Programme Manager, Education Partnerships Group

 Location: Nairobi, Accra, Cape Town, Lusaka, Abidjan, or Freetown, with international travel, indicatively 35%

Salary details: £31,000 - £38,000; salary quoted in GBP, commensurate with experience and location
Contract: Dependent on programme need (12 months up to permanent);  candidates must have the right to work in the location in which they wish to be based

Closing date:: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis

About EPG

Incubated within UK education charity, Ark, the Education Partnerships Group (EPG) is an international not-for-profit consultancy that partners with governments to shape and strengthen their education systems. Our vision is that governments in low- and middle-income countries are equipped to ensure that every child goes to school and learns. We believe that supporting government to design and implement contextually relevant and evidence-based public policy is the best way to drive sustainable progress towards achieving quality education for all. 

We assist governments across three critical stages of the policy process:   

1.   Generating and using research to inform policy  

2.   Supporting the design and development of policy  

3.   Supporting the piloting and scaling of policy reform initiatives  

Today, EPG works in five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: South Africa, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Zambia. 

In our work, we prioritise a genuine understanding of context rather than assuming ideas can simply be transplanted from one country to another. We also focus on the system – the roles, responsibilities, and relationships of all the different actors – rather than working on one policy area in isolation. 

COVID has demonstrated more than ever the importance of effective education systems capable of coordinating and targeting limited resources, through evidence-based approaches for impactful education service delivery. With growing demand for our services, EPG is currently focused on seizing those opportunities to expand our footprint in current programme countries and new geographies. 

About the role:

The Programme Manager is a critical role at EPG, driving the planning, execution and monitoring of our projects in partnership with governments across sub-Saharan Africa. Programme Managers drive the establishment of new projects, in some cases in new geographies for EPG, lead strategic engagement with Ministry officials and other stakeholders and play an important role in the design and delivery of technical assistance to Ministries of Education. These roles may be based within the relevant Ministry of Education or in an office with EPG's other programme staff. In some instances, these roles may be home-based, depending on location. The role may require significant remote working and thus personal initiative and time management will be critical.

The right candidate will be passionate about the role education plays in transforming lives and see this role as an opportunity to support the expansion of EPG’s system-wide approach to supporting governments to plan for and implement reform to improve learning outcomes globally. They will find EPG an exciting and entrepreneurial environment and see this role as an opportunity to have a positive impact on improving children’s learning in low- and middle-income countries.

Indicative responsibilities:

• Cultivate and maintain trusted relationships with Ministry officials, maintaining regular contact and check-ins through in-person visits, meetings, workshops, and electronic communication;
• Cultivate and maintain trusted relationships with key stakeholders and development partners, including but not limited to major bilateral and multilateral donors, UN agencies, donor implementing partners and consultancies, national NGOs, advocacy groups;
• Work directly with senior officials in ministries of education and/or related agencies to design and deliver policy-related technical assistance aimed at shaping and strengthening the education system;
• Where required, support the establishment and/or refinement of policy development, delivery and/or monitoring systems within ministries of education, including the creation of coordination structures, decision making and project monitoring systems and problem solving interventions;
• Where required, contribute to the design, delivery or commissioning of a range of policy-related work including the revision of existing policies, drafting of new policies, policy guidelines and standard operating procedures, including effective stakeholder management;
• Where required, oversee qualitative research projects and coordinate commissioned quantitative research, support associated analysis, development of policy recommendations and devise strategies to support government partners to ensure such evidence is used to inform policy change and education service delivery;
• Where required, oversee the design and delivery of policy pilots, collaborating with ministry officials and other partners such as evaluation partners who may be commissioned by EPG or by other development partners;
• Work in close partnership with the wider EPG global team to ensure efficient and high-quality delivery of all technical assistance projects and the exchange of insights and learning across projects;
• Participate in regular project and programme team meetings;
• Regularly review and update the project workplans and monitoring frameworks, to ensure projects stay on track and on budget;
• Support the financial management of project delivery and contribute to funder reporting;
• Collaborate with colleagues to nurture new funding partnerships and deepen existing partnerships interested in EPG’s work;
• Participate in the development of EPG through regular team meetings, knowledge exchange, strategic internal projects and professional development;
• Where required, manage a small team up of to three Associates.

Candidate requirements:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences (Law, Public Administration, Economics, Education or related field)
• 5+ years of professional experience
• A commitment to improving education quality for all children
• Considerable professional experience in the public policy process in low- and middle-income countries, including policy analysis, review, design and implementation
• A track record of building relationships with leaders in government and non-government institutions
• Attention to detail and considerable professional experience in the design and delivery of policy-related projects
• Strong written communications and presentation skills in English
• Experience with the professional use of the Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook)
• Experience in analysing and interpreting data, including familiarity with research and evaluation methodologies
• Experience with project management tools and approaches
• Strong interpersonal skills with a sense of humility and willingness to work with diverse team members, often remotely
• Candidates with French language skills are also encouraged to apply, though this is not required of all roles.
• Commitment to EPG’s core values

o   Responsive | we start from a place of “yes”

o   Accountable | we accept ownership and healthy conflict

o   Rigorous | we create and meet high expectations

o   Inclusive | we seek diversity of perspectives and experiences

o   Respectful | we are quick to listen and empathize

How to Apply:

Apply with a CV and cover letter on our online recruitment portal. We will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis so early application is advised.

 Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; all successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Ark Schools are committed to attracting, developing and retaining a diverse workforce, with a broad range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.