Early Care and Education Programme

To oversee the Early Care and Education Programme, including overseeing a comprehensive package of services for children from conception to 5 years of age.

**Critical Performance Areas**:

- PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT
- PRACTITIONER TRAINING
- LEARNER SUPPORT
- STAFF MANAGEMENT
- ADMINISTRATION

Responsibilities will include but is not limited to:
**PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT**
- Oversee the Early Care and Education Programme through developing, reviewing and guiding the implementation of programmatic initiatives.
- Oversee the development and review of the internal curriculum policies, programmes and standard operating procedures.
- Ensure internal staff are updated and trained on ECD policy and the latest focus in the South African ECD sector.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of the National ECD advocacy strategy in collaboration with other ECD sectors.
- Develop, implement and review guidelines for quality on-site training and support of practitioners.
- To build inter-sectoral partnerships to drive evidence-based support and service delivery.
- To build and promote an active community of best early care and education practices.
- Develop and strengthen existing assessment systems.
- Monitor and evaluate children's progress as per their development and implement evidence-based intervention.
- Oversee the tracking of learner progress and programmatic variables, as well as data management and identifying trends.
- Oversee the system for early identification and support of children.
- Oversee the management of the allocated budget in line with the financial policy and procedures
- Work collaboratively and cooperatively with the internal multi-disciplinary team (including the training of internal staff).
- Conduct basic analysis of data and provide comparative insights in terms of national trends or expectations for ECD through reporting.
- Create a tracking system to ensure that all staff adhere to their monthly schedules and timesheets.

**PRACTITIONER TRAINING**
- Training practitioners in the following domains:

- Programme Theory: A focus on theories related to infancy, early and middle childhood and adolescent development (age and stage appropriate) and theoretical content pertinent to the relevant stages of development
- Programme implementation: (curriculum, daily programme, initiative activities, etc.)
- Ensure all components of Practitioner Training are implemented.
- Assist the M&E Manager with practitioner assessments.

**LEARNER SUPPORT**
- Conduct and track Case conferences and discussions.
- Analyse learner progress and report thereon.
- Assist the Special Educational Needs Manager in developing learner intervention strategies.
- Assist the M&E Manager with tracking assessments.

**STAFF MANAGEMENT**
- Manage and support direct reports, including but not limited to onboarding, leave administration, managing performance and developing staff capability through mentoring and training.
- Assist the HR Manager with recruiting staff for relevant initiatives and activities.

**ADMINISTRATION**
- Oversee programme-specific budget allocations by tracking the budget and implementing the financial policy.
- Ensure that all administration is up-to-date.
- Assist and support the fundraising team with social media posts, suggesting interesting content, providing relevant photos, and taking out donors and visitors to farms/facilities.
- Submit summative and quarterly reports on time.

**Requirements**:

- A relevant Degree
- Minimum of 5 years Early Childhood Development experience (0-5 years) in a similar role
- Experience working in the non-profit (NPO) sector
- Sound knowledge of policies, frameworks, trends and best practices of Early Care and Education in South Africa
- Knowledge of the 2030 ECD goals, the visions of the Sustainable Development Goals in relation to ECD, national capacity building of practitioners, and National Development P
- Sound knowledge of a population-based approach to assessment and intervention
- Sound knowledge of inclusive educational practices

Applications close the 27th November 2024.