Job Description

Lively Minds is a small but award-winning NGO working to improve the lives of deprived children in rural Ghana through an innovative early childhood development programme. We train and support Kindergarten Teachers and uneducated vulnerable mothers, to run educational Play Schemes in school kindergartens, and to provide better home-based care. The Play Schemes reach young children at a crucial stage in their development, improving their education, health and wellbeing. Our evaluations show dramatic positive effects on the children, the teachers and the Mothers. 

The training elements of the programme are delivered using a training of trainers approach.  Lively Minds provides centralised training for Kindergarten teachers, who in turn train and support a groups of Mothers in their own communities. 

Project description

These are exciting times for Lively Minds. We have recently secured a 3 year grant to test ways to scale the model and hand it over to GES.  Over the grant period we will roll-out the project to 250 schools handing over implementation responsibility to GES partners, conduct a rigorous evaluation in partnership with an award-winning international evaluation team and build the case for Government adoption and replication. 

The Senior Training Officer will be a key part of our small training team and is expected to take a lead role in developing, delivering and refining the existing curriculum and coaching GES stakeholders to take-over responsibility for all training elements of the programme.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Planning and developing training

• To develop high quality training activities (including lesson plans, learning materials, budgets, support tools), that are tailored appropriately for the target user/audience.
• To work with GES and other stakeholders to adapt the training curriculum to improve scalability and cost-effectiveness, particularly by identifying ways that training can be incorporated into existing GES activities.
• To adopt a behavior-change approach.  In particular,  identifying desired behaviors; conducting needs assessments to identify knowledge gaps, attitudinal barriers and resource, financial and capacity limitations;   designing creative approaches to transfer key messages and motivate participants to take action;  to identify ways to support and reinforce new behaviours and skills
• To use project management techniques to ensure that preparation is complete on time, that resources are used effectively and that risk mitigation plans are in place

Delivery and quality control

• To prepare colleagues and stakeholders to facilitate training activities
• To facilitate training to the highest standard, in accordance with lesson plans and using effective communication techniques
• To coach and support colleagues and stakeholders to deliver high quality training-  recognizing and re-producing best practices, and managing any poor performance.
• To conduct field visits to supervise and observe the quality of training conducted by Kindergarten Teachers, colleagues and GES partners. 
• To monitor Play Schemes to analyse the effectiveness of the training and further training or support needs
• To report any risks or successes that may impact on the programme quality and develop and share plans to meet those needs/opportunities, communicating and cooperating with fellow team members and stakeholders
• To support the collection of data and evaluation of performance at training activities. Understanding, updating and acting upon Key Performance Indicator (KPI) information collected by yourself and colleagues
• To own a database of all training materials so that templates can be reused and lessons learnt and incorporated

Stakeholder management

• To work with colleagues to increase GES engagement and ownership over all elements of the programme, with a specific focus on training GES staff to deliver activities that are currently delivered by Lively Minds staff
• To maintain and develop stakeholder relationships – including with community leaders, GES partners, other NGOs

Team role

• To be responsive to the needs of both the Training Manager and the Office Manager and to communicate if issues with the work schedule are likely to arise
• To coach junior members of staff in a positive and constructive manner
• To be flexible and willing to alter plans if the strategic goals of Lively Minds change
• To ensure that all work is carried out professionally and diligently in line with Lively Minds policies and procedures and promote the good name and reputation of Lively Minds
• To carry out any other tasks reasonably requested to the highest possible standards 

Required Skills or Experience

• We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join our team and help us to take our programme through this exciting period of transformative growth.
• You must have extensive experience of developing & delivering creative and motivational training workshops.
• You must be a problem-solver and able to work independently.
• You must have excellent communication skills be able to lead and coach our local team as well as the various stakeholders.

Essential Skills

• Minimum of 8 years of training/teaching experience
• Proven ability in managing and fostering relations with a large range of stakeholders
• Ability to manage a complex and varied work load independently and to work under pressure
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Licensed rider/driver
• Fluent Gruni/Dagbani speaker 
• ICT skills: Microsoft Word (Excel and Power Point desirable)