Real Estate Program Associate 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.

Development/Real Estate

• Our Development group (real estate, physical planning, construction) owns the life cycle of academy expansion, from identifying potential land deals in our communities through to constructing academies, sometimes several dozen at a time. The real estate team begins the development cycle by engaging in a central part of our operations which includes the identification, verification and acquisition of plots of land for our schools inside the informal settlements. The development (and real estate team) is one of the first groups introducing a community to Bridge.

About the Role

• The Real Estate team identifies potential land deals in target communities and executes on leases.
• The Programme Associate, Real Estate is the “glue” that keeps everything together – managing interdependencies and working with managers and individual contributors alike to ensure that targets are met and processes are followed.
• This is a position that requires extreme attention to detail/speed and the organizational/strategic savvy to manage stakeholders effectively.
• You will be in a highly visible position in a high-pressure environment where targets and deadlines matter, and where you will need to understand the intricate details of how a physical planning permit is obtained, and the general framework/milestones for academy construction.
• You will need to be extremely responsive and syste-ms-minded.
• Ultimately, you will be a part of every single academy that launches at Bridge through your work in Real Estate

What You Will Do

• Manage the real estate lifecycle across all active plots; you should know every detail there is to know, and be able to report on the statuses/issues with every plot
• Monitor new plots submitted through the GIS system; coordinating with legal for validation of deals
• Manage of daily work plans for field staff including validating schedules and work output
• Organise Real Estate files and ensure all documentation and process are in order
• Provide general administrative support to your supervisor and the rest of the team as needed

What You Should Have

• BA/B.Sc degree with at least 2 years of work experience
• Project management experience in fast-paced environments with clear cut targets
• Experience coordinating projects within Real Estate, Physical Planning, or Construction preferred
• Experience working in startups/fast-growth companies a HUGE plus
• Tech/systems savvy; great with Microsoft Office and learning new tech products

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.