Director of Schools at Bridge International Academies

The Bridge Approach
Education is in crisis in many countries around the world. It is estimated that 264 million children and young people are out of school, and 330 million children are in school but not learning. In addition, an extra 69 million teachers are needed to achieve the 2030 UN education goals.

Many education systems are plagued with inadequate materials and poor management systems, all leading to chronic teacher absenteeism and a lack of learning. Education reform is challenging but it is urgently required if we are to prevent another generation of children missing out. So, we work in partnership with governments, NGOs and non-state actors to address the huge education imbalance between what is available and what is needed right now — we work to bridge the gap.

We believe parents have the right to choose a school for their children and we enable families to enjoy seeing their children learn, improve and flourish at Bridge schools. We locate our schools in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the world. Families in our communities can be earning just $1.90 per person a day; a level the World Bank notes is at extreme poverty. By putting learning at the centre of all we do, Bridge has become an extremely popular choice for underserved families and low-income communities

With plans to enroll ten million students ten years from now, Bridge offers a tremendous opportunity to grow with one of the world’s most exciting and ambitious social enterprises, with leadership roles available across a number of competencies and geographies.

[Schools/Schools]

About the Role
Bridge International Academies is seeking a Director of Schools to drive the “front of house” operations at our Academies in Nigeria. This is an incredibly fast paced job, working to ensure a positive experience across all touch-points over the course of our customers' lifecycle (for as long as their child/ children are enrolled at a Bridge academy). This role will involve close work with the Operations Director, who is responsible for all “back of house” operations such as but not limited to quality assurance (our data-driven field based audit and monitoring team) or customer care (our call center serving both as the support hub for our academy manager, teachers and parents).

For this role, we need someone who’s willing to put their head down and get to work. This is an incredibly fast-paced and absorbing role that will ask a lot of you but it will also be personally rewarding in that you will see the impact of your efforts first hand. This is a senior level position and we are looking for someone with 10+ years of experience.

 Scale – up experience, managing people that you will not always be able to physically see and “bricks & mortar” experience is a must!

What You Will Do

• Drive pupil growth to increase financial sustainability
• Introduce Bridge and launch Academies in new communities
• Ensure customer satisfaction to retain existing parents
• Manage and train our Academy Management vertical (regional managers, area managers & Academy Managers).
• Most of all – ensure that Bridge consistently lives up to our promise of ensuring Knowledge for all

What You Should Have
 
Passion for Execution: Demonstrated experience in making things happen. No task or challenge is too big for you and you are able to find a way to get things done!

• Experience Overseeing Large Teams: You are a people person and are comfortable with the entire employee lifecycle (hiring, onboarding & managing). Ideally, you will have created and successfully led large teams in retail or sales spread across a large geography.
• Ability to Manage under Pressure: Our team has a culture of fast paced thinking and we expect the person in this role to be able to handle changing priorities and stay calm under the pressure of executing well in short timelines.
• A Strong Belief in our Mission: We believe we are making a real impact in the lives of children across the developing world by democratizing their right to reach their potential.
• Experience Engaging Low Income Community: We need someone who has the humility and comfort to engage our parents. Our parents are aspiring to give their kids a great education and we need someone who’ll engage them with respect and integrity.
• Excellent English.
• 10+ Years of Professional Experience: Bonus if you’ve worked in retail and/or sales in low income communities.

You’re also

• A detailed doer – You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a startup or social enterprise.
• A creative problem-solver – Growing any enterprise from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, Bridge works in often challenging, low-resource communities and runs on fees averaging just $6 a month per pupil. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand. Every dollar you spend is a dollar our customers, who live on less than $2 a day, will have to pay for.
• A customer advocate – Our customers – these families living on less than $2 a day per person – never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). Every decision you make considers their customer benefit, experience, and value.
• A life-long learner – You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.