Position title: Specialist II, Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE)
Location: Freetown
ChildFund office: Sierra Leone
Manager/Supervisor title: Senior Project Manager
Position type: Full-time fixed term
Work environment: On-siteAbout ChildFund
ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that connects children with the people, resources and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are. We work directly in 23 countries, with extended reach to more than 60 countries through our global partnership network.

ChildFund’s Values
We aspire every person in our organization—program participants, supporters, staff, and volunteers alike—to feel free, safe, and confident to be themselves. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.

ChildFund’s Commitment
ChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.

About This Role
The Specialist II, ECCE provides technical leadership, guidance, and oversight for ChildFund’s Early Childhood Care & Education programs. The role focuses on improving developmental outcomes for children (0–5 years) through high-quality program design, capacity strengthening, monitoring, and strategic partnerships. The Specialist II, ECCE ensures interventions are aligned with ChildFund’s global program frameworks, national policies, and evidence-based ECCE practices.

Required Experience and Education
Required
Education

• BA or BS in Early Childhood Development, Education, Child Psychology, Social Sciences, or related field or an equivalent experience

Experience

• Minimum of 5  to 7 years working in ECCE or education-focused program implementation.
• Experience with community-based ECCE
•  models, caregiver programming, and child development assessments.
• Experience collaborating with government and local partners.
• Strong proposal development and project design experience..

Preferred

• Experience undertaking frequent field travel to program implementation communities.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with partners, caregivers, community structures, and government stakeholders to support program delivery and outcomes.

Primary Responsibilities
 A. Technical Leadership & Quality Assurance

• Provide technical guidance for the design, implementation, and evaluation of ECCE projects.
• Ensure project aligns with ChildFund’s Framework, national ECCE standards, and global best practices.
• Adapt ECCE curricula, parenting modules, training manuals, and child centered learning materials.
• Promote inclusive, safe, and appropriate learning environments for all children, including children with disabilities.
• Lead and Coordinate with teachers at ECCE centers to observe, assess and track Children’s Progress
• Coordinate with the Project Manager to Implement and monitor the structural and process quality elements of the EOF supported project (Salone pikin for learn and play.

B. Program Design & Proposal Development

• Lead ECCD assessments, situational analyses, and stakeholder consultations.
• Contribute to proposal writing by providing strong technical inputs, theories of change, logical frameworks, and budgets.
• Identify innovative models and emerging trends to strengthen funding opportunities in ECCE.

C. Capacity Building

• Train and mentor community facilitators, caregivers, teachers, partner organizations, and internal program teams.
• Develop capacity building tools on early learning, positive discipline, nutrition-sensitive ECCE, caregiver engagement, and play based learning.
• Provide regular coaching and supportive supervision to frontline ECCE workers.

D. Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting & Learning

• Support the development of M&E tools and indicators for ECCE programs.
• Conduct field monitoring visits to ensure quality implementation and adherence to standards.
• Document lessons learned, case studies, and best practices for knowledge sharing.

• Contribute to quarterly and annual reports.

E. Partnership Management & Coordination

• Strengthening collaboration with government ministries (e.g., Education, Health, Social Welfare), community structures, and technical networks.
• Represent ChildFund in ECCE coordination forums, working groups, and donor meetings.
• Support local implementing partners in building strong ECCE program capacity.

F. Child Safeguarding & Compliance

• Ensure all ECCE interventions comply with ChildFund’s safeguarding, protection, and gender equity policies.
• Promote safe, nurturing interactions between caregivers and children.
• Report and respond to any concerns according to organizational procedures.
• Ensure ECCE teachers follow safety, hygiene, and child protection guidelines

Required Competencies

ChildFund’s Core Competencies

• Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
• Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
• Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
• Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
• Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
• Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.

Other Required Competencies

• Excellent Strong understanding of child development (0–5 years).
• Expertise in play based learning, inclusive education, early stimulation, and parenting support.
• Excellent facilitation and training skills.
• Strong analytical, reporting, and documentation abilities.
• Ability to work effectively in rural and low resource settings.
• Good communication, teamwork, and problem solving skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office; knowledge of data analysis tools is an asset.