About African Leadership Academy
African Leadership Academy (ALA) seeks to transform Africa by identifying, developing and connecting a new generation of young leaders who will lead the continent towards lasting peace and shared prosperity for all. Since our inception in 2008 we have worked to lay the foundations of this audacious mission by identifying and developing a group of exceptional young leaders who will work together to shape Africa’s future. The flagship secondary education offering has expanded to early career and youth entrepreneurship programs like the Anzisha Prize and Africa Career Networks.
About Africa Career Networks
Africa Career Networks (ACN) supports young Africans with identified leadership potential (ALA graduates, Mastercard Foundation Scholars, Anzisha Fellows and others) in their pursuit of a career of impact within seven (7) key sectors of Africa’s opportunity landscape – Agribusiness, the Arts, Infrastructure, Governance, Education, Professional Services and Health. Each network delivers a relevant combination of training, internships, fellowships, mentorship, employer engagement and events to foster collective impact through the community.
About AL for Education
African Leaders (AL) for Education is a growing network of school leaders, founders and aspirant education professionals who work to foster excellence in African education and who are demonstrably improving learning outcomes for African children. These leaders are driving the conversation about what young Africans should know and be able to do, and how young education leaders must be organized to achieve those outcomes. They are building and testing these ideas and sharing lessons in ways that help others implement their learning. To enable this, AL for Education operates programs that seek to advance learning outcomes in communities across the African continent. These include a fellowship accelerator for school founders, an early career apprenticeship program and an annual gathering – amongst others. The program brings exceptional talent into Africa’s education sector and supports the advancement of extraordinary schools serving communities across Africa. The program aims to harness a broad, pan-African network and transmit learnings to amplify its impact on education in Africa.
Position Overview
AL for Education is looking for a Program Director to accelerate the growth and effectiveness of a leadership network that collaborates to transform education outcomes in Africa by investing in emerging education leaders.
The Program Director will continue to refine and operationalize the strategy for AL for Education as well as develop and drive forward the partnerships required to execute on that strategy. They will lead an excellent and diverse team of professionals driving program delivery, support fundraising efforts, and manage partnerships and communications. The Program Director will work with ALA’s executive team and key stakeholders to advance the long-term growth of the program and fulfil its vision and mission.
Position Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership
- Continue to refine and provide high-level strategic direction to drive AL for Ed’s mission of supporting education leaders to accelerate their impact on education outcomes.
- Develop and implement strategic plans in alignment with ALA’s overall strategy and mission.
- Manage risk and program evolution as necessary given an ever-changing environment.
- Articulate the approaches of AL for Education programs and the resulting impact of network members on the wider educational ecosystem in Africa.
- Network Growth and Partnership Development
- Develop and implement an effective network engagement strategy that will enable diverse stakeholders to connect and collaborate toward collective action.
- Build a network of employer partners in the education space across Africa eager and willing to take on high potential, early career interns and employees.
- Collaborate with and support partners to leverage resources, share best practices, innovate and drive collective impact in the education sector.
- Represent AL for Education in global conferences, talks and education networks to share learnings, build relationships and grow the network.
- Program Development and Implementation
- Oversee and contribute to the planning, coordination, and implementation of the programs.
- Ensure programming remains impact-focused, and work with monitoring, learning and evaluation teams in all activities.
- Recruit, hire, and manage staff members, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and priorities.
- Get stuck in! Participate in program design and delivery, providing coaching, program facilitation and other engagement as necessary for program success and as a means of engaging network members.
- Fundraising and Resource Mobilization
- Develop and implement plans to diversify funding sources and secure financial support.
- Cultivate relationships with potential donors and maintain relationships with existing donors.
- Prepare effective grant proposals, fundraising pitches, and donor reports.
Profile of the Ideal Candidate
- Strategic leader: you identify, evaluate, and execute high-impact opportunities.
- Education Expert: you hold strong, substantiated positions about the nature of teaching & learning and can evaluate ideas through the lens of experience and research.
- Context Agility: you have experience translating and applying educational practices in different contexts.
- Highly organized project and people manager: you build and lead highly effective teams with diverse experience and expertise and enjoy bringing new programs to life.
- Partnership builder: you build win-win partnerships and have the experience of fundraising for non-profit and/or for-profit organizations.
- Passionate about building relationships and networks, especially in the education field.
- Builder of highly effective teams with diverse cultural backgrounds, experience, and expertise.
- Experience managing complex projects with multiple workstreams
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Experience with public speaking and publishing written work, and/or developing communication strategies and plans.
- Financial Acumen and Budget Management experience
Desired Experience
- 10+ years of experience working in education organizations or the education sector.
- Knowledgeable of the challenges of education in Africa and engaged in reading and developing related research. Passionate and eager to engage in continuous learning in the field.
- Track record of managing small, effective teams for collaborative results.
- Experience of facilitating and delivering engaging conferences and events.
- Dedicated to shaping the future of the education sector.
Reporting: This role reports to the Chief Programs Officer
Start Date: 1 October 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.
Location: This role is based at ALA’s campus in Johannesburg, South Africa.
