National Specialist: Programme Design and Development Policy
Organizational Context
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a UN specialized agency dedicated to global food security. The FAO Country Office in Lesotho supports the transformation of food, agriculture, and rural development. Currently, FAO is assisting the Lesotho Agricultural College (LAC) in developing a Programme Design and Development Policy. This is crucial for LAC to become a Centre of Excellence and meet accreditation standards, as it currently lacks a formal policy for its academic programmes.
Job Purpose
The National Specialist will support the Lesotho Agricultural College (LAC) management in developing a comprehensive Programme Design and Development Policy. This involves conducting analytical work, gathering input from various stakeholders, and drafting the policy document. The ultimate goal is to establish clear principles, procedures, and governance structures for the entire lifecycle of academic programmes at LAC, ensuring alignment with national and international quality assurance standards and facilitating the college's accreditation readiness.
Responsibilities
The specialist will conduct a thorough review of LAC's current programme development processes, identifying gaps against quality standards and international best practices. Benchmarking against similar institutions will be performed. Consultative workshops will be facilitated with LAC leadership, staff, students, and external stakeholders to define programme design principles and governance. Outcome-based curriculum design principles and step-by-step procedures for programme development, validation, review, and discontinuation will be established. The specialist will also design programme audit schedules, assess institutional capacity for implementation, and draft the complete policy document, including an implementation plan. The draft policy will be presented for validation, feedback incorporated, and finalized for approval. A handover report will summarize the process and recommendations.
Work Experience
Seven years of relevant professional experience in curriculum and programme development, quality assurance, or higher education policy is required. Experience in developing institutional policies or frameworks for higher education or technical and vocational institutions is highly desirable.
Skills
Key skills include results focus, teamwork, communication, building effective relationships, and knowledge sharing. Demonstrated knowledge of national qualifications frameworks and accreditation standards, particularly the Lesotho Qualifications Framework and Council on Higher Education requirements, is essential. Strong facilitation, stakeholder consultation, and report-writing skills are also required.