Job ID
45971
Job Title
Early Childhood Development Lead
To work for
Aga Khan Foundation
Country
Syria
City
Hamah
Field of Work
Education/Training - Social Services
Job Type
Project Based
Military service
Not Specified
Minimum Education Level
Master
Responsibilities
The Aga Khan Foundation in Syria seeks to employ a full-time Early Childhood Development Lead for its office in Salamieh.
JOB NUMBER: ECD/ 01
JOB SUMMARY:
The Early Childhood Development (ECD) Lead provides strategic leadership and technical excellence for AKF's ECD portfolio. He/ she is responsible for designing, overseeing, and innovating multi-sectoral programs that ensure that young children – from prenatal through the age of six, thrive in nurturing environments that provide the best possible start in life, fostering their health, development and wellbeing. The ECD Lead ensures quality, integration, and impact of ECD programming and services, spanning parenting and caregivers support, integration of health and nutrition services, and pre-primary education and influencing policies and practices. The incumbent will report directly to the Education and ECD Program Manager.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Strategic Leadership and Program Development
- Develop and implement a comprehensive evidence-based ECD country strategy aligned with AKF’s global ECD strategic framework and national polices and priorities.
- Lead the design and contextualization of innovative ECD models, including center-based quality improvement, home-based learning programs, and community-based parenting groups with integrated health, hygiene, and nutrition components.
- Contribute significantly to the development of concept notes, project proposals and budgets to secure resources for ECD program expansion.
- Promote a culture of learning and innovation within the ECD domain, systematically documenting best practices and lessons learned.
* Technical Oversight and Quality Assurance
- Design and deliver high-quality capacity-building programs for AKF field staff, partners organisations and program trainers and facilitators.
- Serve as the technical lead for ECD, providing direct support and guidance to area offices during their annual planning, implementation, and review processes for ECD interventions.
- Conduct regular supervision and field visits to ECD programmes to ensure quality control, fidelity to the technical model and monitor progress against targets.
- Ensure that all ECD interventions proactively integrate and advance AKF's core principles of gender equity, inclusion for children with disabilities, and social cohesion.
- Assume primary responsibility for identifying and mitigating safeguarding risks within the ECD portfolio. Ensure all staff, partners and trainers and facilitators understand and adhere to child protection and safeguarding policies.
- Ensure that interventions comply with AKF’s safety, security, financial and administrative policies and procedures.
- Assist in the design and execution of ECD-focused needs assessments, baseline and endline evaluation studies in collaboration with the MERL team to inform programming.
* Partnerships and Collaboration
- Coordinate closely with area offices to support annual planning and review processes for ECD interventions.
- Coordinate the integration of ECD within the health facilities, as well as the integration of health and nutrition within the ECD programming, by collaborating with the Health and Nutrition sector leads.
- Build and nurture strategic partnerships with government authorities, NGOs, and international partners to influence policies and practices.
- Act as AKF's technical representative in national ECD coordination forums, working groups, and with key stakeholders as required.
JOB NUMBER: ECD/ 01
JOB SUMMARY:
The Early Childhood Development (ECD) Lead provides strategic leadership and technical excellence for AKF's ECD portfolio. He/ she is responsible for designing, overseeing, and innovating multi-sectoral programs that ensure that young children – from prenatal through the age of six, thrive in nurturing environments that provide the best possible start in life, fostering their health, development and wellbeing. The ECD Lead ensures quality, integration, and impact of ECD programming and services, spanning parenting and caregivers support, integration of health and nutrition services, and pre-primary education and influencing policies and practices. The incumbent will report directly to the Education and ECD Program Manager.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Strategic Leadership and Program Development
- Develop and implement a comprehensive evidence-based ECD country strategy aligned with AKF’s global ECD strategic framework and national polices and priorities.
- Lead the design and contextualization of innovative ECD models, including center-based quality improvement, home-based learning programs, and community-based parenting groups with integrated health, hygiene, and nutrition components.
- Contribute significantly to the development of concept notes, project proposals and budgets to secure resources for ECD program expansion.
- Promote a culture of learning and innovation within the ECD domain, systematically documenting best practices and lessons learned.
* Technical Oversight and Quality Assurance
- Design and deliver high-quality capacity-building programs for AKF field staff, partners organisations and program trainers and facilitators.
- Serve as the technical lead for ECD, providing direct support and guidance to area offices during their annual planning, implementation, and review processes for ECD interventions.
- Conduct regular supervision and field visits to ECD programmes to ensure quality control, fidelity to the technical model and monitor progress against targets.
- Ensure that all ECD interventions proactively integrate and advance AKF's core principles of gender equity, inclusion for children with disabilities, and social cohesion.
- Assume primary responsibility for identifying and mitigating safeguarding risks within the ECD portfolio. Ensure all staff, partners and trainers and facilitators understand and adhere to child protection and safeguarding policies.
- Ensure that interventions comply with AKF’s safety, security, financial and administrative policies and procedures.
- Assist in the design and execution of ECD-focused needs assessments, baseline and endline evaluation studies in collaboration with the MERL team to inform programming.
* Partnerships and Collaboration
- Coordinate closely with area offices to support annual planning and review processes for ECD interventions.
- Coordinate the integration of ECD within the health facilities, as well as the integration of health and nutrition within the ECD programming, by collaborating with the Health and Nutrition sector leads.
- Build and nurture strategic partnerships with government authorities, NGOs, and international partners to influence policies and practices.
- Act as AKF's technical representative in national ECD coordination forums, working groups, and with key stakeholders as required.
Qualifications
- The applicant must have a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Development, Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, or a related field.
- Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in designing, managing, and implementing holistic ECD or related early years programme in a development context.
- Proven, in-depth technical knowledge of early childhood development principles, play-based learning, and caregiver engagement strategies and multi-sectoral integration.
- Strong understanding of the national ECD landscape, relevant policies, frameworks, and key government and civil society stakeholders.
- Demonstrated experience in developing ECD technical resources (manuals, tools) and delivering training and capacity for diverse audiences.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with a passion for working with children and their families.
- Proven experience in partner management, coordination and representation.
- Experience in program design and proposal writing is desirable.
- Strong command of written and spoken English and Arabic.
- Proficiency in computer skills
- Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in designing, managing, and implementing holistic ECD or related early years programme in a development context.
- Proven, in-depth technical knowledge of early childhood development principles, play-based learning, and caregiver engagement strategies and multi-sectoral integration.
- Strong understanding of the national ECD landscape, relevant policies, frameworks, and key government and civil society stakeholders.
- Demonstrated experience in developing ECD technical resources (manuals, tools) and delivering training and capacity for diverse audiences.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with a passion for working with children and their families.
- Proven experience in partner management, coordination and representation.
- Experience in program design and proposal writing is desirable.
- Strong command of written and spoken English and Arabic.
- Proficiency in computer skills
Specific Vacancy Requirements
Deadline for application submission is Wednesday, January 7th 2026.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Salary and Benefits
As Per AKF Salary Scale.
Health and Life Insurance.
Health and Life Insurance.
About us
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of development agencies with mandates that include the environment, health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, and the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalization of historic cities. AKDN agencies conduct their programmes without regard to faith, origin or gender.
Safeguarding Commitments:
AKF is committed to maintaining the highest standard of ethical behaviour among its staff, representatives, and partners to make sure of do no harm of the beneficiaries and whom they deal with. In line with this commitment; the selected incumbent must adhere to the AKF Code of Conduct and the relevant Safeguarding policies
Safeguarding Commitments:
AKF is committed to maintaining the highest standard of ethical behaviour among its staff, representatives, and partners to make sure of do no harm of the beneficiaries and whom they deal with. In line with this commitment; the selected incumbent must adhere to the AKF Code of Conduct and the relevant Safeguarding policies
Required employees number
1
Posted On
Dec 18, 2025
Expiry Date
Jan 17, 2026
CV Language
English
