Curriculum & Training Officer

PEN’s mission is to improve STEM learning outcomes in the Ghana education system by building teacher capacity. The teacher training programmes PEN provides is infused with MIT-style, learning-by-doing to enable hands-on science regardless of resource constraints. PEN offers a series of workshops where Ghanaian STEM teachers learn, design, and share hands-on activities which complement the national curriculum and are created from low-cost and locally available materials.

PEN’s partners include MIT, Ashesi University, ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Ghana

(Deepwater) Ltd, Ghana Association of Science Teachers and others.

JOB POSITION: Curriculum & Training Officer

SALARY RANGE: GHS 1,300.00 – 2,920.00 (Gross)

WORK STATION: Accra

EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Fixed Term (Full Time)

EMPLOYMENT DURATION: 1 Year (Renewable. Includes three (3)months’ probation)

JOB PURPOSE: To design, refine, and facilitate PEN’s hands-on teacher training in the online environment. To develop new hands-on STEM activity content, leveraging materials readily available in the Ghanaian context, generating instructions, lesson plans, and other curricular formats

Practical Education Network (PEN) is accepting applications for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and passionate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum and training professionals. Applicants must have a strong
background in both science/mathematics, and they must have significant experience in teacher training and curriculum development. They must have a deep understanding of the STEM ecosystem in Ghana, including curricula, standards and policy developments. The Curriculum & Training Officer should possess strong digital skills, as he/she will be facilitating a majority of training in the online environment.

• Design and organize highly engaging and experiential STEM teacher training workshops in synchronous online, asynchronous online, and in-person formats
• Utilize strong inquiry-based and engagement skills to facilitate PEN training in the online environment
• Design hands-on STEM content in various forms, including videos, lesson plans, instructional guides, online assignments, marking schemes, and more. This will cover new PEN training modules and as well as re-design of existing ones
• Feature in videos that are highly interactive and exemplify PEN’s inquiry-based learning approach in a  way that viewers can replicate and gain inspiration from to shift their own pedagogies
• Provide one-on-one support for teachers to facilitate hands-on science for learners. This will either be in-person or remote, depending on the training program.
• Monitor teacher progress through the training program, by reviewing activity submissions, marking them, providing constructive feedback, and following up with those who need additional support
• Collaborate with the Administration Officer and Communications Officer to establish frequent phone call and online contact with beneficiary teachers, especially for those who need technical support and/or reminders of the upcoming training.
• Establish effective relationships with education stakeholders especially the regional and district education directors and district science coordinators, garnering their ownership of the program, gaining their support to mobilize teachers, resulting in strong teacher participation levels in the training and district office involvement in follow-up programs
• Facilitate the visits of PEN staff from the Headquarters and other official visitors who visit the project districts.
• Support the Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (RMEL) officer and field data collectors to achieve RMEL objectives.
• Keep up-to-date data on the PEN training beneficiaries and report any challenges or opportunities to the Programs Manager on a regular basis.
• Write and submit timely monthly reports with pictures and other material evidence to the Programs Manager.
•  Supervise and contribute to the development of PEN’s primary school mathematics manual, JHS mathematics manual, and JHS science manual, ensuring a high level of content quality developed through ideation and testing.

The Curriculum & Training Officer shall report directly to the Programs Manager.

A minimum Bachelor’s degree in Education with pure science or any other scientific disciplines as a major. An MA or MPhil in Science Education is an added advantage.

Job applicant must have a minimum of five (5) years post national service (Ghana) work experience in science teaching, science education content/curriculum development, teacher training, and any other STEM-related field.

Professional command of the English language is a minimum requirement.

• Learning
• Integrity
• Generosity
• Humility
• Transparency

• Strong ability to operate in the digital environment, including mastery of Zoom as a training platform, Google Classroom, Slack and Trello.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational and administrative skills
• Creativity and innovation to find effective solutions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relationships while respecting the diversity of people and being sensitive to their needs.
• Ability to establish clear goals and to achieve desired results consistent with agreed strategies and targets.
• Ability to analyze data and all other sources of information, to break them into component parts, patterns and relationships and demonstrates an understanding of how one issue may be a part of a much larger system.
• Applicable skills in the use of data tools such as Microsoft Excel and others.
• Ability to defensively drive with a valid driver’s license.

Interested applicants should send their Resume/CV, Cover Letter and other supporting documents to the email: jobs@practicaleducationnetwork.com

Email subject should be [VACANCY POSITION_YOUR NAME]. For example: [​CURRICULUM & TRAINING OFFICER_RITA​ ASHONG]

DEADLINE: Friday, 23rd April 2021. (Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Applications received after the deadline may not be considered.)