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Contract Position:
Education & Training Program Coordinator for the ​
African Center for Aquatic Research and Education
The organizations
The African Center for Aquatic Research and Education, Inc. (“ACARE”) was formed in 2017 to create a long-term, highly collaborative process dedicated to strengthening science and increasing local capacity of Africa's freshwater experts through strong networks and enhanced training and experiential education on the African Great Lakes. ACARE aims to complete these goal through:
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Education: To educate and train the next generation of Africa’s freshwater experts on the African Great Lakes
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Information Exchange: Strengthen the understanding of the African Great Lakes through comprehensive access and sharing of information, data, and publications regarding our global freshwater natural resources
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Partnerships: Enhance collaboration among global, regional, and local individuals, institutions, organizations, and entities to address the challenges facing the African Great Lakes
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During September of 2020, ACARE partnered with the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) in an effort to strengthen each organization's capacity to address enhance freshwater science globally. To learn more about this relationship, click here.
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Because no one institution can address environmental problems on its own, IISD-ACARE partners with organizations globally and is advised by a board of directors and led by a team with a breadth of representation and experience.
ACARE's Programs
​ACARE has initiated five core programs, which include:
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Advisory Groups: Freshwater experts from the ten riparian countries of the seven African Great Lakes make up lake-specific advisory groups, whose goals are to increase information exchange, prioritize research, and help to coordinate freshwater research and management actions. A key aspect of this program is an annual meeting of the advisory groups, currently scheduled for Feb, 2023 in Dar-e-Salaam, Tanzania.
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African Women in Science: An annual ten-month program providing virtual leadership training and an in-person, North American immersive experience to expose participants to aspects of applied research, communications, and leadership.
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Monitoring: This program, still in development, will guide the collection of long-term baseline data on each of the African Great Lakes to better understand the status of these lakes, how they are affected by climate change and and other anthropogenic stressors.
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Education and Training: This developing program will make use of existing training programs and institutions, existing research stations on the AGL, to create a comprehensive program to train the next (and current) generation of freshwater experts on the African Great Lakes.
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Information exchange and coordination: This program is being developed to help collect all information, data, and publications on Africa’s Great Lakes to increase the ease of access to information, helping to strengthen overall science and understanding of these lakes.
The Position - Education & Training Coordinator
Previous studies conducted by ACARE ascertained academic and training challenges in Africa, including limited specialized academic programs, low uptake of academic programs, the absence of career guidance, limited availability of in-field-training programs, and inadequate funding. In the ten riparian countries of the African Great Lakes (AGL) region, freshwater training is primarily offered as units in undergraduate programs, but rarely at postgraduate levels. To bridge the gap between funding, highly motivated candidates, education, and training in freshwater science, we suggest pragmatic solutions such as the establishment of a global network of academic and training institutions, experts, and academic programs within the region and abroad to strengthen research, education, and training in aquatic science in the AGL region.
The Education & Training Coordinator will help further develop ACARE's Education and Training program that has been evolving based on needs identified by the African Great Lakes Stakeholder Network: the need for advancing education and in-field training of African freshwater experts, specifically applicable to the African Great Lakes. This role seeks someone who will think beyond traditional academic programs, and seek unique and uncommon solutions to advancing education and training in the AGL region.
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Details:
Status: Contract position.
Conditions: Flexible work times across multiple time zones necessary (North American, European, and African)
Compensation: Based on level of experience
Start Date: February 2023 (or ASAP)
Term: Seven to eight month position with potential for extending
Location: Remote
Role Description
ACARE’s education and training program in part seeks to continue the development of an academic and training program that has been developed by the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE) that will ensure the next generation of freshwater experts has the ability and opportunities to receive comprehensive academic and field training to address the issues on large, freshwater systems.
Responsibilities:
The Education and Training Coordinator's responsibilities will include:
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Assist ACARE in identifying expert(s) with academic program development experience to closely collaborate on this project.
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Develop an international landscape analysis of programs and models, building on ACARE's work on the subject (see Achieng et. al., here).
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Develop, or continue laying groundwork for, a comprehensive education and training program.
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Coordinate with colleagues to establish the framework for ACARE’s Education and Training program.
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Develop a sustainable business plan to support the Education and Training Program through collaborative efforts with ACARE team, colleagues, and other relevant experts.
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Prepare project funding proposals and reports as needed.
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Participate in relevant meetings and planning efforts with ACARE staff.
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The Position - Criteria
Required skills
The candidate will bring the following set of skills to the position:
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Knowledge of education and training programs in the AGL region or parts thereof.
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Strategic thinking and coordination abilities.
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Expert communications and networking skills.
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Ability to convene meetings and discussions between contributors and key stakeholders.
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Advanced language skills in English.
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Ability to work with an international, geographically distributed team and independently with limited guidance.
- Strong interpersonal and networking skills.
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Computer literacy, including Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel) and Google applications (Google Drive, email).
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The position may require travel within Africa; potential for some travel outside of Africa.
Qualifications
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A Masters or higher degree in a field relevant to freshwater science, management, and/or education.
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Education program development and/or business plan development.
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Expertise and experience in research, particularly in a related field.
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Must be eligible to work in an Eastern African country; preference for a national of one of the ten African Great Lakes riparian countries (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia).
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Desired skills:​
Highly competitive candidates could have one or all of the following:
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Working use of Swahili and/or French.
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Knowledge of international development.
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Some knowledge of, or ability to closely network with experts who know, academic business models.​
Applying to this position
Application Deadline: January 23, 2023
All submissions must be in English
Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted
Resumes will be kept on file for one year
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To apply you will be directed to an on-line Application form below. Here you will be asked to provide the following:
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Cover letter
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Curriculum Vitae, resume, or work/education summary
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A 1-2 page project proposal that would accomplish the goals of this position. Including a timeline, milestones, budget and other resources needed
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Two professional references (name, institution, email)
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Additionally, you will be asked:
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Your level of education
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Some self-assessment questions
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Your familiarity and background regarding this position
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Other work experience
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Your motivations
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Timeline for this process:
Application Posting: January 9th, 2023
Application Closing: January 23, 2023
Review: on-going basis
Notices: Candidates who are successful will be contacted by January 25, 2023
Interviews - first round: Those who are contacted will be interviewed during January 25-27, 2023 depending on the interview team's and the interviewees schedules
Interviews - second round: If necessary, a second round of interviews will take place during late January, 2023
Decision: Job offer is targeted to take place late-January or early February 2023
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Because of the nature of the work at ACARE, specifically meetings of groups of people from various regions of the world, we desire our colleagues to be fully vaccinated and willing to keep up to date with vaccines that protect against COVID-19. By accepting an offer to work with ACARE, you agree to comply with this requirement, unless you are entitled to a legally mandated exemption.