Jobs at Skills Outside School Foundation

The Skills Outside School Foundation (SOSF) is the leading pan-African education, entrepreneurship (social & commercial), and employability organization, with data, interventions, and advocacy as pillars. We believe that through lifelong learning and development, people can be equipped with the right education (mindset, competence, and tools) tbe productive whether they choose the path of entrepreneurship or employability.

We are recruiting tfill the position below:

SUMMARY 

The Program Assistant oversees the coordination and administration of all aspects of the Skills Outside School Foundations’ ongoing Bridge Program including planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the program activities.

The officer alsworks with other interventions team members tdeploy their programs led by SOSF and/or partners.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

The SOSF Bridge Program Assistant will perform a wide range of duties as outlined below:

• Map, drive and close partnerships with organizations that align with the Bridge program mandate.
• Liaise with the finance team tplan expenditure for the Bridge program.
• Develop, implement and update the project management plan and budget.
• Develop, update, implement and manage overall program management plan and budget and ensure that SOSF Bridge operates within the approved budget.
• Lead research, development and preparation of grants proposals and fundraising for Bridge program.
• Maintain positive relationships with fund providers and other stakeholders.
• Maintain records and submit reports related tgrant opportunities.
• Ensure documentation required for monitoring and evaluation and other program documentation is tracked; retrieved; administered and stored appropriately. Ensure any mentor-mentee re-allocations occur in a timely manner.
• Coordinate the Bridge Skills and Career Club mentoring engagements between the teacher trainers, mentors and the participants.
• Respond tthe specific needs of the students and mentors as required.
• Onboard new mentors; screen all new professional mentors ensuring that they receive the starter pack and are offered sufficient training on child safety and project expectations; manage communication with mentors; and send regular curated content tmentors.
• Coordinate the weekly and regular SOSF ambassadors’ initiatives.
• Develop and implement stakeholder engagement strategy and plans.
• Update the partner schools on program milestones and liaise with the partner schools on all matters.
• Communicate with partners/sponsors and other stakeholders tunderstand how the delivery of the Bridge Skills and Career Club can be enhanced.
• Lead and coordinate the teacher training before the commencement of the Bridge Skills and Career Club in any partner school. Conduct refresher training and deliver M&E assessment tthem.
• Monitor the program activities on a regular basis and conduct a quarterly evaluation according tthe program evaluation framework.
• Provide the necessary information tthe Media and Communication’s team for appropriate and targeted social media updates on the Foundations activities in relation tthe program.
• Develop and lead program expansion plan intnew states for implementation and seek relevant internal approvals including management and board.
• Provide regular reports tmanagement and the board.
• Liaise with HR/Admin team trecruit Field Officers across all implementing states.
• Provide guidance tOperational Partners on educational contents, processes and materials
• Attend relevant conferences, seminar and fora tkeep abreast of new developments relevant tthe bridge program, build new partnerships & relationships etc.
• Manage parents/guardians as key stakeholders of the bridge program beneficiaries
• Manage alumni relationships through the SOSF bridge ambassadors connect
• Provide guidance tOperational Partners on educational contents, processes and materials
• Analyse capacity problems and conduct and facilitate training tbuild capacity of Operational and strategic Partners or stakeholders
• Engage governments tsecure approvals, permits and strategic relationships in program implementation and sustainability post intervention
• Source, onboard and manage volunteers and consultants working with the admin and HR team tsupport program implementation
• Conduct regular field monitoring visits and provide technical support tOperational Partners
• Support data and research team in setting up, designing, implementing and sustainability relevant monitoring and evaluation frameworks, plans and tools
• Develop and regularly update curriculum, delivery plans, training manuals, assessments, materials, resources in line with M&E results, best practices, and emerging trends, as required for the SOS bridge program
• Ensure internal and external communications about program benefits, progress and outcomes suit audience and are timely
• Drive thought leadership through webinars articles reports etc leveraging on program outcomes, lessons learnt, and key recommendations
• Engage in continuous advocacy with key stakeholders tensure program outcomes are met and institutionalized
• Anticipate, track and document program risks and issues, communicating them tstakeholders and internally whilst, taking action tresolve them.
• Maintain relationships with key stakeholders tfulfill SOSFs objectives, representing SOSF at external events and on media platforms as necessary.

ABOUT YOU

Education and Experience

You possess the following:

• University Degree in Project Management, Business Administration / Management, or a related field of study.
• Experience working in the education sector or education-related sector is a plus.
• Business management/administration, Grant writing/ Fundraising, or otherwise experience is a plus.
• 2-3 Years of project management expertise is required.
• Basic knowledge of grant writing and fund raising is required.

Skills:

• Proficiency in MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Proficiency in the use of computers for
• Word processing
• Basic accounting
• Databases
• Spreadsheets
• E-mail
• Internet
• Google Docs, Sky Drive, DropBox
• Strong strategic, analytical, and project management skills
• Strong written and oral communication specifically report writing skills
• Demonstrated ability ttake responsibility for a diverse number of projects and tcomplete them in a timely manner with limited supervision
• Ability twork under pressure
• Ability tsolve problems
• Strong leadership ability
• Strong stakeholder management skills
• Experience in designing and holding ToT training
• Experience in curriculum development, teaching, and assessment
• Proven track record of coordinating projects involving different stakeholders

JOB BENEFITS 

At SOSF, we value diversity and inclusion - in backgrounds, and experiences and alsencourage a gender Friendly work Environment. We offer:

Paid Time off (PTO) which includes;

• Sick (sick leave based on the duration of sickness after a verified Doctor’s report)
• Exam (A Maximum of 1-week paid examination leave annually)
• Annual (25 days for full-time staff and 20 days for contract staff)
• Maternity (3 months for confirmed female staff)
• Paternity leave (5 working days for male employees)
• Group continuous Learning and Development: As part of our commitment torganizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant tthe communities they serve, we expect all team members tcommit 5% of their time tlearning activities that benefit Skills outside foundation as well as themselves. The team has a learning and development WhatsApp group where all posts are shared.
• External Engagement policy: SOSF Encourages people thave other external engagements outside SOSF which support the vision and mission of the organization as well as their interests.
• A flexible working structure that entails a 90% Remote and 10% Physical work structure.
• SOSF has an excellent career growth pathway for its staff through its 2-promotion cycle in a year.

go to method of application »

About SOSF:
The Skills Outside School Foundation is the leading African education, employability and entrepreneurship organization with a vision for a productive human capital driving transformational socio-economic development globally through our core pillars interventions, data and advocacy over the last 8 years.

ABOUT Headstart Program:
The SOSF Headstart program is a sector-based entrepreneurship and livelihoods program for vulnerable and low-income populations. Phase 1 of the program "agropreneur" is focused on farmers across several high value agricultural produce – cassava, plantain and vegetables to enhance overall yields, productivity where integrated value chains are viable and improve overall farmer income / livelihood. The program provides (i) technical and business skills capacity development (ii) access to critical inputs e.g. tools, herbicide, fertilizer and improved seed varieties (iii) funding and business advisory support and (iv) continuous monitoring and evaluation.
Job Description
The Headstart program Assistant will work alongside other members of the Headstart Department to plan, execute, monitor, and evaluate the Headstart Project and the opportunities associated with it.
The Assistant will work with the members of the department to manage the liaison with the professional mentors, partners, trainers, and ensure they are kept up-to-date via newsletters sent every quarter to be developed jointly with the media and communications officer.

The Officer will perform a wide range of duties as outlined below:
Project Planning:

• Plan the Entrepreneurship, skills training and relevant legislation
• Develop new initiatives to promote the activities of the Headstart department in line with the organization objectives.
• Develop projects evaluation framework to assess the strengths of the Headstart Project and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure all feedback evaluation forms by the trainers and participants of the Business skills workshops are completed, collected and assessed through collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.
• Ensure monitoring activities such as sourcing, screening, onboarding and mentoring of professional business mentors are monitored to Access progress.
• Ensure all project documentation and materials is provided to the participants as due.
• Ensure Policies and documents produced by other organisations of relevance to our work on Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship opportunities are available and accessible by participants.
• Ensure Potential organisations including other NGOs, Corporate Organisations, International Organisations and multilateral agencies that the Foundation can collaborate with to further expand its reach and opportunities are onboarded as partners.

Organize the projects:

• Provide weekly and monthly reports to the Board of Trustees and the Head of Executive Council.
• Create and maintain the project management calendar/schedule and file all project documents.
• Coordinate the business training Workshops and mentoring engagements between the trainers, mentors and the participants.
• Update the partners and donors on project milestones.
• Liaise with the team on all matters.
• Develop a working relationship with all the professional mentors.

Lead the projects:

• Liase with partners/sponsors and other stakeholders to understand how the delivery of the workshops and the Headstart Project can be enhanced.
• Coordinate the Quality delivery services among different project activities to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
• Monitor the project activities on a regular basis and conduct a quarterly evaluation according to the project evaluation framework.
• Report evaluation findings to the Head of Executive Council and Board of Trustees and recommend changes to enhance the project, as appropriate.
• Provide the necessary information to the Media and Communication Officer to allow for appropriate and targeted social media updates on the Headstart Department activities.

Stakeholder Management

• Development and successful delivery of stakeholder engagement plans in accordance with the overarching stakeholder engagement strategy
• Manage stakeholder mapping and prepare communications to stakeholders and respond to stakeholder enquiries
• Provide briefings and support for meetings with stakeholders
• Attend client-facing meetings, collaborative planning workshops and report to client on progress

Grant Writing/Fundraising

• Lead on researching, developing and preparing grants proposals and fundraising for Headstart projects.
• Study and understand the history, structure, objectives, programs and financial needs of the organization.
• Research grant opportunities from government and non-government agencies.
• Draft grant proposals and supporting documents based on the funding requirements of the organization.
• Submit proposals to grant coordinators for approval.
• Respond to internal and external queries on drafted and submitted proposals.
• Maintain positive relationships with fund providers and other stakeholders.
• Maintain records and submit reports related to grant opportunities.

Control the project:

• Provide information on finances and expenditure of the projects and attach supporting documentation for the board, funders, and Head of the Executive Council.
• Ensure that the Headstart Project operates within the approved budget.
• Monitor and approve all budgeted project expenditures.
• Work with Head of Executive Council to manage the disbursement of funds for all project activities and other general administrative functions of the Headstart Department.
• Maintain and keep financial records of all projects and the Headstart Department activities, including monitoring the expenses of the Headstart Department and ensure they are up to date.
• Provide required information to have invoices generated and submitted to funders according to the timelines

ABOUT YOU
You possess the following:

• University degree in project management, business administration/Management or a related field of study. 
• 0-2 Years of project management, business management/administration, Grant writing/ Fundraising or otherwise exercise.
• Knowledge of project management.
• Experience managing stakeholders.
• Agricultural management related experience.
• Basic knowledge of grant writing and fund raising.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and project management skills: demonstrated ability to take responsibility for a diverse number of projects and to complete them in a timely manner with limited supervision.

Abilities

1.    Proficiency in MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint). 

2.    Proficiency in the use of computers for 

• Word processing 
• Simple accounting 
• Databases 
• Spreadsheets 
• E-mail 
• Internet 
• Google Docs, Sky Drive, DropBox 

JOB BENEFITS
At SOSF, we value diversity and inclusion – in backgrounds, and experiences and also encourage a gender Friendly work Environment. We offer:

Paid Time off (PTO) which includes;

• Sick (sick leave based on the duration of sickness after a verified Doctor’s report)
• Exam (A Maximum of 1-week paid examination leave annually)
• Annual (25 days for full-time staff and 20 days for contract staff)
• Maternity (3 months for confirmed female staff)
• Paternity leave (5 working days for male employees)

Group continuous Learning and Development: As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Skills outside foundation as well as themselves. The team has a learning and development WhatsApp group where all posts are shared.

External Engagement policy: SOSF Encourages people to have other external engagements outside SOSF which support the vision and mission of the organization as well as their interests.

A flexible working structure that entails a 90% Remote and 10% Physical work structure.

SOSF has an excellent career growth pathway for its staff through its 2-promotion cycle in a year.

go to method of application »

About SOSF:

The Skills Outside School Foundation is the leading African education, employability and entrepreneurship organization with a vision for a productive human capital driving transformational socio-economic development globally through our core pillars interventions, data and advocacy over the last 8 years.

Job Description

• The Initiatives and Challenges Program Assistant manages the innovative process of the organization.
• (S)He will be tasked with identifying innovative potentialities and bringing them tfruition in order tbest benefit the overall goals of the organization.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Brainstorms with the creative team tdiscover alternative solutions and approaches told problems.
• Plans effective new ideas and innovative strategies for product development, marketing, branding, or business opportunities.
• Recognizes promising ideas and introduces them intthe organization's plans and discards ideas that are ineffective, costly, or beyond the organization's mission or abilities tdevelop.
• Strategizes with the team ttransform general ideas intworkable solutions.
• Analyzes existing practices tisolate areas ripe for improvement or enhancement.
• Encourages creative thinking in the team and nurtures innovative thinking across all areas of the organization.
• Follows target audience responses tnew ideas, tracks and analyzes the success of new products or services, and responds tthe target audience's questions.
• Monitors research and development of other organizations tspot trends in innovation and supplement research findings in the organization's industry.
• Allocates resources tmaintain the organization's existing agenda while accounting for new projects.
• Tests the progress of innovation and adjusts the pace or direction of new projects in accordance.
• Keeps all new projects in line with the company's mission and maintains consistency with the organization's message and brand.

Requirements

 Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree is preferred but not required.
• Background in marketing, research, and development, product development, or strategy is recommended.
• Proven experience in the industry or working in a leadership role in a similar industry.
• Portfoliof past work.
• Minimum of 2 years' experience.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Must possess an inquisitive and creative mind.
• Must be independent and self-directed but able twork and lead a team of creative individuals.
• Superior research and analytical skills ttrack and predict trends.
• Must be able twork creatively within a budget and use innovation tfind ways of more managing resources.
• Strong business knowledge, understanding of a variety of business practices, and familiarity with the company's industry.
• Must be able tcollaborate with executives, creative teams, research and development, and project management teams.
• Must have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability tpersuasively sell ideas.
• Must be willing to take calculated risks and manage expectations.

Job Benefits

At SOSF, we value diversity and inclusion – in backgrounds, and experiences and alsencourage a gender Friendly work Environment. We offer:

Paid Time off (PTO) which includes;

• Sick (sick leave based on the duration of sickness after a verified Doctor’s report)
• Exam (A Maximum of 1-week paid examination leave annually)
• Annual (25 days for full-time staff and 20 days for contract staff)
• Maternity (3 months for confirmed female staff)
• Paternity leave (5 working days for male employees)

Group continuous Learning and Development: As part of our commitment torganizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant tthe communities they serve, we expect all team members tcommit 5% of their time tlearning activities that benefit Skills outside foundation as well as themselves. The team has a learning and development WhatsApp group where all posts are shared.

External Engagement policy: SOSF Encourages people thave other external engagements outside SOSF which support the vision and mission of the organization as well as their interests.

A flexible working structure that entails a 90% Remote and 10% Physical work structure.

SOSF has an excellent career growth pathway for its staff through its 2-promotion cycle in a year.