About the BPaC Program

The Building Pacific Capacity Program (BPaC) is an Australian Government initiative funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and managed by Cardno Emerging Markets. It provides Pacific Island Countries with a suite of flexible, fit-for-purpose options that support broad governance and stability development outcomes.

About the Partner Organisation

The Department of Education, Government of Nauru has a mission to ensure that:

• Every Nauruan is literate and numerate and recognises the importance of, and the right to education.
• There is access to, and equity in education and training and that standard are comparable to the highest in the region, and
• To ensure that students leave the Nauruan education system enriched and equipped to be productive members of the workforce, to be qualified, to access further specialised training opportunities outside Nauru and to be independent individuals.

The Departments vision is:

To nurture students in Nauru to achieve academic excellence through training to develop Nauru's future leaders and entrepreneurs.

As former Education Minister Scotty (2005) stated, the Nauru Sustainable Development Strategy (2005-2025) is a platform for a "...vision of a future where individual, community, business and government partnerships contribute to a sustainable quality of life for all Nauruan."

The Department of Education goals are outlined under the National Sustainable Development Strategy (2005-2025) or the NSDS which states: "The Framework for learning and environmental development in the Education Sector through the Footpath for Education and Training Strategic Plan for 2008-2013, will lead students from Secondary School to leave school as a confident citizen to live and contribute to the Country's complex and global networked society."

The Department of Education and Training, Republic of Nauru began implementing its five-year Strategic Plan in 2017 and will be redesigning a new Strategic Plan in 2022.

A review of the operations of the Department indicated that there were strategic planning processes in place supported by budget measures, however, there continues to be a need for additional financial and other educational resources to support the implementation of the new Strategic Plan.

About the Role

Australia and Nauru are closely connected in education, including through Australia’s support to the Nauru education sector. A new design for the next phase of Australia’s support is underway, with implementation expected to begin in 2022.

To support early agreed priorities in this program, and continue Australia’s long-running support for Nauru’s education sector, Australia has agreed to engage two education advisers - one focused on Curriculum, Assessment, Statistics and Exams (CASE) and one focused on departmental policy and strategy.

These advisory roles will be engaged through BPaC ahead of the start of the new education program.

The Education Adviser will be engaged for an initial 12 months under BPaC, and then transition to the new education program (based on satisfactory performance) for a period of up to 24 months.

The Education Adviser will provide high level policy and planning advice and focus on institutional and workforce capacity development. The adviser will be highly skilled in training, mentoring and the transferring of knowledge to support organisational development, to develop and deliver the Strategic Plan 2022-2026. Their work plan will be prepared against the work streams identified in the Nauru education program design, namely: student-centred learning and community engagement (with a focus on early years); secondary education relevance (and pathways); strengthening education sector systems; and targeted disability and gender inclusion activities.

The adviser will be work closely with the Education Steering Group (expected to comprise representatives from Government of Nauru, Government of Australia and Government of New Zealand) that oversees the Nauru education program.

Role responsibilities

The Education Adviser will be expected to:

• Support the development of DoE’s new Strategic Plan 2022-2026
• Provide evidence-based advice to the Secretary of Education and other identified counterparts
• Support strengthened systems in the areas of work force planning, records and data management, improved student learning outcomes and early intervention, leading to improved education outcomes for students in Nauru
• Undertake a comprehensive capacity assessment of the department, its work force, policy and systems, and develop an implementation plan. conduct analysis of activities, issues and forecasting to inform decision-making and improve reporting
• Support the Secretary to provide high quality reporting and advice on the progress of the Department’s work program to various stakeholders
• Support DET in inception and early activities of the new Nauru education program
• As agreed by the Steering Group and DET, support partnership brokering and maximising existing relationships with relevant Australian and Pacific education stakeholders, such as Education Queensland International (EQI), University of New England (UNE), Pacific Regional Education Framework (PACREF), Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP), and others
• Provide advice and guidance on cross-cutting issues such as child protection, gender equality, and disability inclusion, in consultation with the Nauru Department of Women and Social Development, and Department of People with Disabilities.
• Relationship management, performance management and reporting

The Education Adviser will be supervised and managed by the Secretary for Education, will support the capacity development of selected counterparts as identified through the development of the work plan, and report and accountable to the Steering Group for the Nauru education program, supported by Australia.

The Government of Nauru will contribute to supporting this position by appointing a Nauruan counterpart that will work closely with the Adviser.

Advisers will provide monthly situational reports and 6 monthly quarterly formal reports against their approved work plan.

Selection Criteria

Essential personal attributes:

• An understanding and appreciation of the challenges of working in different cultural contexts
• An ability to work with limited resources and professional support in a remote location
• Patience, resilience, adaptability, and creative problem-solving skills
• A commitment to teamwork, coaching, mentoring and consultation
• Emotional intelligence, resourcefulness, openness to learning and an ability to manage stress
• Professionalism, neutrality and political awareness

Essential qualifications and experience:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Education Management (preferably with a focus on planning, financial management or program design)
• A detailed understanding of education systems with extensive experience working on an outcome-based education strengthening program
• Demonstrated experience in managing and coordinating basic education programs and strengthening core education system capabilities
• Demonstrated experience providing high quality analytical and technical input to reforms and implementation of interventions
• Understanding of education priorities and issues from a regional and international perspective, monitoring and evaluation of programs
• Knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the education sector and oversight institutions within a Government context, for instance, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including demonstrated ability to engage at senior levels of government and partners, build and maintain networks, provide advice and communicate effectively (both written and verbal) on sensitive issues with a diverse range of stakeholders
• Knowledge of capacity development approaches and experience in the application of capacity developing in a work place
• Experience with mainstreaming inclusive education practices including supporting access for girls and children with disabilities.

Desirable experience and knowledge:

• Relevant postgraduate qualifications
• Experience living and working in the Pacific region
• Previous experience working at a senior level in government system

How to Apply?

We welcome your interest in joining the BPaC Program as an adviser. Please click Apply Now to apply and submit your CV, along with a cover letter that addresses the selection criteria (no more than 250 words per criterion). Please review the Terms of Reference before applying: https://bit.ly/3x1L0XG.

Kindly note that applications that do not address the key selection criteria will not be considered. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and abilities, LGBTQ+, women, mature age workers and people with different abilities.

Other information

Amendments to the position’s Terms of Reference may be made during the period of the engagement as required.

Cardno is committed to Safety and the Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH), Child Protection and bribery prevention. We want to engage with the right people to deliver our client programs. As part of our approach you will be subjected to formal background screening, criminal record checks, employment verification, and periodic compliance checks. All Cardno staff receive safety, compliance and safeguards training and are responsible for contributing to a safer working culture.

Cardno is equal opportunity employer.

Cardno encourages women to apply. Cardno recognises the moral and legal responsibility to provide an equal opportunity workplace by ensuring that all recruitment and selection decisions are based on the best qualified and experienced candidate who can perform the genuine inherent requirements of the position.