Location: Belize or Caribbean region
Level of effort: Approximately 100 days over one year
Travel: If based outside Belize, approximately 3–4 trips to Belize
Reporting: Reports to the Creative Project Manager and coordinates closely with the Project Team Leader and RTI’s technical leads for Components 1, 2 and 3
Role summary
The Component 4 Lead will provide overall technical leadership for the reform of teacher and school-leader licensing, appraisal, career pathways, performance incentives and secondary-level dual-subject certification in Belize.
The Lead will direct the design and implementation of Component 4, serve as the principal author and integrator of the Draft Licensing and Career Reform Policy and Regulatory Package due in Week 56, and ensure that the proposed reforms are aligned with Belize’s existing policies, tools and reform initiatives, including the Education Act 2026 or applicable legal framework, professional standards, existing appraisal and licensing arrangements, and the Equipping Secondary Educators Program.
The Lead will work collaboratively with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST), MCA-Belize, RTI, education-sector institutions and representative stakeholder groups to build agreement progressively around the proposed reforms. The Lead will organize the work so that stakeholders jointly review the evidence, assess policy options, resolve implementation issues and confirm the proposed direction before the final package is submitted.
The Lead may be supported by short-term specialists in legal and regulatory drafting, teacher workforce analysis, dual-subject certification, data analysis or other technical areas. However, the Component 4 Lead will remain accountable for the overall technical architecture, coherence, quality and timely completion of the component.
The Lead will also provide high-level advisory support to Component 1 by helping plan and facilitate an initial co-design workshop in Belize and reviewing the draft National Education Quality Assurance Framework to ensure alignment with professional standards, teacher and school-leader performance, supervision, appraisal, professional development and career progression.
Key responsibilities
Component leadership and coordination
- Lead the Component 4 methodology, detailed work plan, sequencing, technical coordination and delivery schedule.
- Participate in the initial in-person project work-planning meeting in Belize.
- Participate in biweekly virtual technical meetings with the Project Team Leader and technical leads for Components 1, 2 and 3.
- Participate in monthly coordination meetings with RTI’s program management team and other partners.
- Coordinate and quality-assure the inputs of supporting Component 4 specialists.
- Provide Component 4 inputs, as requested and within the agreed scope, to the inception report, quarterly reports and final report.
Review and diagnostic analysis
- Lead a structured review of existing Belizean policies, regulations, standards, tools and practices related to teacher and school-leader licensing; license renewal and periodic professional review; appraisal; recruitment, promotion and professional progression; continuous professional development; teacher education and certification; performance incentives; and teacher subject specialization and deployment.
- Assess what existing policies and tools should be retained, updated, formally approved, better aligned or replaced.
- Map the institutional roles of MoECST units, Managing Authorities, schools, teacher education institutions and other bodies involved in educator regulation and workforce management.
- Identify gaps between formal policy and actual implementation.
Stakeholder engagement and consensus building
- Lead consultations and co-design processes with MoECST, MCA-Belize, the Equipping Secondary Educators Program, teacher organizations, Managing Authorities, school leaders, teachers, education officers, teacher education institutions and other relevant actors.
- Facilitate joint interpretation of findings so stakeholders confirm the problem definition and reform priorities before detailed drafting begins.
- Maintain a decision and consensus record documenting evidence reviewed, options considered, decisions reached, unresolved issues and responsible decision makers.
Career pathways
- Lead the design of structured professional-progression pathways for teachers, school leaders and education officers.
- Define career stages, competency requirements, performance expectations and evidence required for advancement.
- Develop vertical and horizontal advancement routes, including opportunities for accomplished teachers to progress as mentors, specialist teachers or instructional leaders without leaving classroom practice.
- Align career progression with professional standards, qualifications, appraisal, continuous professional development and demonstrated competence.
- Develop feasible transitional arrangements for existing personnel.
Licensing and professional review
- Review current licensing regulations and administrative practices.
- Develop or revise criteria and procedures for initial, provisional and full licensing; teacher and school-leader license categories; license renewal; periodic professional review; continuous professional-development requirements; re-entry; non-renewal, suspension or other status changes; appeals and review; and grandfathering and transition.
- Ensure proposed licensing reforms align with the Education Act 2026 or other applicable legal framework and with professional standards established under Component 1.
- Work with legal expertise to identify which reforms require legislation, regulation, ministerial policy, administrative procedure or institutional agreement.
Teacher and school-leader appraisal
- Lead the review and revision of existing teacher and school-leader appraisal tools and procedures.
- Develop a standards-aligned appraisal framework using multiple sources of evidence.
- Define the appraisal cycle, evaluator responsibilities, evidence requirements, moderation, feedback, recordkeeping and review or appeals processes.
- Establish clear links between appraisal findings and targeted professional development; coaching or mentoring; performance-improvement support; licensing renewal; career progression; and professional recognition.
- Ensure that appraisal is practical, fair, transparent and developmental rather than primarily punitive.
Performance incentives
- Develop feasible financial and nonfinancial performance-incentive options for teachers and school leaders.
- Assess options for affordability, equity, transparency, sustainability, administrative feasibility and unintended consequences.
- Consider professional recognition, specialist and mentoring roles, funded professional-development opportunities, career-stage advancement, hard-to-staff subject or geographic incentives, and school- or team-based recognition.
- Ensure incentives support collaboration, school improvement and student achievement.
Dual-subject certification
- Lead the development of policy, standards and procedures for secondary-level dual-subject certification.
- Oversee analysis of teacher specialization, deployment, shortages and out-of-field teaching.
- Define priority subject combinations; required subject-content and pedagogical knowledge; initial and additional certification pathways; bridging and upgrading programs; assessment of competence; recognition of prior learning; roles of teacher education institutions; and transitional arrangements for practicing teachers.
- Ensure the model balances professional quality with the staffing realities of small, rural and hard-to-staff schools.
Required qualifications
- Advanced degree in education policy, teacher development, education leadership, human-resource management, public administration or a closely related field.
- At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in teacher policy, educator professionalization, licensing, appraisal, career pathways, professional standards or education workforce reform; 15 or more years preferred.
- Demonstrated experience leading national or system-level education policy reform.
- Direct experience in at least three of the following: teacher or school-leader licensing; professional standards; teacher or school-leader appraisal; career-pathway development; continuous professional development; teacher certification; public-sector performance management; or education workforce reform.
- Strong understanding of how professional standards, appraisal, licensing, professional development and career advancement function as an integrated system.
- Demonstrated ability to translate policy recommendations into practical procedures, implementation plans and regulatory or administrative provisions.
- Experience facilitating high-level policy dialogue and consensus-building processes involving ministries, professional associations, education institutions and other stakeholders.
- Experience managing and integrating the inputs of multidisciplinary technical specialists.
- Excellent analytical, facilitation and English-language writing skills.
- Experience working with ministries of education, teacher organizations, school leaders and teacher education institutions.
- Experience in the Caribbean, Commonwealth or another small-state education system strongly preferred.
- Knowledge of Belize’s education system and established relationships with Belizean education stakeholders would be a significant advantage.
- Availability for sustained part-time engagement across the assignment, including regular virtual coordination and travel to Belize.