Government Liaison Manager at Bridge International Academies

Position Overview

We are looking for a Government Liaison Manager who is a public relations specialists with a penchant for coordinating legislative efforts by working with state, local, and federal governments.

You will help Bridge meet legislative goals by creating policy proposals and working with government agencies. You are on top of research on government policies and laws, manage internal and external communication and have a large resource base of personnel in the public sector.

What You Will Do

• Fostering the Bridge brand amongst government circles through advocacy and public relations.
• Conduct research and monitor legislation. You are also responsible for tracking happenings within the government that could affect Bridge. Proactively researching policies to see what changes could be advantageous and which trends might negatively impact us in the future.
• Conducting both internal and external communications to ensure message continuity. Prepare reports and presentations to deliver within Bridge organization and externally. You will also represent the organization at industry forums and events.
• Recruiting champions for Bridge at Federal, State and Local Government levels.
• Managing relationship with key stakeholders and Ministry parastatals at the Federal, State and Local Government level
• Documenting and managing all government regulations around education to ensure compliance.
• Oversee the registration and approval process of Bridge owned schools in various states
• Identifying partnership opportunities for Bridge to work with Local, State and Federal Government,

What You Should Have

• 8+ years’ experience working in a similar role the bulk of which should have been with the private sector but closely liaising with the government on development projects.
• A deep understanding of how the different levels of the government work and how policies are advocated and formulated
• Bachelor Degree with superior academic performance
• Master’s Degree is an added advantage
• Rolodex of contacts within all levels of government in Nigeria
• Prior experience within a fast-paced, metric driven consulting or educational organization
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills are required
• Ability to multitask and execute on various projects

What we are looking for

• Strong problem-solving skills:you should be able to identify the root cause, provide a solution, discuss the solution with Supervisor and help execute.
• Strong interpersonal skills:you should be able to connect with our customer, the Academy Staff over phone and in-person at the training site; ability to communicate the Company HR policies with compassion and understanding.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills:you should be able to speak clearly and persuasively in all situations and also lead written communications to our Academy Staff on queries.
• Attention to detail:you should be able to demonstrate accuracy and thoroughness of own work.
• Adaptability:you should be flexible and adapt to changing environment
• Dependability:you should be reliable, consistent and alert your Supervisors in case of any changes to schedule well in advance.

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 start-up or other rapid-growth company.
• A networking mastermind– You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates. You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas.
• A creative problem-solver– Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, Bridge works in volatile, 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). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like. 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.