Job Description
THE POSITION
The Early Childhood Development Specialist plays a key role within this new team, providing advice and support on programmatic questions, helping to think the Foundation’s role in knowledge brokerage and scale, and helping establish and nurture strong relations with networks of implementers and experts.
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS
- Provide advice and support on activities within BvLF’s strategic pillars Parents+ (e.g. developing a catalogue of initiatives globally; developing a ‘how to’ guide for stakeholders interested in implementing Parents+ initiatives, etc.) and Building Blocks for Scale (e.g. supporting coalitions and campaigns to raise profile of and investment in early childhood).
- Support ongoing efforts to define and develop BvLF’s activities in Urban 95.
- Help think through the organization’s role (and investment strategy) as knowledge broker.
- Help build BvLF’s advisory portfolio and structure.
- Help think through the most valuable support that BvLF could bring in the area of scale-up.
- Help us maintain and further develop critical links (with networks/expertise) in these areas.
About the Organization
PURPOSE
Over the last half century, the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) has worked in more than 50 countries and invested over half a billion dollars toward our mission: to improve opportunities for young children (0-8) growing up with social and economic disadvantage.
Today, more and more governments, businesses and foundations are seeing the importance of the first years of a child’s life. With growing support, the debate is shifting from ‘why invest’ toward ‘how to invest’ to get the biggest impact for the most children. This is a critical question for the 21st century.
The Foundation’s strategy centers around three key points:
- Support implementation at scale of programs benefiting young children;
- Provide this support through a "knowledge broker" role, whereby the Foundation gathers and disseminates knowledge, and connects implementers to each other, to wider networks, and to expertise; and
- Focus more specifically on two programmatic areas: urban planning for children (through the Urban95 program) and parenting skills (through Parents+).
