The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts. After passing a century, which it celebrated in 2019, it is now a global movement made up of 29 national member organizations which work in 120 countries.

The Creative Content Development Specialist will develop content to produce child- centered and friendly ECCE audio lessons, dramas, dialogues, stories and songs through the use of technology. S/he will also map existing  audio and video production content  on ECCE and adapt them into audio and print tailored ECCE lessons, messages, dramas, stories, and dialogues to promote playful learning in ECCE centers. The role holder will also produce context specific radio broadcast dialogues and dramas content to promote parental discussion at a community level on different early childhood development themes such as child protection and safeguarding, play based learning, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), gender and inclusion) relevant to conflict and drought affected areas.  The specialist is expected to develop and adapt ECCE content for the production of training videos for teachers and facilitators, regional colleges of teacher education. S/he is also expected to actively engage local implementing partners in developing  audio , video and print content and collect/map local stories, and songs from the community.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Senior ECCE/EiE Advisor 

Staff reporting to this post: None 

Budget Responsibilities: None

Role Dimensions:

She/he works in close collaboration with radio broadcast companies  in the preparation of radio broadcast messages on different ECCE themes, collaborate with IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS staff to ensure the regular use of solar-radio sessions to facilitate playful interaction among children, and discussion among parents in parental group session.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Technical Leadership

• Map existing audio, video and print material content on Early Childhood Care and Education prepared in the form of learning lessons, drama, dialogue, key messages, songs, and stories and adapt them to be used n  in conflict and drought affected areas.
• Develop and adapt  content on teachers  training audio dramas, dialogues, songs, stories, content
• Involve in the organization of ECCE teacher education resource centers and organize learning platforms r target ECCE center facilitators to benefit from the technology-based resource centers.
• Lead the development of content for all ECCE video lessons, dramas, stories, songs for target ECCE facilitators and colleges of teacher education use.
• Collaborate with IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS staff to ensure guideline on the use audio and print productions are used and promoted playful learning in the ECCE centers.
• Ensure the development of tailored audio and print messages on gender, inclusion, child safeguarding, playful learning, MHPSS for parents and communities and teacher education .
• Collaborate with IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS staff to ensure audio and print messages in the form of drama, stories, songs are used in monthly TLC sessions to promote playful interaction between the ECCE facilitators and young children.

Ensuring Programme Quality (Design &Implementation):

• Prepare the technical scoping and sequencing of tailored audio and print productions on ECCE in the form of drama, dialogues, stories, songs, and learning lessons.
• Involve in the Provision of capacity building training to IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS staff on the use of audio and print productions to promote play in ECCE centers or at home.
• Collaborate with IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS staff to ensure the adapted/developed audio and print production on ECCE in the form of drama, dialogues, stories, and songs are used in ECCE centers and at parental group session using the solar radios
•  Ensure tailored key messages on different ECCE themes are aired through regional and national radio broadcasted to influence different community and government stakeholders.
• Collaborate with IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS staff in coaching and mentoring of pre-primary schoolteachers on the use of audio and print productions in promoting playful learning through dramatized messages, dialogues, stories, and songs.
• Participate in SCI-Education sector community of practice on lessons and evidence generated from the use of tailored ECCE audio and print productions.
• Conduct joint field visits with IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS staff to provide on-site coaching and mentoring on the use of audiotaped lessons, dramas, dialogues, stories, and songs promoting playful learning to pre-primary schoolteachers.

Networking & External Engagement:

• Work with district ECCEiE actors (NGOs, CBOs, CSOs and community gate keepers) to collect and adapt tailored stories, dialogues, songs dramas into audio and print production usable at ECCE centers and in community level parental group discussion.
• Participate in district level ECCE technical working groups learning forums to demonstrate the role tailored locally customized audio and print production/adaptation in promoting playful learning
• Work with community leaders, CBOs and CSOs members to develop story narrations, inputs for dialogue and drama write-up and adaptation.
• Work with technical colleagues from ECCEiE project and across Save the Children-Education, Child Protection, and communication teams at a field level to produce and adapt tailored ECCE messages for radiobroadcast.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds their team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in accordance with the context, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• widely shares Save the Children’s vision, and engages and motivates others future orientated, thinks strategically and on a national and global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.
• The post holder must commit to work in an international agency that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion and fights racism, gender inequality and discrimination in all forms; and to model positive behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to equality and respect to all colleagues, partners and communities.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS

• BA degree in Early Childhood Care and Education, Creative Arts, Theatrical Arts, literature, Journalism, and related field in the social sciences
• Training in the educational audio and video script writing and content development, development of children local stories, dramas, dialogues.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• At least 2 years of similar experience in developing content for audio, video and print lessons in dramatized and playful ways preferably targeting children
• Experience in the preparation of play script, song, drama, local stories with moral values that nurture young children’s development in playful way
• Awareness of regional contexts particularly in conflict affected areas of northern Ethiopia and disaster/drought affected areas of southern Ethiopia.
• Experience in developing/adopting stories for children to interact and learn from their interaction.
• Good reporting and writing skills in English and relevant other local languages.

KEY COMPETENCIES Technical competencies:

• Ensures all children’s access to quality education
• Ensures all children’s wellbeing
• Supports all children’s learning and development

Generic Competencies

• Being the Voice of Children: Promotes evidence-based policy and public engagement that includes the voices of children and their communities
• Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Displays a commitment to ensuring everything we do considers the most deprived and marginalized children
• Building & Strengthening Partnerships: Promotes working with diverse partners as critical to delivery
• Child Rights: Promotes the rights of children in own work and in work with colleagues and peers