TVET Curriculum Development Specialist

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:  
Level 2: the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.
 

Project Background
The Agri-skills for Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Economies – Green Resilience and Employment Enhancement Network (ARISE-GREEN) is a 48-month, European Union-funded Agri-Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative under the Skills for South Sudan’s Youth in the Agri-Value Chain Sector Action. The project is implemented by a Save the Children (SCI)-led consortium, Hope Africa South Sudan (HASS), and the Christian Agency for Peace and Development (CAPaD) as Co-Applicants. ARISE-GREEN aims to reform and strengthen inclusive, accredited, and climate-responsive Agri-TVET systems in South Sudan. Operating across 7 counties in Eastern Equatoria (Magwi, Torit, Kapoeta South), Central Equatoria (Juba, Terekeka), and Lakes State (Rumbek Central, Yirol East), the project targets 12 public TVET institutions, upgrading 3 into specialized Centres of Excellence. The project will directly support 5,538 vulnerable youth (including IDPs, returnees, refugees, women, persons with disabilities, and UNMISS-referred high-risk individuals) by shifting agricultural training from theoretical instruction to practical, market-led Competency-Based Training (CBT) anchored across green agri-value chain nodes. 
Role Purpose
Based in Juba, the TVET Curriculum Development Specialist provides technical leadership and expertise in designing, adapting, and accrediting Competency-Based Training (CBT) curricula, modules, and instructional packages for the ARISE-GREEN project. The Specialist ensures that all training pathways—spanning Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal levels—are fully aligned with the South Sudan National Qualifications Framework (NQF Levels 1 to 5). This role drives the modernization of agricultural training by embedding green technologies, climate-smart practices, digital marketing, and gender-transformative approaches into standardized learning frameworks. They will also lead high-level institutional collaboration with national line ministries to institutionalize these upgraded curricula.
 
 

SCOPE OF ROLE: 
Reports to:  Consortium Programme Manager -ARISE 
 
Core Technical Interfaces: Collaborates closely with the field-based Agri-TVET Coordinators, partner technical focal points (HASS and CAPaD), TVET Center Directors, and the parallel NRC-led consortium's technical working group.
 
External Representation: Serves as the primary technical interface with the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI), Ministry of Labour (MoL), and Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) on curriculum and accreditation matters.
 
Roles & Responsibilities
1. Competency-Based Curriculum Design & Adaptation

• Lead the technical design, development, and adaptation of practical, market-led Competency-Based Training (CBT) curricula for priority mapped modules in the priority Agri-Value Chains (AVCs).
• Embed green methodologies and advanced green-tech practices directly into targeted course modules.
• Develop comprehensive, clear Trainer Learning Guides, Trainee Workbooks, practical exercise logs, and Competency Assessment Tools for each course.
• Integrate cross-cutting priorities seamlessly into the curricula, specifically gender equity, safe programming, inclusion of persons with disabilities, and conflict sensitivity.

2. National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Alignment & Accreditation

• Ensure all developed formal and non-formal training modules are strictly mapped to South Sudan NQF Levels 1 through 5 (from Micro-credentials up to Certificate and Diploma levels).
• Lead the institutional processes required to secure official validation, endorsement, and accreditation of developed modules from MoGEI, MoL, and relevant regulatory bodies.
• Establish clear, formalized pathways for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), allowing youth with informal sector experience to transition systematically into NQF Level 1 tracks.
• Standardize stackable micro-credential frameworks for short, modular non-formal courses, allowing learners to progressively accumulate credits toward full formal certifications.

3. Capacity Building & Instructor Mentorship

• Formulate and execute a centralized capacity-building roadmap for 240 TVET instructors and workshop technicians across the 12 target institutions.
• Facilitate intensive Training-of-Trainers (ToT) workshops focusing on practical, learner-centered CBT delivery, gender-sensitive instruction, and the usage of advanced solar/processing equipment.
• Provide continuous, field-level technical mentoring and coaching to instructors to ensure they effectively transition from theoretical lecturing to hands-on, competency-based facilitation.

4. Market-Led Alignment & Stakeholder Engagement

• Utilize insights from Value Chain Skills Gap Analyses (VCSGA) and occupational profiling to continuously refine curriculum modules, ensuring they match actual private-sector labor demands.
• Partner with the Agri-TVET Coordinators to engage the 49+ mapped private sector MSMEs, ensuring that work-based learning (WBL) and apprenticeship frameworks match classroom-delivered CBT metrics.
• Establish and coordinate ad hoc technical working groups comprised of ministry officials, private sector professionals, and master craftsmen to validate occupational standards and skills profiles.

5. Quality Assurance, Monitoring & Reporting

• Design and implement institutional Quality Assurance (QA) toolkits and assessment checklists for the 3 designated TVET Centres of Excellence.
• Conduct regular technical monitoring visits to institutional workshops and field demonstration plots to evaluate the quality and adherence of training delivery against the approved curricula.
• Draft high-quality technical progress reports, curriculum briefs, and policy-level recommendation papers for the Consortium Project Manager and national steering platforms.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Strategic Leadership and Project Management
• Stakeholder Engagement and Community Mobilization Oversight
• Technical Oversight of Programme Components
• Coordination, Representation, and Partnerships
• Monitoring, Reporting, and Quality Assurance
• Team Leadership and Capacity Strengthening

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
 
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, 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 their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future-oriented, thinks strategically and on a 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 the highest levels of integrity.

 
 
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
 
Essential:

• Master’s degree in Education /Vocational Education (TVET) Curriculum Design, Educational Assessment, Agricultural Education, Agronomy, or a related technical development field.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive professional experience specializing in TVET curriculum development, instructional design, and occupational standard formulation.
• Proven technical expertise in building Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET/CBT) systems, preferably within the East African region or fragile states context.
• Deep operational understanding of National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF), educational accreditation pathways, and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience integrating green economies, climate-smart agriculture, solar energy technologies, or digital literacy into vocational training programs.
• Substantial experience working collaboratively with national line ministries (MoGEI, MoL, MoF) and institutional authorities.

Skills and Competencies:

• Technical Writing: Exceptional capability to author clear, structured technical manuals, learning guides, and policy validation frameworks from scratch.
• Stakeholder Diplomacy: Strong capability to navigate bureaucratic approval processes and forge consensus among government authorities, INGOs, and private sector enterprise actors.
• Analytical Translation: Proven ability to translate private-sector market assessments and industrial value-chain deficits into practical classroom learning objectives.
• Communication: Flawless written and spoken professional English. Ability to present complex pedagogical methodologies clearly to local instructors and diverse stakeholders.
• Bottom of Form

Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within the reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities 
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.