CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: Development Alternatives, Inc.
Country: Liberia
Closing date: 09 Jan 2015

On behalf of our program partner, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center ( the LSU Ag Center), DAI seeks a Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist for a long-term field assignment the USAID Liberia Food and Enterprise Development (FED) project. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will serve as a long-term technical assistance employee of the LSU AgCenter under the supervision of the FED Chief of Party or his/her delegate.

BACKGROUND

FED is a USAID-funded project that aims to increase productivity, profitability, and access within the rice, cassava, vegetable, and goat value chains; improve nutrition; and strengthen food security. FED is focused on four priority counties (Grand Bassa, Bong, Nimba and Lofa) and two secondary counties, (Marghibi and Montserrado) The FED Program is being implemented to achieve the following component objectives:

• Component 1: Increase agricultural productivity and profitability and improve human nutrition
• Component 2: Stimulate private enterprise growth and investment;
• Component 3: Build local technical and managerial human resources to sustain and expand accomplishments achieved under components one and two.

This assignment focuses on Component 3. This component focuses on workforce development and building the technical and managerial capabilities of Liberians to engage in agriculture and related business. These activities complement FED’s other components by increasing the number of Liberians with the right skills and training. The Vocational Training and Non-Formal Education Specialist should assist in making curricula dynamic and practical to the current needs of the job market and design programs and incentives to link students and their teachers to growth areas of the Liberian work force and the economy.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Component Three of the FED project focuses on workforce development and building the technical and managerial capabilities of Liberians to engage in agriculture and related business. These activities complement FED’s other components by increasing the number of Liberians with the right skills and training. Generally, the main challenge with Vocational Educational schools in developing countries is to make their teaching relevant to the current needs of the local job market. There are a lot of things that constrain their ability to do this - including poor education levels of Voc Ed students, outdated and overly theoretical curricula, lack of incentives to connect students to the job market, and lack of connections between the Voc Ed staff and current industry needs. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will assist in making curricula dynamic and practical to the current needs of the job market and design programs and incentives to link students and their teachers to growth areas of the Liberian work force and the economy.

The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will provide expertise in a number of areas: to help the Government of Liberia [GOL] and the Liberian staff upgrade four institutions: the Booker Washington Institute (BWI) in Kakata and the community colleges in Grand Bassa, Nimba, and Lofa Counties. These activities will include new approaches to training, including in-service courses, internships, work-study, and use of ITC, etc. Development of appropriate modern curriculum and innovative training methods to provide the skills for new entrants into commercial agribusiness will be a key outcome. It is important that all curricula developed by the project be gender sensitive and socially inclusive to appropriately transfer relevant knowledge to a variety of audiences.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center is a sub-contractor to Development Alternatives, Inc.; the Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will serve as a Long-Term Technical Assistance employee of the LSU AgCenter under the supervision of the FED Chief of Party or his/her delegate.

The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will embrace a gender-sensitive and socially inclusive capacity building approach to all interventions in the three community colleges and BWI and support the other components to establish a network of suitable training partners in the FED counties. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will undertake a number of innovative non-traditional approaches to gender sensitive and socially inclusive educational programs and workforce development. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will ensure that interventions that are implemented to improve the performance of vocational education schools are sustainable by continually obtaining Liberian input from the various organizations engaged in training.

The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will work to sustainably build Liberian capacity to provide the right kind of training, in the right place and time and tailored to Liberia. FED’s interventions will enhance the capacity of the vocational colleges to become Centers of Excellence [COEs] in vocational education and outreach. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will be responsible for developing programs to attract more women into these institutions. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will work with the Ministries of Youth and Sport and Education to build upon the accomplishments of the USAID’s other education programs, to expand adult education opportunities particularly to women and to youth.

The following are key areas in which the Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will focus:

1. Provide leadership, guidance and oversight in the implementation of FED Component 3 activities that are part of the workplan such as the National Degree of Agriculture curriculum roll out with one graduating class by the end of the project and greater youth enrollment; implementation of the science lab establishment and procedures for use and sustainability; and developing innovative practical learning exercises that are woven into the syllabi and lesson plans to ensure students gain practical skills from the program.
2. Work with FED’s Component 1 staff to define the real labor and skill needs of the agricultural sector, in general, and FED’s value chains in particular; and to define the necessary career skills for the vocational graduates, develop internships with industry players, as well as clarify the roles of the various GoL institutions and private sector organizations.
3. Take the lead in the continued development of four existing vocational centers into Centers of Excellence for vocational agricultural education through curricula and instructional capacity improvement, facilities establishment/upgrading, community outreach expansion and institutional systems strengthening.
4. Capacity-building of the agriculture departments of CoEs via coaching and exposure visits to profitable enterprises.
5. Ensure that the curricular, facilities and instructional capacity improvement activities align with the upgrading strategies for FED’s priority value chains in FED’s counties of operation, including establishment of demonstration farms showcasing the improved technologies that FED is promoting.
6. Plan and work closely with the GOL ministries and other organizations engaged in this sector to develop local technical and managerial human resources, which include supporting the trainings provided by the other Components.
7. Work with other complementary USAID and other donor-funded projects.
8. Take the lead in customizing interventions for each institution’s specific situation and needs and ensure that such assistance will be guided by the demand for skills, thus ensuring alignment of skill enhancement with specific labor market needs and commercial opportunities.
9. Ensure that curricula revisions are transformational and promote the entrance of men and women in nontraditional roles.
10. Work with vocational training center staff, students, returning Liberian expatriates and the existing alumni organizations to link students to previous graduates for career opportunities.
11. Perform other tasks as needed and requested by the Chief of Party.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:The minimum required qualifications for this position are as follows:

1. An MS or a combination of education and experience in agricultural vocational education, rural development or related field;
2. Ten years experience in international agricultural education including development of programs.
3. Excellent personnel management, interpersonal, networking and team building skills
4. Effective writing and organizational skills to prepare reports, complete analyses and make presentations.
5. Excellent written and spoken English; and
6. Computer/software skills, including the use of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

An applicant having the following preferred qualifications will receive additional consideration:

1. Knowledge of African agricultural development and familiarity with Sub-Saharan African countries particularly in agriculture, vocational education and workforce development;
2. Previous position in the field of vocational education or workforce development;
3. Knowledge of Liberia’s agriculture and workforce development in recent years;
4. Successful experience in actual enterprise management or private sector experience;
5. Experience working with information technology experts or in non-traditional education;
6. A minimum of 5 years of experience working on a USAID-funded field project; and
7. Knowledge of training approaches and curriculums for use in low literate environments.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:The successful candidate will be an employee of the LSU AgCenter’s International Programs office. Employment is anticipated to begin on or about February 2, 2015. The position will be based in Monrovia, Liberia. Applicable USG mandated allowances for an expatriate professional approved under the DAI contract and approved by the LSU AgCenter will be provided.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The LSU AgCenter has an attractive benefits package with a wide variety of benefit options. Benefits offered include retirement, multiple medical insurance options, supplemental insurances (dental, life, long-term disability, accident, vision, long-term care, etc.), Tax Saver Flexible Benefits Plan (saves tax dollars on some child care and medical expenses), university holidays (14 per year, typically includes a week off at Christmas), generous annual (vacation) and sick leave benefits, Employee Assistance Program, and possible educational leave and tuition exemption for coursework at campuses of the LSU System. Specific benefits depend on job category, percent effort and length of employment.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 9, 2105 or until suitable candidate is located.

How to apply:

Must apply online at https://lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu/ by attaching cover letter, resume, three references, a writing sample of up to three pages on a topic of the applicant’s choice, and salary requirements. Paper, faxed or e-mailed application materials will not be accepted. For more information, contact:

Carl Motsenbocker

International Programs

LSU AgCenter

160 C Hatcher Hall

Baton Rouge, La. 70803
email: cmotsenbocker@agcenter.lsu.edu