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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 Rising Academies:

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 1000 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. In June 2024, one of our private schools in Sierra Leone - Rising Academy Waterloo - was shortlisted in the Top 10 for the World's Best School Prizes in the Overcoming Adversity category. Sierra Leone's Minister for Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Hon. Mr. Conrad Sackey, helped announce this honor.

We 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 share in our commitment to meeting the highest standards of safeguarding excellence and protecting children from harm.

About the LIFT Project in Rwanda:
The Learning and Inclusion for Transformation (LIFT) programme is a Ministry of Education initiative funded by the UK Government through FCDO. The programme aims to improve foundational learning outcomes in English and Mathematics in Rwanda's primary schools. Specifically, LIFT targets adolescents aged 12-17, supporting their reintegration into school or facilitating alternative educational pathways. This includes providing functional literacy and numeracy programs, life skills, and vocational pathways for youth aged 15-18. The first phase of the project covers 7 districts: Gasabo, Kirehe, Gisagara, Rusizi, Karongi, Ngororero, and Gakenke Districts.

Rising Academies has been selected as a specialist resource partner. Rising’s role in LIFT focuses on designing and delivering high-quality literacy and numeracy interventions, directly in Gasabo District and through a cascade model in six others. We are responsible for developing catch-up programs, training local educators, supporting data systems, and ensuring inclusive, sustainable implementation.

About the role:

Specifically, we are looking for an exceptional Project Manager to join our team in Rwanda. The Project Manager will lead the LIFT project in Rwanda and ensure its successful implementation. You’ll oversee the end-to-end delivery of the project, ensuring measurable improvements in learning outcomes, strong coordination with government and district stakeholders, and a sustainable, inclusive approach for reaching the most marginalized learners to achieve significant literacy and numeracy learning outcomes for targeted beneficiaries.

The Project Manager, LIFT, will:

• Lead the implementation of the LIFT OOSCY program in Rwanda, ensuring project milestones, budgets, and timelines are met.
• Deliver project reports on time, including monthly progress reports and quarterly impact reports, with clear data insights aligned to LIFT project goals.
• Ensure project materials are delivered to the right schools on time, ensuring accurate tracking and feedback loops for quality assurance.
• Coordinate RisingFaster catch-up interventions in literacy and numeracy, with strong focus on tracking learning progress and reintegration outcomes.
• Build and maintain high-level relationships with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, LIFT partners, and district education leaders.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding and child protection policies, through monthly reviews and spot checks.
• Provide capacity-building to mentors and teachers through training, coaching, and support in implementing Individual Learning Plans (ILPs).
• Support strong community engagement and retention efforts through school-based mentoring and peer learning models.
• Conduct follow-up evaluations and monitoring to ensure the trained beneficiaries apply skills learned in training.

Location and reporting:

This is a full-time fixed-term position based in Rwanda. The Project Manager, LIFT, will report to the Head of Programs, Rwanda.

Application deadline:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The target start date for this role is August 2025.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 3-5 years of project management experience, preferably in education but open to other related sectors.
• Proven track record of managing projects from concept to completion, with strong skills in planning, budgeting, and timely delivery of complex projects.
• Experience working with multi-stakeholder partnerships, particularly in collaboration with government entities, NGOs, or educational institutions.
• Experience with monitoring, evaluation, and reporting to meet donor requirements, with attention to detail in financial tracking and compliance.
• Bachelor's degree in Education, Inclusive and Special Needs, Project Management, or related field.

About You:

• You are a skilled communicator, adept at building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including government officials, education institutions, and local communities.
• You leverage data to drive decisions, continually analyzing what’s working and where improvements can be made to ensure maximum impact.
• You have a passion for educational impact and are motivated by the opportunity to bring AI innovation to underserved communities.
• You are proactive and adaptable, comfortable working in an environment where priorities may shift as the project evolves.
• You set high standards for yourself and the team, promoting accountability, quality, and professionalism.
• You are an organized, detail-oriented leader, with a knack for balancing big-picture goals with day-to-day project tracking.
• You excel in problem-solving, finding creative solutions to overcome challenges, and continuously seeking ways to improve project processes.
• You thrive in a collaborative, cross-functional environment and are willing to go above and beyond to ensure project success.
• You are culturally sensitive, empathetic, and respectful of the communities in which you work, demonstrating a deep understanding of Rwanda's educational and operational contexts.

Why Join Us?

• Compensation: 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.
• Continuous Development and Growth: Rising is a Certified B Corp and twice named in its “Best for the World” list. We are committed to continuous development, which is grounded in our values and a vital part of how we bring the ‘Rising Way’ to life. We provide a nurturing environment where our staff are supported with the right ongoing conversations with their managers, among teams and as an organization, to support their career growth and help us reach our goals.
• Impact: Our students achieve learning gains 2.4 times faster than their peers in comparable schools, positioning our impact in the top 10% of global education interventions. This role offers an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to this proven success.

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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.