Programme Manager, Academics at NewGlobe

KwaraLEARN

KwaraLEARN (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) is a core new education programme by the Government of Kwara State to deliver dramatic improvements in learning outcomes in public schools for all children across Kwara State.

KwaraLEARN will transform all government primary schools across the state into powerful public schools using an innovative technology and data-driven platform, coupled with high-quality learning materials, effective training and ongoing coaching for teachers and school leaders, and technology-enabled support teams to create 360-degree support for learning outcomes.

Working for the technical implementing partner for the programme, you will work towards preparing Kwara 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 Kwara and Nigeria.

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 Kwara's 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 Kwara.

Academics

The objective of Academics is to drive student achievement. To do so, we consider each minute of each class period of each school day for the typical child, in every grade level. The student’s daily experience -- her path to achievement -- emerges from her relationship with the school’s teachers and the content that is shared with her. Academics ensures that Schools have children’s learning at its core. Academics in each territory or program works with our shared services Academics Department, including Instructional Design and Learning Innovation. Instructional Design, with a core focus on structured pedagogy, is one of our core levers to support teachers and to empower children to learn. With a relentless focus on improvement of learning at scale, Academics works with our Learning Innovation team to scientifically test improvements to our work. Academics works to ensure that we are deploying locally appropriate content aligned to the state or national syllabus; that we are carefully tracking the use of our instructional design materials and their efficacy; that we are evaluating the best use of the school day and school year; that we are measuring learning in each grade level, in each school; that we are preparing children to succeed in state and national exams; and that we support graduates transition into secondary school. We keep children’s learning and development as our focus. We never waver from our belief that every child can

Academics

The Programme Manager, Academics will work on developing scalable solutions for KwaraLEARN pupils to excel at the secondary school. At the core of this work is test preparation. The expectation of every KwaraLEARN 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

• Become an expert on the PSLC and work with the Instructional Design team to create a world-class preparation programme.

• Become an expert on examination preparedness: Conducting lesson observations in the high stake class, working with the Learning Innovation team in evaluating strategies aimed at improving students' achievement, working with the Leadership & Development team in professional development for teachers preparing students for high stake exams. 

• JSS Transition and Scholarship Programme: Become an expert on the JSS admissions process into model colleges, private institutions, and other elite schools in Kwara aligned to the NERDC syllabus, searching for scholarships and tracking all students throughout their secondary journey. 

• Think “Beyond High Stake Exams”- how are we setting up ALL students for success beyond secondary school.

• Seek Leverage - Identify and develop plans for implementing the highest impact initiatives and programmes that drive performance on High Stake Exams.

• Execute Well - Oversee the planning and implementation of large-scale programming for High-Stakes Assessments across Kwara

• Collaborate effectively with other KwaraLEARN 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 in Junior or Secondary School Admissions 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 KwaraLEARN to external audiences.

• Be humble and ready to “roll up your sleeves” to get things done.

Education and Qualification

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field

• Past experience with the PSLC/WAEC such as a teacher, tutor, test designer, or related roles

• Previous project management experience 

• Work experience in Kwara and junior secondary/secondary admissions is a plus but not a requirement

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 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.