Delivery Lead – School Leadership and District Strengthening

MANAGEMENT

Works closely with and supports the Teaching Service Commission (TSC),  Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Ministry of  Technical and Higher Education (MTHE), West African Examinations Council  (WAEC), Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and National Council for  Technical, Vocational and Other Academic Awards (NCTVE) to coordinate and  deliver the LEAD pillar, including school leadership development, governance  strengthening, school support visits, performance management and  coordinated use of education data. 

Coordinates with principals, School Boards, the School Quality Assurance  Officer (SQAO) cadre, district education structures, national agencies,  implementing partners and technical teams to ensure coherent delivery of  school leadership and governance reforms at school, district and national  levels.

LWL is a Sierra Leonean-led organisation committed to advancing education  transformation nationally. Its vision is transformed education for  development in Sierra Leone, and its mission is to provide educational  technical assistance in close partnership with government to promote quality  education and inclusive growth. 

The Delivery Coordinator – School Leadership and Governance will assist  MBSSE, MTHE, TSC, WAEC, TEC and NCTVE to strengthen inclusive school  leadership, effective governance and performance management systems  under the LEAD pillar. The role will support principals to oversee safe,  learning-focused and continuously improving schools, and will help ensure  that schools are supported by effective governance arrangements, school  support visits, performance-management processes and coordinated data  systems. 

The post-holder will coordinate planning, delivery, monitoring and follow-up  across leadership development, School Improvement Planning, SQAO support  visits, governance strengthening and data-informed performance 

LiT Sierra Leone is structured around four pillars — LEAD, TRAIN, RECRUIT and  MOTIVATE. This post is the pillar coordination role for LEAD and reports to  the Technical Director, who has coordination responsibility across the  programme pillars.

RESPONSIBILITIES  (Will include but not  limited to-)

• Assist TSC, MBSSE, MTHE, WAEC, TEC and NCTVE to plan, coordinate and  deliver school leadership, governance, school support and performance management activities in line with national education priorities. 

• Coordinate implementation across national agencies, district education  structures, principals, school boards, SQAO teams, implementing  partners and technical advisers to ensure that LEAD activities are  coherent, sequenced and mutually reinforcing. 

• Support the development of annual and termly delivery plans, workplans,  budgets, schedules, risk registers and action trackers for LEAD activities,  ensuring timely implementation and clear accountability among actors. 

• Facilitate regular coordination meetings, technical working sessions and  follow-up actions with government counterparts, district actors, school  leaders and partners, documenting decisions and tracking progress  against agreed actions. 

2. School leadership development and continuous school improvement • Support the design, delivery and quality assurance of accredited school  leadership development for principals and other school leaders, with  emphasis on inclusive leadership, instructional leadership, safe schools  and continuous improvement. 

• Coordinate support to principals to develop, implement, review and  update learning-focused School Improvement Plans (SIPs) that address  teaching quality, learner progression, safeguarding, inclusion and school  performance priorities. 

• Work with MBSSE, TSC, district structures and partners to strengthen  follow-up support, coaching and peer learning for school leaders after  leadership training. 

• Promote practical leadership approaches that help principals use  evidence, classroom observation, teacher support and school-level data  to improve teaching, learning and school culture. 

3. Governance strengthening and safe, inclusive schools 

• Support activities that strengthen the role of school governance bodies,  including School Management Committees and Boards, so they provide  effective support, oversight and constructive challenge to school  leadership teams.

• Coordinate with relevant actors to ensure school leadership and  governance reforms are aligned with national standards, policies and  school safety priorities. 

4. District Strengthening, Data Systems, School Support Visits and  Performance Management 

• Support the strengthening of the SQAO cadre to provide structured,  supportive and improvement-focused school support visits. 

• Coordinate the use of agreed tools, templates, schedules and follow-up  processes for school support visits, ensuring that findings are linked to  school improvement planning and district-level support. 

Support the continuous professional development of SQAOs through  coaching, mentoring, training, and peer-learning opportunities that  enhance their skills in instructional leadership, school improvement,  quality assurance, and data use. 

Strengthen education data systems and processes that connect school-,  classroom-, and district-level data, enabling timely collection, analysis,  and use of evidence to monitor performance and identify priority areas  for support. 

• Assist government counterparts and partners to implement performance management framework and related processes that connect schools,  districts and national agencies around clear expectations, evidence and  accountability. 

• Track implementation of school support and performance-management  actions, identifying bottlenecks and escalating issues for resolution where  required. 

5. Coordinated data, evidence use and reporting 

• Support coordinated data sharing and use among MBSSE, MTHE, TSC,  WAEC, TEC and NCTVE to inform school improvement, leadership  support, performance management and policy decision-making. 

• Work with monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), data and technical  teams to ensure that school, district and national data are used to identify  priorities, monitor progress, allocate support and strengthen  accountability. 

• Prepare concise delivery updates, implementation notes, meeting  records, action trackers and reports for the Technical Director,  programme leadership, government counterparts and partners. 

• Identify delivery risks, coordination gaps and data-use challenges, and  proactively propose practical solutions to management and government  counterparts. 

6. Safeguarding, inclusion and cross-cutting priorities

• Undertake any other duties related to the LEAD pillar and wider  programme delivery that may reasonably be required by the Technical  Director or programme leadership.

SPECIFICATION

• At least 10 years’ experience supporting government-led education  reform, school leadership, governance, quality assurance, performance  management or large-scale education improvement programmes. 

• Strong understanding of Sierra Leone’s education system, including  MBSSE, MTHE, TSC, WAEC, TEC, NCTVE, district education structures and  secondary school delivery contexts. 

• Demonstrated experience coordinating multiple actors to deliver complex  education reform activities, ideally involving government ministries,  agencies, districts, schools, implementing partners and technical advisers. 

• Strong knowledge of school leadership development, School  Improvement Planning, governance strengthening, school quality  assurance, school support visits and data-informed performance  management. 

• Practical experience supporting safe, inclusive and learning-focused  schools, including safeguarding, gender equity, disability inclusion and  learner wellbeing considerations. 

• Strong planning, facilitation, stakeholder management and coordination  skills, with the ability to convene actors, track actions and maintain  delivery momentum across institutions and levels of the system. 

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and  PowerPoint, and confidence using digital collaboration, action-tracking  and data management tools. 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, including the  ability to prepare clear reports, meeting notes, action trackers, technical  updates and briefing materials. 

• Excellent attention to detail; reliable, proactive and able to complete  complex tasks with minimal supervision and to agreed deadlines. • Commitment to Lɛ Wi Lan’s safeguarding of children and vulnerable  adults, including its mandatory code of conduct, vetting and background  checks, and survivor-centred response approach; and to its values of  gender equity and disability inclusion. 

• Willingness to be based in Freetown and to undertake regular travel to  districts and schools as required by the role.