Program Manager – Structured Accelerated Learning Program (SALP), TIGRAY
The Luminos Fund, an international nonprofit bringing education opportunities to the world’s most vulnerable children, is seeking a Program Manager based in Mekelle to oversee the delivery, expansion, and institutionalization of the Structured Accelerated Learning Program (SALP), while contributing to the broader integration of structured pedagogy within the government primary education system. The Program Manager will play a central role in program planning and execution, managing relationships with local implementing partners and government stakeholders, and strengthening system capacity to implement high-quality structured pedagogy at scale.
This full-time position is based in Mekelle, Tigray, and requires extensive domestic travel. The successful candidate will report to the Senior Program Manager, SALP (based in Addis Ababa), and will work collaboratively with colleagues across Luminos’ Programs, Teaching & Learning, Impact, and Finance teams.
About the Luminos Fund
The Luminos Fund (www.luminosfund.org) provides transformative education programs to thousands of vulnerable children each year, helping them to catch up to grade level and prepare for lifelong learning. Working in partnership with community-based organizations in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, Luminos is scaling up its accelerated learning program through the Luminos Method (www.luminosmethod.org) — an evidence-based approach that helps children catch up fast and discover the joy of learning. The Luminos Fund is working in Ethiopia with an ACSO license #5731.
Luminos is supported by a range of funding partners, including Cartier Philanthropy, the Gates Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, and UNICEF. Luminos has been recognized for its achievements globally, receiving the 2022 Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Prize, the Library of Congress International Literacy Award, the Lipman Family Prize, the WISE Award, and the HundrED Global Innovation Award.
Duties and Responsibilities
Program Implementation and Coordination
- Lead the high-quality implementation and scale-up of SALP within the government school system in Tigray, supporting the broader integration of structured pedagogy within the government primary education system.
- Work closely with Luminos staff, implementing partners, and government stakeholders to ensure program activities are delivered on time and to standard.
- Manage the rollout of program components, including Trainings of Trainers (ToTs), instructional material distribution, and classroom supervision and data collection systems.
- Maintain integrated implementation plans, ensuring alignment among operational activities, milestones, and monitoring and evaluation processes.
- Track implementation progress against key program indicators and milestones, identifying implementation challenges and supporting timely solutions.
- Oversee regional program budgets and ensure efficient resource utilization and accurate financial tracking.
- Lead the performance management of implementing partners, ensuring accountability for results and taking timely corrective action where needed.
- Contribute to internal documentation and high-quality donor reporting.
Government Engagement and Partnership Management
- Act as the primary liaison between Luminos and the Tigray Regional Education Bureau, as well as zonal and woreda education offices, and implementing partners.
- Strengthen collaborative relationships with government counterparts to support the institutionalization of structured pedagogy within government systems.
- Support the development and formalization of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and other partnership agreements.
- Participate in relevant regional education coordination forums and technical working groups.
- Support the design and execution of field visits for government officials, donors, and Luminos leadership.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
- Support the implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems, including classroom observations, supervisor monitoring, student assessments, and external evaluations.
- Collaborate closely with the Luminos Impact team to ensure accurate, timely, and high-quality data collection.
- Use program data and field insights to inform continuous improvement and strengthen instructional quality.
- Contribute to documenting lessons learned, best practices, and implementation challenges to inform future scale-up efforts.
- Maintain clear accountability for student learning outcomes, ensuring implementation decisions are consistently guided by evidence of student progress.
Training and Technical Support
- Support the planning and delivery of Trainings of Trainers (ToTs) for implementing partners, government trainers, and supervisors.
- Provide ongoing technical support to strengthen teacher instructional practice and government supervision systems.
- Work closely with Luminos Teaching and Learning and Impact teams to ensure fidelity to the structured pedagogy model.
- Support capacity building of system actors to sustain structured pedagogy approaches beyond direct Luminos support.
Qualifications
Required Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in education, literacy, international development, or a related field (master’s degree preferred).
- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in education program management, humanitarian response, or international development.
- Demonstrated experience working in partnership with government institutions and civil society stakeholders.
- Experience supporting teacher professional development, coaching systems, or instructional quality improvement initiatives. Experience implementing or supporting Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP) is desirable.
- Strong project management skills, including managing complex timelines and multiple priorities in low-resource settings.
- Experience with program monitoring systems and comfort analyzing quantitative data.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to navigate complex operational environments with professionalism and resilience.
- Fluency in Amharic, English, and Tigrigna required.
Core Attributes
- Belief and demonstrated passion for the mission, vision, and values of Luminos Fund.
- Impeccable integrity, professionalism, and a solutions-oriented, can-do attitude.
- Ability to wear multiple hats.
- Team player, with a belief in the power of positivity and appreciative inquiry
- Innate sense of responsibility for delivery of quality work, even in adverse circumstance.
- Self-motivated, with the ability to work independently in challenging international contexts, as required.
Luminos Core Beliefs and Values
- We believe that every child is capable of learning a remarkable amount in a short period of time, if given the chance.
- We keep children’s joy and well-being at the heart of everything we do.
- We embrace assessment as a key component of effective teaching and learning.
- We celebrate and empower local leadership throughout our work with partner communities and governments.
- We use research, program data, and skilled classroom observation in the tenacious pursuit of excellence.
- We celebrate the unique contexts and cultures of the communities we serve in our curricula and pedagogy.
- We act with the highest standards of integrity and care, ensuring mutual accountability among colleagues and partners.
- We take the initiative to solve problems where we find them, managing details large and small, with urgency.
- We act deliberately to ensure that our organization is inclusive for people of different genders, racial backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, abilities, and other sources of diversity.
- We build deep, authentic relationships with our supporters in celebration of the mutually transformative power of giving.
How to Apply
To apply for this role, please complete the online application with your resume or CV.
Please note, we often receive hundreds of applications for our roles, and many applicants submit materials or answers generated by AI tools. We are looking for information written by you, about you. We want to understand your interests, experience, and enthusiasm for the role. Materials written with AI support tend to be generic and are often identical to that of other applicants. They do not give us enough insight into your unique profile. We request that you do not use AI for your application or that, if you must do so, that you mindfully edit or review the AI-generated information appropriately.
You will be asked to provide answers to the following questions as part of your application.
- Imagine monitoring data for a new accelerated education program shows weak implementation quality but the Implementing Partner insists the program is “going very well.” How would you handle this situation? What would you do first? What would you not do? How would you balance evidence with partnership? (max 300 words)
- When scaling programs quickly, leaders must often decide whether to build parallel systems to ensure quality or strengthen existing government systems, even if progress is slower. Where do you tend to fall on this spectrum, and why? (max 300 words)
- Describe a professional decision you made that, in hindsight, was wrong. What did you misjudge? How did you realize it? What did you change afterward? (max 300 words)
- Disclose any existing personal relationships with existing Luminos Fund employees or implementing partners.
- Do you currently live in, or would you be prepared to move to, Mekelle, Tigray, for this role? (Yes/No)
We are committed to ensuring competitive and equitable compensation for all employees, regardless of location. If you have any questions regarding how compensation may vary by location, please let us know during the application process.
The Luminos Fund is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.
