Non-formal Education Lead, Ukraine

Non-formal Education Lead, Ukraine

Date: 18 Apr 2024

Location: Kyiv, Wider Europe, UA

Company: British Council

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people. Purpose of Role:
This is a crucial role at a critical time in Ukraine. The postholder will be a key member of the British Council Ukraine’s Country Leadership Team and will work as part of a global team focused on non-formal education (NFE). The team designs and delivers projects and other interventions around the world that focus on the following five thematic areas 1) Peace and Social Cohesion 2) Media development 3) Youth Skills, Leadership and Positive Pathways 4) Youth and the climate crisis and, 5) Inclusion and equality.
In Ukraine, our focus is specifically on 1) Peace and Social Cohesion 2) Media Development (particularly related to supporting young journalists and promoting critical thinking, media literacy, digital citizenship and other related areas) and 3) Youth Skills, Leadership and Positive Pathways.
The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate their credentials as a practitioner in one or all of these three areas within Ukraine. This is likely to be demonstrated by a strong track record in working within government and/or civil society to deliver positive youth-focussed outcomes, coupled with a proven track record of developing projects with partners and/or pursuing and delivering contracts for donor organisations. The postholder will also be required to ensure the high quality technical delivery of relevant projects and develop strong networks in government and the third sector in relevant areas.
Main Accountabilities: Expert knowledge and experience
The postholder will be expected to:

• Bring an authoritative knowledge on current and emerging issues in Ukraine related to the following areas (i) Peace and Social Cohesion and/or (ii) Media Development (particularly related to supporting young journalists and promoting critical thinking, media literacy, digital citizenship and other related areas) and/or (iii) skills offers, networking and leadership opportunities for young people that (1) complement their formal education journeys and (2) provide practical outlets for young people to use these skills in practice
• Commission and manage research in the above areas to ensure that (1) all interventions and projects are based on local needs, trends and contribute positively to Ukrainian society (2) own the strategy for non-formal education in Ukraine to ensure that our work is locally relevant and innovative, while also clearly contributing to British Council’s global objectives in non-formal education.
• Develop and maintain strong networks within government, international donor and civil society organisations. Including the maintenance of strong networks of local experts who can be deployed to projects and interventions.

Project and intervention design
The postholder will be expected to:

• Use their technical sector knowledge to design new interventions and projects in the following areas: (i) Peace and Social Cohesion and/or (ii) Media Development (particularly related to supporting young journalists and promoting critical thinking, media literacy, digital citizenship and other related areas) and/or (iii) skills offers, networking and leadership opportunities for young people that (1) complement their formal education journeys and (2) provide practical outlets for young people to use these skills in practice
• Contribute to high quality and competitive technical proposals, in English, for clients and donors. Securing new sources of income that will enable British Council to deliver even more positive impact in relevant thematic areas for young people in Ukraine. Including the leveraging of British Council’s own funds to secure co-funding from other donors and funders.
• Develop strong networks of local practitioners and international donors in Ukraine to ensure that they are aware of British Council’s work in this area and are open to future collaboration.

Project and intervention delivery
The postholder will be expected to:

• Lead the delivery of the British Council funded work in Ukraine in the area of Non-formal Education, working closely with peers in the UK and around the world and specifically, within our regional teams in EU Europe and Wider Europe.
• Manage project teams comprising of external and internal experts and project management personnel to deliver projects in Ukraine and support delivery of projects in Europe which focus on engaging young Ukrainians displaced by the conflict.
• Deliver project management functions ensuring that all projects in the NFE Ukraine portfolio are 1) on track with regard to delivering their outcomes and 2) meeting internal British Council project standards, reporting and governance requirements

Develop and maintain strong local networks in state and non-state organisations as well as local researchers and experts in relevant areas, to ensure that projects are able to call on strong networks of experts and advocates to support delivery.
Role specific knowledge and experience Minimum/essential

• Good understanding of the purpose of international development and co-operation programmes and of how to capture their benefits and impact and/or knowledge of the global skills policy context
• Knowledge of the nonformal education sector as described in this role profile and professional credibility
• Track record of developing professional networks and managing relationships in the UK and internationally
• Experience of designing projects and interventions that attract income from donors and government.
• Experience of commissioning, managing and reviewing services from external contractors, consultants and partners

Further Information
Pay Band – 7 / F Contract Type – Indefinite Location – Ukraine Requirements – Candidates must have the legal right to work in Ukraine. Closing Date – 9th of May 2024
A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.
Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement
The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.
The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.
We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.
Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.
If you have any problems with your application please email askhr@britishcouncil.org
Please note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ‘ASK HR’ email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.