Title: Literacy and Digital Skills Coordinator

Location: Remote working, Ghana-based  

Reporting to: Education & Research Manager 

Hours: Full-time, 40 hours, working across Monday-Saturday with some evening meetings 

Salary: Competitive, in line with experience 

About Us

EduSpots is an innovative, dynamic, and community-driven UK and Ghanaian registered charity which connects, trains, and equips voluntary community educators to drive community-led change through education spaces named ‘Spots’. Our vision is of our world where communities unite to create the futures they want to see, through education.  

Since 2016, through collaborating extensively with over 250 local volunteers, who take a central leadership role in the development of the network, we have supported 50 communities in creating and running community-led and owned education spaces named ‘Spots’, with a strategy to support them in moving towards our ‘Dream Spot Model’. Together, we are developing a model for a community-led education space with accompanying network engagement that could have applications across the world. 

Our Ghanaian-based team creates collaborative learning opportunities through three leadership programmes for volunteers: the Ignite, Catalyse and Peer Mentoring Programmes. These enable them to lead EduLit, EduSTEM, EduKidz and Ignite Equity clubs, alongside locally designed education projects, reaching over 10,000 students of all ages annually. Read our 2022 Impact Report here. 

We are in an exciting period of our development, having more than doubled our income, programme breadth and reach in the last year. In 2024, we are launching our new Catalyse Leadership Programme, alongside developing an EduSpots app to enhance data management and programme management at the community level, alongside a wider digitalisation process through the distribution of tablets across the network. 

We won the Tes International Award in 2018 and the Big Give Supporters’ Choice Award in 2022, and we were recently selected as a finalist for the Their World Scale-Up Innovation Prize. In 2021, our Founder was a Finalist in UNESCO-backed The Varkey Foundation’s $1 million Global Teacher Prize. 

We are excited by our future. Do visit www.eduspots.org for further information. 

About this role

We are looking for an organised, dynamic and passionate educationalist, with the educational and creative skills to drive forward EduSpots’ work in literacy and digital skills development.  

This important full-time role, reporting to the Education and Research Manager, will involve leadership of our established volunteer-driven EduLit Clubs programme for Junior High Level students, which engages learners from 20 communities in Ghana in a range of practical literacy activities that also aim to promote skills in creativity, critical thinking and leadership, with a focus on connecting educational activities to the community context and play-based learning. The coordinator will manage the EduLit Peer Mentor to support and develop our literacy WhatsApp community of over 100 community-based literacy volunteers, ensuring that they feel motivated and gain continuous professional development support. 

They will also create, research and procure educational resources across a wide range of literacy-related and digital learning areas, as the needs of the organization, volunteers and learners determine. Once embedded into the role, the post-holder will lead a wider organization-wide strategy in literacy and digital skills development, which will be embedded into our wider volunteer leadership and learner programmes. 

They will thrive in a fast-paced environment, with our work strongly centered on the quality and sustainability of the change created with our grassroots volunteers. They will be able to take on board extensive feedback to further develop the quality of their work and the resulting impact. They will have a thirst for learning and be able to produce high quality outcomes independently within a mainly remote working environment, utilizing strong IT and design skills, using Canva or other design tools effectively to produce content. 

EduSpots is highly committed to the professional development of all staff with an in-house training programme with external facilitators developed as a core part of our approach. Staff receive extensive guidance on their work and development, with the opportunity to consult with highly experienced advisors. We have a particular focus on promoting staff well-being and building a supportive community, built around our collaboratively created values of community leadership, play, care, passion, teamwork and sustainable impact. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• To lead on strategies for promoting literacy development across the network.  
• Support the development and continuous review of a curriculum for our EduLit clubs. 
• Create content to support the clubs: a monthly action plan, monthly mentoring session and wider supporting information.
• Lead monthly zoom session for EduLit volunteers, with training tips and enabling volunteers to share their ideas and collaborate. 
• Lead all communication with EduLit volunteers, via WhatsApp, phone call and email, as appropriate. 
• Create in-house context-specific resources to go into EduLit kits to match the designed curriculum. 
• To lead on the Reading Buddies scheme, encouraging Spots to adopt this. 
• Track participation in our EduLit Programme and oversee all monitoring and evaluation for the programme.
• Manage the EduLit Peer Mentor 
• To create an integrated strategy for digital learning, leading on the creation of training sessions on digital skills and online safety for roll-out across the network. 
• To create resources to enable volunteers to use the app and digital devices effectively. 
• Lead on researching effective literacy development applications to be housed on the tablets, and train volunteers in effective use of these. 
• Lead on the long-term literacy-focused relationship with UK school partners. 
• Lead on the acquisition and distribution of books by local authors and relevant text books, alongside the development of our in-house story books, working with the wider Programmes team and the Head of Operations. 
• Work with the Head of Communications to ensure the activity and impact of our literacy and digital learning work is communicated to wider stakeholders. 
• Supporting the process of impact reporting and evaluation for the Ignite Programme and the digitalisation process.  

Other

• Ensure all administrative tasks relating to the role are carried out accurately.
• To comply at all times with the organization’s policies, procedures and performance expectations of staff as set out in the Staff and Volunteers Handbook.
• Any other duties as may be reasonably required under the role, which may include some communications team support or supporting our online courses. 

Personal Specifications

Knowledge & Experience

• At least 3 years’ experience in the area of literacy development, preferably with experience of designing and leading a literacy programme at Junior High Level. 
• Experience in programme development and management with an understanding of the need to meet deadlines. 
• Experience in education resource design (e.g. curricula, student activities, teacher/facilitator guides).
• A strong training facilitator, with the ability to model outstanding pedagogy and inspire volunteers.
• Strong IT knowledge and skills, with an interest in, and ability to, equip volunteers and learners with the digital skills needed to thrive in today’s world. 
• Experience in online educational delivery of various forms (e.g. via zoom, WhatsApp, and phone call) 
• Experience of working with volunteers to drive educational change. 
• Experience of home-based, online working 

Personal Qualities & Skills

• A creative thinker, able to use innovative ideas to drive educational engagement and outcomes. 
• A strong educationalist, with a genuine passion for the power of education to transform lives
• Strong skills in design (e.g. on Canva), with an ability to use a range of resource and communication methods to convey information to a diverse mix of community-based volunteers (e.g. videos, posters, voice notes etc).  
• A team player with a belief in the value of collaborative approaches to learning. 
• Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work to maintain a high standard of performance with minimum supervision.
• Strong IT skills and understanding, with an interest in the use of educational technology to drive outcomes. 
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritise and meet deadlines.
•  Ability to respond to feedback effectively, always looking for improvements in their work, and that of the organisation. 
• Flexible with the ability to react to change and be adaptable.
• An ability to understand and meet agreed international standards of working and promote strong professional standards in their team. 
• A strong personal affinity with EduSpots’ mission, vision and values (community leadership, play, care, passion, teamwork and sustainable impact) with a genuine passion for educational equity and community-led development, with the ability to work collaboratively with grassroots volunteers who are the leaders of our network.   

Desirable 

• Volunteer experience and commitment.
• Experience of working in a multicultural team
• Masters qualification in a related field

How to apply:

Please send a tailored covering letter and updated CV addressed to the Head of Staff and Professional Development, Kennedy Apanyin, at recruitment@eduspots.org by Friday 19th April with a hope to meet shortlisted candidates for a first-round interview shortly afterwards, for a start date at the start of May. 

For further information please see www.eduspots.org  or contact us at recruitment@eduspots.org. Also follow us on social media – @eduspots on Twitter and Facebook 

This job description will be reviewed annually and may be subject to amendment or modification at any time in consultation with the post holder.  It is not a comprehensive statement of procedures and tasks but sets out the main expectations of the role.EduSpots is committed to the safeguarding of children. Appointment will be subject to child protection screening appropriate to the post.

Photos below – EduLit club at Kalpohin; EduLit training at our Ignite Conference, held at Elmina Spot