Program Officer for MoHE Policy Support

About Afghanistan Higher Education Project

Job Summary

A. GENERAL SUMMARY OF POSITION:
The Higher Education Project (HEP) is looking for a dynamic, hardworking, individual interested in, and knowledgeable about, national policy specifically and ministry operations to work with the Senior Higher Education Specialist and the Deputy Minister for Academic Affairs on policy, planning, and implementation of the National Higher Education Strategic Plan. This position offers a rare opportunity to be involved in the higher education change process and participate in efforts at higher education transformation.
Overall the Program Officer for MoHE Policy Support will work closely with the Senior Higher Education Specialist to provide technical and administrative support to select Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) officials, senior higher education officials, the Human Resource Development Cluster (consisting of the MoHE, MoE, MoWA, MoLSAMD, and MoPH) and other Ministries, NGOs, and others working in higher education. S/he will work with the MoHE, relevant higher education institutions on a variety of policy initiatives that are associated with the HEP extension, and support the ongoing implementation of the National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2010-2014. In the absence of the Senior Higher Education Specialist, s/he will provide programmatic guidance and ad hoc supervision to select members of HEP’s MoHE Support team. Women are especially encouraged to apply.

Duties & Responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Within the approved HEP scope of work and as appropriate,
1. Support the work of the Senior Higher Education Specialist at the MoHE by providing technical and administrative support to the Deputy Minister for Academic Affairs and other senior staff at the MoHE, as well as select staff at other Afghan government offices, public universities and NGOs.
2. As required and with project approval, meet with commissions, inter-ministerial boards and working groups.
3. Support the preparation of action plans and official documents of the MoHE.
4. Work with the Quality Assurance Commission and other commissions as a member and/or secretary.
5. Work with Higher education institutions on their strategic planning, quality assurance processes, and other HEP-related initiatives.
6. Assist with the capacity development of staff at the MoHE, higher education institutions, and other stakeholder institutions.
7. Assist with the organization and implementation of training workshops, and the development of training tools and materials.
8. Edit and proof-read documents by HEP and key stakeholders.
9. Collect data, analyze and write up findings on topics relevant to HEP and its MoHE Support activities.
10. Prepare reports and summaries on relevant topics for use by HEP and key stakeholders.
11. Assist with the organization and documentation of meetings and interviews.
12. Attend meetings and consultations at the MoHE, donor institutions, and stakeholder groups.
13. Provide program/activity summaries for HEP reports and project documents.
14. Translate and provide other assistance requested by the Senior Higher education Specialist, Ministry Officials, or HEP’s Chief of Party.
15. Assist with the training of new staff including executive assistants.
16. In the absence of the Senior Higher Education Specialist,
i. Manage key elements of the MOHE Support activities, providing programmatic guidance and ad hoc supervision of staff; and
ii. Serve as the primary point of contact to senior representatives from the MoHE and other stakeholder institutions.

Job Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
1. University education (bachelor’s degree). Master’s degree preferred.
2. No less than two years relevant work experience, preferably related to higher education (MoHE or a similar institution).
3. Experience with international development organizations or donor funded development projects is preferred.
4. Excellent administrative and communication skills.
5. Must be fluent in Dari; knowledge of Pashto is a plus.
6. Fluency in English is required.
7. Ability to work independently and in a team.
8. Ability to organize and effectively follow through on multiple complex tasks.
9. Good judgment and decision-making skills.
10. Excellent interpersonal skills; able to work under pressure.
11. Ability to respect confidential and/or sensitive information, and to work with senior representatives of government ministries and other stakeholder institutions.
12. Knowledge of Afghan culture, international norms of conduct, and the current political situation in Afghanistan.
13. Experienced in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.
B. SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Direct supervision will be provided by the Senior Higher Education Specialist. Indirect supervision will be provided by the Chief of Party.

C. SUPERVISION EXERCISED
This position will provide programmatic guidance and ad hoc supervision of staff in the absence of the Senior Higher Education Specialist.

Submission Guideline

CVs and letters of interest must be submitted to the following email address for consideration. To facilitate review, please include names and contact information for relevant references. The Program Officer for MOHE Policy Support title must be indicated in the subject line of your e-mail.

Recruit3@hep-af.org

We thank all individuals for their interest, however only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Functional Area

Education

Countries

Apply Now