Capacity Strengthening Officer (Nairobi) – Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP)

EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER (EDC)

Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity, with a focus on vulnerable and under-served populations. Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world.

EDC promotes equity and access to high quality education and health services and products that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. We support an inclusive workplace culture that embraces many perspectives and broadens our understanding of the communities we serve, enhancing and enriching our work.

EDC is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Project Description

The Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP) is a five-year initiative funded by USAID that supports the Kenyan Ministry of Education to deliver interventions at scale as well as pilot and expand innovations that address the language and literacy needs of primary grade learners while building more inclusive, accountable, and resilient education institutions and systems.

KPLP has three broad objectives:

1. Improving education services and student learning outcomes, including for vulnerable populations;

2. Strengthening education institutions and systems to become more accountable, self-sustaining, and resilient; and

3. Empowering local youth organizations to strengthen and sustain community and family support for student learning and wellbeing.

Position Description

The Nairobi Capacity Strengthening Officer plays a key role in supporting the Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP) by providing technical assistance and capacity building to grantee youth organizations within the region engaged in reading remediation and family-centered educational activities. By enhancing these organizations’ structural and functional capabilities, the officer ensures they are not only equipped to deliver on immediate project goals but are also positioned for long-term sustainability and effectiveness. The role requires a dynamic approach to fostering organizational resilience, enabling community-led solutions, and enhancing educational outcomes through innovative and scalable interventions. This officer’s efforts will directly contribute to the KPLP’s broader objectives of building more inclusive, accountable, and resilient education systems within Nairobi.

This is a full-time position based in Nairobi, Kenya and relocation costs will not be provided. The position reports to the Regional Education Advisor and works closely with the Grants and Partnerships Manager and Family and Community Participation Advisor.

Qualifications

Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop/update the KPLP Youth Led Organizations (YLO) Organization Development/Technical Capacity Strengthening strategy.
• Identify, develop and obtain YLO input in the capacity building materials to address needs and context of each YLO.
• Collaborate with regional and national team members to develop and implement training programs and workshops with grantee YLO focused on both organizational and technical capacity strengthening.
• Mentor YLOs to participate and present in cross-partner regional and national learning workshops including arranging logistics, travel and budget management for the workshops.
• Facilitate the sharing of best practices and lessons learned among grantee organizations and other stakeholders, networking, advocacy and effective communication with stakeholders that can support the YLOs sustainability efforts.
• Tailor development and delivery of capacity strengthening activities to needs and context of each grantee organization.
• Conduct regular field visits to assess the progress of grantee organizations and provide on-site support and guidance.
• Develop a monitoring and reporting system including templates for use in checking progress of implementation of the approved capacity building plans on a quarterly basis.
• Coordinate with the Regional Education Advisor and other team members a timely and effective implementation of project activities.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation of capacity-building activities and outcomes.

The candidate for the position of Capacity Strengthening Officer shall have at a minimum the following qualifications:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in education, organizational development, management or business, community development, or related field.

Skills and Experience:

• Five to six (5-6) years of directly relevant experience required.
• Proven experience in organizational and technical capacity building and technical assistance within the education, youth development, or related sector, preferably with community-based or youth organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver effective training programs and workshops.
• Knowledge of the local education landscape and challenges in the designated region.
• Prior experience working on USAID-funded projects preferred.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with employees at all levels.
• Good report writing skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Effective oral and written communication skills in English.

Language:

Fluency in English is required.

Other:

Applicants must be Kenyan nationals or hold current work authorization.