Programme Manager, Academics at EKOEXCEL

Job Description

• Working for the technical implementing partner for the programme, you will work towards preparing Lagos and its youth for a bright future with a strong educational foundation.
• Being part of this transformative programme will be a challenging but fulfilling experience. You will have the opportunity to impact young lives and help build the future of Nigeria’s “Center of Excellence”, developing the quality workforce needed for the future in Lagos State.
• The programme is one of the most exciting and ambitious education programmes not only in Nigeria, but also across Africa.
• A quality education has the power to transform the opportunities for Lagos’ youth and the State.
• In joining us, you will join a group of dynamic and passionate Nigerians taking concrete action to help ensure a better future for the children of Lagos.

Academic Department:

• The objective of Academics is to drive student achievement. To do so, we must know - what is happening minute-by-minute for the typical child.
• The student’s daily experience, and thus the path to achievement, emerges from their relationship with the teachers and the content that is delivered in the classroom. Our team is collaboratively organised around these levers.
• We develop rigorous content pitched at the right level for students to be delivered by a teacher who is prepared to succeed in the classroom.
• Our Instructional Design department builds the content; our Leadership & Development department trains teachers and school leaders using scientifically-proven techniques; our Learning Innovation department looks at cutting-edge research to generate breakthrough learning gains.
• Underpinning all of this is the work of the independent Measurement and Evaluation group, which provides Academics with an empirical orientation toward improving that daily experience and, in turn, driving achievement.

About the Role

• The Programme Manager, Academics will work on developing scalable solutions for EKOEXCEL pupils to excel in school. At the core of this work is test preparation.
• The expectation of every EKOEXCEL pupil is to excel on the Primary School Leaving Certificate (PSLC).
• The Programme Manager will also work with students to be prepared beyond the classroom for secondary school studies and on building an alumni network beyond primary school.
• This role will be a mixture of designing, tracking, and communicating. With the support of the Academic Director, the Programme Manager will design and test ways to increase scores, improve soft skills, increase scholarship recipients, and many other projects.
• You will also track junior secondary school application acceptance rates, report on graduating class and alumni success, and other matters pertaining to post secondary education.
• All of this work will require communication and coaching with schools to increase sustainable support and the greater community to source new scholarships, get the support of local leaders, and create alternative avenues to post primary success.

What You Will Do

• Execution and interdepartmental coordination of the core academic program in EKOEXCEL through the creation of the Academic Plan
• Advocating for learning outcomes and serving as the EKOEXCEL academic expert for other departments
• Providing feedback to the Instructional Design team, in order to improve learning outcomes and culturally contextualise what is taught in Lagos
• Conducting necessary market and regulatory research to inform instructional systems and policies (timetable, teacher specialty configurations, retention policies, exam policy, placement policy)
• Identify areas of growth within our Academic offerings and create programmes/policies that improve student learning and school operations
• Collaborate effectively with other EKOEXCEL teams - Operations, People, Schools, Policy & Partnerships
• The Programme Manager will report to the Academic Director.

What You Should Have

• The Program Manager must be a data-driven individual with experience in the PSLC.
• You must be an expert who understands exceptional performance and can motivate and support pupils in excelling.
• Ideal candidates have worked in organizations with a proven track record of generating examination performance.

In addition, the Program Manager must:

• Be a self-starter and problem-solver.
• Be hard working and collaborative, with the tenacity to plow through challenges and an appreciation for teamwork toward achieving a shared vision.
• Be a fast learner and someone who is able to flourish in fast paced, dynamic, and sometimes ambiguous environments.
• Be both detailed and results-oriented, driven by the data that will allow us to know what is working and what isn’t working for kids.
• Have strong project management skills and excellent organizational skills, with keen attention to detail and ability to follow up systematically on a broad set of initiatives and decisions.
• Be an effective, articulate communicator who can represent Bridge to external audiences.
• Be humble and ready to “roll up your sleeves” to get things done.

Education and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field
• Past experience with the PSLC such as a teacher, tutor, test designer, or related roles
• Previous project management experience.

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. You have an existing network from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
• A creative problem-solver - Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, KwaraLEARN works in often fragile, sometimes volatile low-resource communities and with complex government systems. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand.
• A relentless advocate - The children we serve and teachers we empower 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 benefit, experience, and value.
• A malleable 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.
• A data-driven decision-maker - When making decisions, you don’t rely on your intuition alone. You collect data, you analyze it and make decisions with clear justifications.
• A curious investigator - You ask why a lot. You don’t just take what you see and accept it. You wonder why it is that way, and are aware that the world we see is created by human choices and actions - and it could be different. You wonder, and see the world as wonderful even when you want to change a part of it that is unjust.