Applications are invited from interested and suitably qualified candidates for Lively Minds Recruitment for GES Liaise Officer.

Lively Minds is an award-winning international NGO currently working in both Ghana and Uganda to ensure that children in highly deprived communities receive a quality education and care in their early years- the age that makes such a big difference to their future development. Working through government partnerships, we leverage existing local systems and resources to deliver a programme that gives the opportunity for 30-40 Mothers in rural communities to enrol on a 2-year Parenting Course run by schools and to come to the school each day in groups to assist teachers in running a Play Scheme in the KG. This programme not only improves the quality of KG education but also improves home-based care and is shown to have positive impacts on children, mothers and the community. In Ghana, they partner with Ghana Education Service (GES) to enable GES at District level to run and sustain the programme to a high standard in their respective districts. Lively Minds provides start-up training to each district, which includes training of KG Teachers and Head Teachers, but it is up to the districts to run and sustain.

Job Responsibilities

Conduct initial engagement and on-boarding activities for new Districts (i.e. planning for and participating in sensitization meetings, negotiation sessions, set-up of District Team responsible for carrying out the Parenting Course and Play Scheme/Peer Run Play Scheme programme in the district)
Support Lively Minds Training Team in planning for and delivering high quality start-up training to schools and intensive workshops for GES officials
Coach and capacity-build GES District Team(s) to ensure the on-going success of the programme in the District(s):
- Regularly travel to and call the district(s) to coach/mentor District team, obtain updates, collect data, problem solve and ascertain the health of the programme
- Prepare in advance of site visits, including work planning, budgeting for site activities, mobilizing participants, arranging accommodation and meal logistics, etc.
- Draft detailed reports on site visits and share this information within Lively Minds
- Inform management of developments within your district(s)
Collect and collate data used for Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) analysis
- Be able to train and manage independent data collectors working on behalf of Lively Minds
Build and manage successful relationships with a range of different stakeholders, including but not limited to; community leaders, programme Mothers, KG teachers, Head Teachers, District GES officials, Regional and National GES officials, donors and partner organisations, and Lively Minds colleagues
Support the Lively Minds Training Team to deliver efficient and effective planning, implementation, evaluation and updates to training that supports Lively Minds programmes in your district and others
Support in advocacy activities that help Lively Minds Ghana achieve nationwide scale
Help to develop the long-term strategic vision of Lively Minds Ghana
Identify opportunities to improve Lively Minds programmes

Ensure absolute accountability and value for money at all times
Act as an effective team member and promote mutual respect amongst colleagues
Be flexible and willing to alter plans if the strategic goals of Lively Minds change
Ensure that all work is carried out professionally and diligently in line with Lively Minds Ghana values, policies and procedures and to promote the good name and reputation of Lively Minds in Ghana
Carry out any other tasks reasonably requested to the highest possible standards.

Skills & Experience

Excellent Interpersonal Skills: Can work effectively with District GES officials as well as teachers, young children, rural women and Regional/National GES officials as well as Lively Minds colleagues
Planning & Co-ordination Skills: Can plan and organize time and resources effectively, working to strict deadlines with results orientated focus and make use of proprietary tools to achieve this
Excellent Communication Skills: Can keep clearing, consistent messaging and is able to coach others to do the same
Critical Reasoning & Problem Solving: Can analyse risks and find/implement creative solutions to issues as they arise
Stakeholder Management: Good negotiation skills and the ability to influence GES District officials, as well as other stakeholders such as KG teachers, Head Teachers
Leadership Skills: Lead people in identifying training needs and requirements. Coach and motivate others to be able to run the programme to a high standard challenge poor performance.

Requirements

Licensed rider/driver
Good report writing skills – can deliver actions/results oriented reports
ICT skills: Mobile monitoring, e-mail, project management platforms, Google Calendar, Microsoft Word and Excel
Have a base knowledge in education especially Early Childhood Development
Fluency in Grune, Frafra, Nabt, or other UER languages is desirable.