Government Relations Manager at Bridge International Academies

Job Description: Government Relations Manager-Based outside Lagos

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.

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

About the Role:

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
• Rollcall 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