Early Childhood Development (ECD) Lead

Responsible for overseeing implementation of an integrated ECD project that incorporates centralized playhouses and an associated community outreach arm. This role involves developing robust systems to integrate with and enrich ECD service providers in the selected localities and manage teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES

ECD Systems and Processes

• Set up systems, processes, documents, and protocols to develop a network for an integrated ECD innovation across four provinces in South Africa (SA), starting with a hub-and-spoke pilot in KZN.
• Liaise with project partner specialist(s) to ensure protocols and systems are appropriate for SA’s ECD landscape.
• Conduct regular knowledge sharing within the team to identify and improve upon successful ECD implementation methodologies in similar contexts.

Training & On-Boarding

• Collaborate with project partners to ensure development of high-quality training of ECD workforce based on agreed training modules.
• Review and help design relevant ECD guidebooks, manuals, etc. to be used by the ECD workforce, including Home Kits for outreach teams.
• Ensure identification, recruitment, and on-boarding of ECD workforce within the pilot stage, and scale-up.

Data Management and Quality Assurance

• Work with Monitoring and Evaluation team, and relevant project partner specialists, to design appropriate data capturing and quality assurance protocols and tools.
• Monitor and develop mechanisms to improve uptake of ECD services by children and their caregivers.
• Support the Site Project Director in working with a vendor to develop an integrated ECD application to support data capturing, consolidating, and monitoring of service utilization after compiling learnings from the pilot.

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

• Working with the relevant stakeholder engagement group of the project to identify and scope outreach ECD facilitators for the pilot utilizing agreed upon criteria for selection.
• Collaborate with project partners and stakeholders to define criteria for a Request for Proposals (RFPs) to scale-up the model across other regions/provinces in SA.
• Work with Community Engagement Lead to develop awareness raising strategies, scripts, and materials to promote playful parenting and increase knowledge of the innovation in the community.

Management

• Consolidate and share insights with the Site Project Director and present at relevant forums, such as Project Management Unit, Domain Working Groups, or other internal and external meetings where appropriate.
• Write reports and draft presentations for donors, partners, and disseminate where appropriate.
• Work cross-functionally with a multidisciplinary team that includes technical functions, such as Mental Health, Community Engagement, M&E, as well as support functions, such as Operations, HR, Finance, and Communications, to ensure effective implementation.

Required Qualification

• Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Development and Education, Developmental/Child Psychology, or a related field.

Required Experience

• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in project management, ideally within the Early Childhood Development (ECD), education, or public health sectors.

Required Skills

• Strong written and spoken communication skills in English. In addition, need to be able to communicate in IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, or Afrikaans.