Adolescent Development Specialist

Job Description

Title: Adolescent Development Specialist

Company Name: Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO)

Vacancy: 01

Age: At most 40 years

Job Location: Cox`s Bazar (Teknaf, Ukhia)

Salary: Tk. 70000 (Monthly)

Experience:

• 5 to 7 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Master's degree in Non-formal Education, Adolescent Development, Developmental or Educational Psychology, Teacher Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Learning Sciences, or Educational Leadership from a recognized university.

• Candidates with academic specialization in adolescent learning, instructional leadership, or school improvement will be given preference.

• Additional training or experience in teacher education, instructional coaching, whole school improvement, learner assessment, or adolescent participation will be considered a strong advantage.

• 5 to 7 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Age At most 40 years

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 5 to 7 years of professional experience in adolescent programming, education, teacher education, classroom teaching, instructional coaching, whole school improvement, non-formal education, or humanitarian education programmes.

• Demonstrated hands-on classroom teaching experience with proven ability to model effective pedagogy, classroom management and coach other instructors.

• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing formative and summative assessments and using assessment data to inform teaching decisions.

• Demonstrated experience establishing and facilitating adolescent participation platforms (Adolescent Action Groups, student councils, youth committees, or equivalent through capstone projects), with proven ability to translate children voice into programmatic decisions.

• Experience providing technical oversight to instructor including in-service training, classroom observation, structured feedback, and instructor development.

• Experience leading or contributing to whole school improvement, school leadership, or systemic learning quality initiatives will be highly valued.

• Familiarity with UNICEF's Programme Guidance for the Second Decade, ADAP Guidelines for Participation, Global Framework on Transferable Skills, IASC Guidelines on Working with and for Young People in Humanitarian and Protracted Crises, and Gender Action Plan.

• Experience working with UNICEF, UN agencies, INGOs, teacher education fellowships, or donor-funded programmes will be highly preferred.

• Experience working in the Cox's Bazar Rohingya humanitarian response is an advantage.

Additional Requirements

• Strong understanding of adolescent development, learner-centred pedagogy, classroom quality, learner assessment, whole school improvement, and rights-based programming.

• Excellent facilitation, mentoring, and instructor coaching skills, with demonstrated ability to model effective pedagogy in front of instructors.

• Strong ability to engage adolescents from diverse backgrounds with sensitivity, warmth, and respect.

• Strong report writing, documentation, and analytical skills, including the ability to translate assessment data into teaching decisions.

• Ability to lead field teams, coordinate cross-functionally, and manage multiple learning components simultaneously.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

• Ability to work under pressure, travel frequently across camps, and manage multiple priorities.

• High integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism.

• Strong commitment to child rights, inclusion, safeguarding, and gender equality.

• Must possess a valid driving license.

Job Context

Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) started its journey in 1988 with a noble vision to stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalized. Being a people` centered organization, ESDO envisioned for a society which will be free from inequality and injustice, a society where no child will cry from hunger and no life will be ruined by poverty. Near about three decades of relentless efforts to make this happen, ESDO has embraced new grounds and opened up new horizons to help the disadvantaged and vulnerable people to bring meaningful and lasting changes in their lives. During this long span, ESDO has adapted with the changing situation and provided the most time-bound services especially for the poor and disadvantaged. A community focused and people centered approach has been adapted by ESDO while consideration was given to the national policy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its guiding principle. ESDO is one of the most dynamic organizations expanding its development interventions across 422 upazilas under 56 districts of Bangladesh covering over 10 million poor and vulnerable people.

ESDO is going to implement a UNICEF-supported project titled “Provide quality, inclusive skills development and Myanmar Curriculum STEM education for adolescent learners aged 15-18, and portable skills training for education volunteers in Cox's Bazar” in Rohingya camps of Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar. The project aims to improve access to quality foundational literacy numeracy (FLN), trade skills, employability skills, leadership skills, entrepreneurship training, STEM Education and portable skills opportunities for Rohingya adolescents and youth through multi-Purpose Centers (MPCs), Science & IT Labs, and SKILFO-based portable skills interventions.

The Adolescent Development Specialist is one of the two senior technical Officers who together carry out the delivery-quality skills development and market linkage for income generating activities. Within this pairing, the Adolescent Development Specialist leads the foundational and leadership half of the learner journey, encompassing foundational literacy and numeracy, 21st century leadership skills, and the life skills component, and leads the establishment and facilitation of the Adolescent Action Groups (AAGs) that give learners meaningful voice in decisions affecting their learning experience. The position ensures adolescents are treated as rights-holders and active participants, in line with UNICEF's Programme Guidance for the Second Decade, the ADAP Guidelines for Participation, the Adolescent and Youth Engagement Strategic Framework, the Global Framework on Transferable Skills, the Conceptual Framework for Measuring Outcomes of Adolescent Participation, and the IASC Guidelines on Working with and for Young People in Humanitarian and Protracted Crises.

The Adolescent Development Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the Skills Development Technical Lead and in close, day-to-day partnership with the Market Linkage and Business Development Specialist, so that the trade and employability skills of the learner journey deliver as one integrated Skills Development experience for learners. The position provides technical oversight to the Rohingya Foundational and Leadership Skills Instructors across the multi-purpose centres through the Skills Development Field Officer and Field Assistants, jointly supervises the Skills Development Field Officer alongside the Market Linkage and Business Development Specialist, and coordinates closely with the Inclusion Associate, PSEA, CSG and AAP Officer, Information Management Manager, Knowledge Management Officer, and UNICEF Child Protection and Adolescent Development Lead based in the Education Section.

Reporting to: Direct reporting to Skills Development Technical Lead

Job Responsibilities

A. Learning Delivery, Classroom Quality, Assessment, and Whole School Improvement

• Lead the quality delivery of the learning components under this position's portfolio, including foundational literacy and numeracy, 21st century leadership skills, and the life skills course as provided under the project, ensuring instruction runs on schedule, learning materials reach learners on time, and delivery quality is upheld across every multi-purpose centre.

• Establish and continuously improve the classroom teaching-learning environment across the multi-purpose centres, promoting learner-centred pedagogy, establishing unit planning and lesson planning use, classroom management, safe and inclusive classroom culture, effective use of teaching-learning aids, and adolescent-appropriate facilitation.

• Plan and implement formative and summative assessments across the learning components, ensuring assessment design is credible, competency-based (using rubrics), and used to inform teaching practices through “assessment for learning, assessment as learning and assessment of learning”.

• Track learner progress and learning outcomes in coordination with information management team, and initiate supportive measures such as differentiated instruction, remedial sessions, and targeted mentoring for learners at risk of falling behind.

• Lead a Whole School Improvement plan (Regio-Emillia Approach) at each multi-purpose centre together with the support from field team, so that the learning environment, learner, teacher, parents, , community engagement, and instructional quality improve together in a coordinated way.

• Support learners beyond contact hours where feasible through learning circles, peer study groups, reading corners, and community-based reinforcement activities that extend learning into the household and community.

B. Adolescent Action Group Establishment, Facilitation, and Governance

• Lead the establishment of Adolescent Action Groups (AAGs) in every multi-purpose centre with balanced representation across gender, disability, and community, in line with the AAG TOR and ADAP Guidelines for Participation.

• Capacitate Field Assistants on facilitating meaningful AAG meetings where adolescents deliberate on MPC-level issues, propose solutions, and influence decisions that affect their learning experience.

• Ensure documented follow-up on AAG recommendations by the field team and management, so that adolescent voice actually shapes decisions rather than remaining consultative.

• Build the leadership capacity of AAG members and support continuity across successive terms of service.

• Ensure AAGs are engaged in programmatic activities including the Father-Brother Engagement Strategy led by the Inclusion Associate, data collection, monitoring, community engagement, and other relevant initiatives.

C. Instructor Capacity Building and Pedagogical Support

• Provide technical oversight to the Rohingya Foundational and Leadership Skills Instructors across the multi-purpose centres through the Skills Development Field Officer and Field Assistants.

• Lead In-Learning Circles (ILCs), refresher training, and continuous professional development for the F&L instructor to sustain pedagogical quality and grow instructor capability over the project cycle.

• Support classroom observation, structured feedback, coaching, and Performance Improvement Plans where quality concerns are identified, in coordination with the Information Management Manager and HR and Admin Associate.

• Support integration of employability, entrepreneurship, and future readiness concepts within project activities.

• Support integration of lifelong learning in the pedagogical practices, learner’s mindset and community mindset and provide resources to ensure that and embed that in the VET pedagogical practice.

D. Adolescent Participation, Voice, and Rights-Based Programming

• Ensure adolescents are treated as active participants and rights-holders across every dimension of the project, in line with UNICEF's Programme Guidance for the Second Decade, the Adolescent and Youth Engagement Strategic Framework, and CRC General Comment No. 20 on the implementation of the rights of the child during adolescence.

• Ensure learner voice is captured through structured feedback rounds, Community Feedback Mechanism inputs, and AAG deliberations, and that findings are acted upon.

• Promote digital civic engagement, safe technology use, and adolescent-appropriate and camp contextualized digital participation.

• Ensure adolescent participation outcomes are tracked in line with UNICEF's Conceptual Framework for Measuring Outcomes of Adolescent Participation and documented for MEAL and reporting purposes.

• Promote positive youth development approaches and adolescent empowerment.

E. Cross-Functional Coordination and Team Collaboration

• Work in close, day-to-day partnership with the Market Linkage and Business Development Specialist, ensuring the formative and market-linked contents of the learner journey deliver as one integrated experience for every learner, not separate.

• Provide joint supervision to the Skills Development Field Officer alongside the Market Linkage and Business Development Specialist and ensure clear operational alignment across the field team.

• Coordinate closely with the Inclusion Associate on gender-responsive and disability-inclusive delivery, with the PSEA, CSG and AAP Officer on safeguarding and community engagement, with the Information Management Manager on learning data and Result Framework tracking, and with the Knowledge Management Officer on documentation of adolescent voices and best practices.

• Engage Community Education Support Groups (CESGs), parents, and Majhi, Sub-Majhi, and community leaders to sustain enrolment, attendance, and completion, and to reinforce community ownership of adolescent learning, particularly for adolescent girls and Children with Disabilities.

• Support awareness campaigns, events, consultations, and community mobilization initiatives.

• Represent adolescent skills development program in Youth Working Group with regular knowledge sharing with the Market Linkage and Business Development Specialist and UNICEF.

• Ensure volunteer and course performance, learner performance, AAG performance, learner applied pathway engagement data, CSO with MoU signed, MasterCraft and entrepreneur’s data are recorded and reported to information management team.

F. Safeguarding, Accountability, and Other Responsibilities

• Uphold PSEA, Child Safeguarding, AAP, ESRM, and anti-fraud standards across every learning activity, adolescent engagement, and community interaction.

• Ensure Rohingya Foundational and Leadership Skills Instructors, AAG members, and facility-based volunteers reinforce learner awareness of the referral pathway maintained by the PSEA, CSG and AAP Officer, so that any concern arising in the classroom is routed through the agreed protocol.

• Support internal audits, UNICEF spot checks, HACT assurance activities, monitoring visits, and evaluations with programme evidence.

• Perform any other duties assigned by the Skills Development Technical Lead in the interest of the project and its participants.

As per project allocation and organizational policy.