Short Term Consultant: Program Accreditation Expert

Short Term Consultant: Program Accreditation Consultant, Amman, Jordan

About IREX

IREX is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information.

Working with stakeholders including the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA), USAID Pre-Service Teacher Education in Jordan Program will support four participating public Jordanian universities to successfully develop and implement preservice teacher education programs and to ensure that they are well-subscribed by male and female students. Concurrently, it is supporting the Government of Jordan to raise the status of the teaching profession and improve its systems, policies, and practices related to preservice teacher education.

Position Summary

IREX seeks a qualified short-term consultant to support the USAID-funded project to support four public universities delivering a pre service teacher education diploma to understand Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) program accreditation requirements including evidence required against the five standards, support the universities to self-assess against CAEP and co- develop bespoke action plans with the objective of meeting the necessary standards with a defined timeline to take the institution up to submission of application. The first cohort of the program are expected to graduate in June 2022.

Duties and Responsibilities

Working closely with the Program’s technical team and partner universities, the consultant will provide support and a roadmap for each university to apply for CAEP accreditation, tasks to include:

• Review the current CAEP standards with all Universities through an interactive workshop and be able to answer questions by faculty
• Meet with the four Universities quality assurance teams and Deans/faculty to understand the current university baseline and support each university to complete a self-assessment against CAEP standards.
• Identify a clear action plan that is designed to take the University from its current baseline to application
• Present the action plans to each university with clear timelines and agreed roles and responsibilities
• Provide quarterly check ins with each university to gain a status of progress made against action plans and provide ad hoc guidance where required. (can be virtual)
• Provide monthly reports about each university status quo.

Skills and Experience

Required Abilities and Experience

• Minimum of 8 years of experience providing accreditation and quality assurance support to universities
• Master’s degree in relevant field or a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• Must demonstrate an excellent track record of achieving results in building institutional capacity and performance, preferably in higher education and/or pre-service teacher training.
• Strong, self-directed project management with attention to detail.
• Fluency in Arabic and English required, including strong writing skills.

Preferred Abilities and Experience

• Experience in gaining CAEP accreditation at institutional level is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of the education landscape in Jordan is an advantage.

Evaluation Criteria

To qualify for this consultancy, candidates must have the qualifications and experience in each of the areas listed under “Required Abilities and Experience,” and be able to provide examples for these. They must have excellent Arabic and English skills.

Candidates who have the required abilities and experience will be more competitive if they can also demonstrate experience and skills listed under “Preferred Abilities and Experience,” and especially if they are familiar with types of partners and settings within which IREX works.

Evaluation Criteria for Eligible Candidates

%

Reference check

15%

Ability to provide clear examples of accreditation work

30%

Demonstrated experience and skills listed under preferred abilities and experience

30%

Proposed daily rate and reasonableness within the market rate

25%

Total

100%

To Apply

Please upload a CV with list of references and a proposed daily rate. This position is open until filled. For best consideration, apply by Feb 28, 2022.