School Librarian - Pharo Foundation

About the job

Pharo Foundation ("the Foundation") is a mission-driven, impact-oriented organisation that designs, funds, and operates economic development programmes towards a vibrant, productive, and self-reliant Africa. Over the next decade, our goal is to create maximum impact towards three critical missions:

Education: ensure that all students have an opportunity to access a high-quality and affordable education and become productive citizens in a rapidly changing world.
Water: ensure that people and communities across Africa have access to a safe and affordable source of water.
Productivity: eliminate health, financial, and structural barriers to employment and productivity for working people.

Pharo Foundation's education mission is implemented through the Pharo-brand schools, ranging from kindergarten, to primary and secondary. The Foundation operates four Pharo schools in Somaliland, Vocational Training Centre, Pharo Kindergarten, Pharo Primary, and Pharo Secondary Boarding school in Sheikh district.

The Foundation also operates Pharo Ventures which is the for-profit arm of its operations with sustainable businesses in Ethiopia and Somaliland geared towards job creation and economic empowerment.

With over 700 employees in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Somaliland, we are a diverse, multicultural, and passionate organisation. We have our headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and a liaison office in London, UK, which is home to our parent organisation, Pharo Management.

Our school enriches both international and national curricula through diverse means, such as engaging reading materials, innovative technology-driven learning methods, and educational technology tools. We take pride in our well-equipped instructional spaces tailored for dynamic learning, ongoing assessment, mentorship, and age-appropriate resources like libraries, laboratories, ICT facilities, and pedagogical centers. We firmly uphold the significance of academic excellence in nurturing students, facilitating their seamless transition into adulthood, and paving the way for occupational and economic success.

Position Summary

Position: School Librarian

Reporting to: Lower Primary Headteacher

Location: Hargeisa, Somaliland

Contract type: Fixed Term

We are currently looking for an enthusiastic School Librarian to work full-time at our prestigious Primary school. The Librarian will ensure that the library is strategically managed and continuously developed as well as open and available to students. He/she will supervise and manage the school library/media centre and provide services and resources that allow students to develop skills in locating, evaluating and using information to solve problems. This is an exciting opportunity to play a meaningful role in the growth of The Pharo Primary School and the pursuit of its goals.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Promote the effective and efficient use of the library and library resources.
Work with teaching staff to take a strategic approach to cultivating a love of reading in children.
Manage the school library and library resources throughout the school.
Organise school library using a coherent and easy to understand system.
Select, acquire, maintain and withdraw library stock, ensuring a balance between subject and ability levels.
Organise, catalogue and classify library resources, both electronic and print-based.
Make full use of the Schools Library Service and other sources of information and support
Make the library attractive and accessible to all children and staff, including displays, guiding and publicity materials.
Keep the school administration and parents informed about the needs and development of the library and information service in the school.
Manage acquisitions, processing, organizing, distribution, maintenance, and inventory of resources.
Share information with staff concerning student progress, problems and achievements as observed in the media centre.
Provide staff in service training necessary for the effective use of media resources, technology, equipment and media centre.
Use tests and/or other evaluative information in planning instructional units and after instruction to determine if goals have been met.
Consult teachers on appropriate use of materials and help them schedule materials for classroom instruction and units of study.
Challenge students to think and express their thoughts through library related activities.
Help students set achievement expectations and evaluate their own progress.

Qualifications Requirements

Bachelor's degree in library science or a related subject.
Knowledge of use of technology as retrieval and instructional tool.
Awareness of child development and the role of reading in the educational development of the child.
Substantial library experience, with experience of working with schools or with children
Experience of developing and delivering training sessions.
Ability to think strategically and creatively, as well as having an eye for detail.
Ability to assume responsibility for your own work, devise your own work schedule and set appropriate targets and achieve them.

Personal Attributes

Always behaves in an exemplary manner and act as a role model within and outside the Pharo School.
Strong communication and demonstration skills.
Have a caring and nurturing attitude towards young learners.
Passionate individual driven to succeed and make a difference in a highly impactful organisation.
Be a self-starter or self-motivated.

Application procedure

Review of applications will begin as soon as they are received, and only complete applications will be reviewed. If an outstanding applicant is identified early in the search process, we reserve the right to appoint before the deadline. For this reason, we encourage interested and suitably qualified candidates to apply at the earliest possible opportunity. The position is open to both female and male nationals from Somalland. Female Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

The application deadline is September 24th, 2024.

Application Requirement

A detailed CV.
Cover letter - In your cover letter, please indicate your motivation for the role and state where you heard about this position or saw it advertised e.g., through our website, jobs board, etc.
An updated list of at least (4) referees with their name, title, current email addresses and phone numbers as follows; two supervisors, one peer, one direct report.