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The context:

Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school – but they are not learning. A recent study estimated that less than 1% of school children in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a school where the teaching meets basic standards of quality. At Rising Academies, we’re changing that, and we want your help.

About us:

At Rising Academies, our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people that need it most. The goal is to unleash the full potential of every student, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and character to succeed in further study, work, and day-to-day life. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®.

We own and operate our own great value private schools, partner with governments to improve the quality of public school systems, and use our content and technology to help other education providers. Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we provided emergency education to children kept out of school by the Ebola Epidemic before opening our first school in April 2015. Today, we serve more than 250,000 students across more than 900 schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and Rwanda.

Through great curriculum, intensive teacher coaching and actionable data, we help teachers and school leaders bring quality to every classroom. And we get results: independent studies show Rising students make more than twice the progress of their peers in comparable schools. We continually evaluate our efforts to identify where we can improve our curriculum and coaching support for teachers and school leaders.

About the role:

We are looking for an exceptional Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager to join our impact team at Rising Academies. As a MEL Manager, your role is pivotal in interpreting our data, encompassing student progress, implementation quality, and satisfaction metrics, gathered from our schools and programs. Your main responsibility will be to ensure we have the right tools and processes in place to inform our program teams' decision-making and measure progress towards our goals.

Your data skills will be key in our ultimate goal of improving student learning, helping us improve the performance of our schools in our program and enhance our model based on the insights extracted from the data.

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager will:

• Co-create and maintain complex data systems (data collection tools, live Dashboards).
• Monitor data collection activities (including daily MEL data) and correct data errors.
• Regularly review the data collected and advise teams on how to improve the quality of their data collected.
• Lead data review meetings with Program Teams to understand their data and inform strategies to improve student learning for the following periods.
• Support design and development of other data collection tools and conducting analyses as needed (for example, User Satisfaction Surveys, Learning/Assessment Data).

Location and reporting:

This is a full-time remote position. We are open to candidates either from one of Rising’s operating countries (Ghana, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia), Europe or India. The MEL Manager will report directly to Rising’s Head of Data and Research.

Application deadline:

The target start-date for this role will be October 1st 2023.

Qualifications and Experience:

• University level undergraduate degree in statistics, economics, social sciences or a relevant field.
• 3+ years of experience in a similar role (MEL, data collection, analysis).
• Proficient with using data collection softwares like ODK, SurveyCTO (preferably KoboToolbox and CommCare).
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (especially Excel) and Google Sheet.
• Familiarity with Looker Studio.

About You:

• You can communicate with stakeholders in a multicultural environment, as well as clearly document high level data and reports for these audiences.
• You have a keen interest in student learning and leveraging data tools to improve our programs.
• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills, and interpersonal skills.
• You demonstrate people skills; must be able to collaborate effectively with diverse personalities and skill sets, and enjoy constructive conflict.
• You have a strong track record of professionalism, trustworthiness and working independently sometimes.
• You are data-driven, making decisions in a logical way and on the basis of good evidence/reasoning.
• You possess strong analytical and reasoning skills with ability to adapt to changes in a fast-paced agile environment.
• You are proactive, self-driven and can take initiative and problem-solve.
• You are willing to take risks, fail, learn, give and receive feedback, and try new approaches.
• Basic familiarity with technology, including desktop computers, Microsoft and Google Suite.
• You are passionate about improving the quality of education across Africa.

Compensation and Benefits:

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We regularly benchmark our compensation against comparable businesses, social ventures and non-profits.

Rising’s goal is to be transparent about salaries at all levels of the organisation and have a standard, global pay scale for all positions that is non-negotiable.

The benefits we offer are built to have a strong added value on our staff’s well-being and we are excited to discuss this further with you in the process.

Rising is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, national origin, family or parental status, veteran or disability status.

Rising is committed to creating a culture within the organisation, and its schools, that recognises the importance of safeguarding children and prioritising their rights and needs. We strive to uphold international safeguarding standards, and keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to have the same level of commitment to protect children from harm. Safeguarding questions are part of every interview process and all Rising employees undergo reference checks before joining the organisation.