Revenue Assurance Associate-Nigeria 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.

[Operations/Revenue Assurance]
As an Associate for Bridge, you join a fast-scaling global start up and will shape the organization by working closely with other departments such as People, Finance, Schools, and Technology to operationalize initiatives aimed at strengthening our Academy Operations. The challenge is not only to operate at scale, but to ensure effective delivery of a complex education service in some of the world’s most difficult operating environments.

About the Role
With over 60 academies spread across Nigeria, Bridge must ensure revenue from all sources – monthly or termly fees, uniforms, etc. – is accounted for in a transparent, efficient, and fraud-proof manner. Moreover, we must excel in clearly communicating fees to our parents and in making sure all of our customers are fully aware of how, where, and when to pay.
What You Will Do

• Data analysis to detect and prevent fraud from happening.
• Investigations whenever cases of fraud are suspected or detected.
• Fieldwork to verify the existence, extent and severity of fraud cases.
• Assist with establishing policies, guidelines, processes and controls to help detect and prevent fraud in relation to uniforms and bills;
• Support and troubleshooting with Academy Managers in day to day billing related activities.
• Performing surveys, analysing data and compiling reports to assess effectiveness of our services
• Traveling to academies across Nigeria to meet with staff, parents and community members with the goal of increasing support for Bridge.
• Assist with implementing product changes/ programme improvements from the office and in the field.
• Problem solving with Technology team members when technology interruptions occur and with Academy Management team members when policies are not adhered to at the academy level.
• Active involvement in policy noncompliance and fraud-related investigations.
• Creating and maintaining organized databases of programs in relation to revenue collection.
• Other duties as assigned for the overall functioning of academy operations in Nigeria.

What You Should Have

• Bachelor’s degree from a top academic institution with top marks
• Superb Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• At least two years’ experience working in audit/fraud detection or control related roles

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.