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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. Our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people that need it most. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®.

About us:

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 now 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 have recently closed our Series A funding round and won a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant to accelerate the development of our digital ed-tech solutions for low-income students across the globe. Our ‘Bambai’ suite of digital tools already includes a school information system, school observation tool, chatbot tutor, accelerated learning program and teacher coaching app. This is just the start. We want to expand our range of digital products to help improve the quality of education for millions of students around the world. If you want to make a difference to the lives of teachers, students and parents, then we are the right place for you.

About the role:

We are on the hunt for an exceptional and seasoned leader who will be the driving force behind our East Africa initiatives. The East Africa Director role will be pivotal, with the power to shape outstanding outcomes and help establish Rising as the preferred partner for governments and educational organisations across the east African region.

The East Africa Director will:

• Build high-performing program delivery teams and create a first-class employee experience for Rising’s employees across East Africa.
• Deliver industry-leading academic results and use data to drive continuous school improvement across our partnerships.
• Embed a culture of safety and transparency, and ensuring compliance with safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures.
• Ensure the successful execution of key growth opportunities through new and existing partnerships and innovations.
• Establishing outstanding relationships with the organisation's stakeholder network, especially our government partners, collaborators and local communities.
• Overseeing multiple operating budgets and accounting for short-term variability, long-term goals, and organisational sustainability.

About you:

• An inspiring leader. You have a proven track record of success in senior leadership roles in East Africa.
• A great team builder. You have successfully built large, complex, multi-functional teams. You’ve hired, fired and developed people to achieve the culture and level of performance you want to see.
• A brilliant project manager. You have successfully designed and delivered large scale, complex, multi-year projects and programs on time and on budget.
• A data-informed decision maker. You have consistently grown revenue and impact by using data to understand what’s working and what’s not.
• A stickler and standard-setter for the details that matter. You have faced and dealt with organisational risk and maintained your organisation’s license to operate by ensuring the highest standards of compliance with key processes.
• A talented networker. You have expanded your organisation's stakeholder network, originated new opportunities, and built outstanding relationships with the people that matter. Experience working closely with governments is a major plus.
• A responsible budget owner. You’ve had budget responsibility for an organisation or large business unit, and can be counted on to set, manage and report on budgets effectively.
• An innovator. You are comfortable working with technology, and have experience of using iterative design and testing processes to improve the outcomes of a project.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 10+ years of education management experience in the sector.
• Strong and respected education network across the region.
• People with C-Suite experience are encouraged to apply.

Location and reporting:

This is a full-time position based in East Africa. The role will report directly to Rising’s Chief Impact Officer and co-Founder but will also work closely with Rising’s Chief Strategy Officer.

Application deadline:

November 10th 2023.

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.