage

 

References:

FHI 360. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fhi360.org/

Official USA Site. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.B143/Official_USA_Site.htm

UNICEF Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/