Project & ECD Officer – Whiz Kids Workshop

Education

Whiz Kids Workshop

Whiz Kids Workshop is an innovative, Ethiopian-led social enterprise founded in 2005 with a mission to inspire a lifelong passion for learning. We firmly believe that technology and mass media are the most cost-effective and immediate ways to spark young imaginations and make a positive impact on education and social change.

At Whiz Kids, we use existing research on mass media education and new, lower-cost technologies for media creation to produce engaging and inspiring content that covers a range of topics, including literacy, health education, character building, and social-emotional learning. Our goal is to prepare children, youth, and families for success in life.

We have designed and implemented successful Social and Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) interventions that inspire, engage, and empower children, young people, and their families. Using a Life Cycle approach, we drive knowledge, attitudes, and practices across all members of society. We implement four Innovation Platforms: Tsehai for Families (pregnancy to age 7), Tsehai Loves Learning (for children aged 3-10), Tibeb Girls (for adolescents aged 11-18), Youth Investigators (for youth above age 18), and Better Wellbeing Advocacy that advocates developmental needs of each life cycle to policy makers and existing governmental structures.

To produce culturally relevant and educational content, we utilize our Innovation Platforms, User-Centered Design and Content Advisory methodologies, which enable us to create content for audio-video, print, text, and internet-based media. We then implement projects in various community settings to ensure that our target groups have the necessary soft and technical skills and attitude shift to reach their full potential by integrating our innovation in mass media, interpersonal, and community engagement.

Whiz Kids has won numerous international awards for our innovation, impact, and excellent quality of products. We have extensive experience working with local and international NGOs and partner with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.

Visit our website at http://www.whizkidsworkshop.com/ to learn more about how we are transforming education in Ethiopia and beyond. Together, let’s inspire and empower the next generation to reach their full potential.

Job Summary

The Project and Early Childhood Development Officer will lead the design and implementation of an innovative Early Childhood Development (ECD) intervention, products, and services. The position includes developing and implementing ECD strategies, designing, prototyping, testing, and launching projects, engaging stakeholders, mobilizing communities, and ensuring smooth program implementation. The Officer must possess strong leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead a visionary team, prioritize tasks, and monitor and evaluate progress. The ideal candidate will have experience in capacity building and training, navigating complex organizational structures and challenging environments, and making data-driven decisions.

The Project & ECD Officer will be responsible for managing Whiz Kids’ two innovations (Tsehai for Families & Tsehai Loves Learning) targeting pre-pregnancy to 10 years old.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical oversight and management for ECD innovations, capacity strengthening, and project management by drawing local and international best practices.

• Lead and contribute to the planning, design, and successful implementation of ECD activities efficiently and timely

• Design creative ECD products and services, prototype, test, and finalize materials and interventions, working with the Innovation Leads, creative and production team.

• Serve as a technical resource for staff and partners by providing training and support.

• Develop and improve tailored ECD training curricula for various groups and conduct cascade training internally and with partners.

• Ensure ECD activities are based on evidence and Whiz Kids’ core approaches such as Human-Centered Design (HCD) & Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBC)

• Document best practices and develop and distribute case studies, results reports, and project briefs.

• Contribute to knowledge management and learning by analyzing program data and ensuring ECD-related indicators are covered in the M&E system.

• Lead the development of ECD multimedia communication resources and utilize information from various sources for project and innovation learning.

General competencies for our employees include:

Project & Product Management (Insights to Innovative Results): Implement a human-centered approach for sustainable product development. Accurately scope out tasks and resources, break down work into steps, schedule tasks, and orchestrate multiple activities efficiently.

People & Partnership Management (Making Others Great): Facilitate professional development by providing challenging and learning opportunities. Share and solicit feedback regularly, assign responsibility and accountability for tasks/decisions, monitor progress, and create a positive work environment.

Processes & Systems Management (Making Optimization a Second Nature): Recognize the need for standardization and balance client and organizational needs in systems design. Anticipate the effects of process change on people while optimizing task efficiency and simplicity. Additionally, our creative company values skills in collaboration, innovation, communication, and adaptability.

• Bsc/Msc degree in Early Childhood Development or related field  with 3-5 years of relevant experience respectively, including 2 years of managerial or supervisory experience.

• Demonstrated understanding and application of technical principles and concepts in early childhood education, play based learning and early stimulation 

• Experience in leading the collection, analysis, and use of data and information from various sources to develop effective ECD approaches and tools.

• Experience in working with monitoring and evaluation to capture ECD interventions to monitor change and outcomes.

• Skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and government and civil society partners, and knowledge of donor regulations and compliance and reporting requirements.

• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation, and training, applying adult learning principles and practices.

• Strong skills in applications, information, project,  budget management, and knowledge-sharing networks.

• Experience in instructional design and e-learning, AI is a plus.

• Fluency in English and Amharic with excellent written and oral communication skills. (Afaan Oromo language  and experience working in East Hararghe Oromia region is a plus)

• Proficiency in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and web conferencing.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Has strong value and can demonstrate alignment to our core values such as integrity, excellence, innovation, leadership, and joyfulness.

• Embraces and embodies our culture of sustainability, social impact, creativity, collaboration, and empathy.

• Demonstrates strategic and analytical thinking with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement.

• Thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with the ability to adapt to change and uncertainty.

• Brings positive energy, creativity, and a willingness to take risks and experiment.

• Is highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities effectively.

• Uses data to inform decisions and measure impact.

• Has experience and knowledge in instructional design and e-learning, and is familiar with or has a strong desire to learn new tools and frameworks such as ADDIE, SAM, and SCORM.

Working Environment / Conditions:

The position is based in our head office Addis ABaba with frequent travel required to different Woredas in East Harerge 

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