Regional Programs Manager West & Central (Bilingual French/English) at Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL)

Summary of the  Role 

The Regional Programs Manager for West and Central Africa provides overarching support to TaRL Africa programs and partnerships programs in the West Africa Region. This includes providing direct support to the programmatic, operational and financial functions of Country Offices as well as partners in the region. Currently, in the region, TaRL Africa has a presence in Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria and programs/partnerships in Chad, Niger and with UNICEF offices in Guinea, Senegal, Congo, Sierra Leone and Liberia. This role is instrumental in ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality educational programs that impact children’s learning outcomes. The Programme Manager collaborates closely with government and NGO partners, leads regional strategy efforts, and drives the development of new programs and partnerships. In conjunction with the Associate Director of Programs, the Regional Manager identifies opportunities for growing and strengthening TaRL programming in the region.

• The Regional Programs Manager works closely with Country Directors for each Country Office in West Africa and manages relationships with partners in the region. This includes working with TaRL Africa Central Teams and Country Offices management to incorporate best practices, strengthen programming, ensure integration within government systems and support fundraising efforts. In addition, the Regional Programs Manager leads engagement with partners in the region and is responsible for establishing and strengthening relationships with new partners, identifying high-impact opportunities for improving children’s foundational skills and ensuring that TaRL Africa continues to ensure high-quality TaRL programming in the region.
• The Regional Programs Manager for West and Central Africa forms part of the Programs and Partnerships Team and reports directly to the Associate Director of Programs. They oversee a small team of program associates/coordinators to support the work in the region. The position location could be based in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria or Kenya. Other geographies in West and Central Africa could be considered for the right candidate. The role will require significant travel across sub-Saharan Africa. The position may require adjusting your work hours based on the time zone.

Key Responsibilities 

Regional strategy (15%) 

• Strategic Program Development: Identify and cultivate opportunities to expand TaRL programming in Western and Central Africa, including potential new countries;
• Cross-Country Coordination: Facilitate communication and collaboration between TaRL Africa Country Offices, Central Content and Training (C&T), Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation (MLE), and Programs and Partnerships (P&P) teams. Facilitate better coordination, learning and programming.
• Donor and Partner Relations: Act as the primary liaison for cross-country initiatives with donors, partners, and researchers. Support donor management and reporting for the region
• Work plans and Budgets: Lead the development of regional work plans and budgets to ensure effective program execution.

Program and Partnership Support (50%)

• Technical knowledge of the program: develop sound understanding and expertise on the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, working with government and scaling-up programs; share technical recommendations with teams and support technical decision making
• Fundraising: Collaborate with the Associate Director of Programs, Country Directors, and the Senior Fundraising Manager to support and enhance fundraising efforts. Identify and recommend new funding opportunities aligned with TaRL Africa’s strategy.
• Quality Assurance: Provide strategic and quality assurance support to country offices regarding financial health, operational effectiveness, program delivery, and sustainability.
• Program Development: Oversee the creation and management of new programs and partnerships, ensuring alignment with TaRL Africa’s mission and proper planning and budgeting.
• Program Strengthening: Support and guide Country Programs with program review, annual objectives and annual planning.
• Partner Management: Build and maintain relationships with regional partners, ensuring consistent, high-quality support. Support training and outreach as required.

Support to TaRL Ecosystem  (20%)

• Evidence on TaRL: Engage in education evidence and experiences to strengthen TaRL Africa work
• Tools and Processes: Create and review tools and processes for more efficient and effective management of partnerships and programs
• Special projects: Promote high-quality programming through special projects that could include:
  • Supporting the incubation of innovations
  • Analysing weaknesses in programming and identifying ways in which programs or processes could be strengthened in collaboration with other teams
  • Ensuring adoption of best practices across country programs and partnerships.

Team Leadership and Management (15%)

• Team Oversight: Lead, motivate, and support a Program Coordinator; with potential for the team to grow.
• Goal Setting and Monitoring: Set clear objectives, conduct regular meetings, and provide performance assessments and feedback.
• Development and Training: Implement development plans, foster a culture of continuous learning, and ensure ongoing training opportunities for team members. Ensure the team is empowered and confident on the TaRL approach.
• Country Team Support: Support Country Directors to identify team needs and support team recruitment and training, as and when required.

Minimum Requirements 

• Master’s degree in Public Policy, International Development, Education, or a related field (MPA, MPP, etc.).
• 8 to 12 years experience of coordinating and managing medium to large-scale programs
• Capacity and experience to transmit relevant technical knowledge to team members; experience mentoring and coaching team members to ensure their professional development and empowerment
• Experience advising others on how to approach complicated management, human resource, financial, and logistical challenges.
• Experience working with donors, government agencies, policymakers, and researchers.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in both English and French
• Ability to communicate technical research to policymakers in a non-technical manner.
• Proven ability to handle multiple diverse assignments at one time, successfully complete assigned tasks and meet deadlines while conducting high-quality work.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally frequently and flexibly (at least 30-40%) to support program outreach, scoping research and training events. Most travel will be in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Ability to coordinate with cross-functional teams at a variety of levels.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity, cope with change, and comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
• Strong skills in Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Honesty to handle cash or finances
• Passion for education
• Experience working in the Education sector
• Experience working in West and/or Central Africa
• Experience developing/managing education programs