TEAM LEADER – BUILDING LEARNING FOUNDATIONS – RWANDA

Job Description

Job title:                                           Team Leader

Group:                                               International               

Dept/Project/Service:                     Building Learning Foundations contract

Reports to:                                       Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa

Responsible for:                               Education Technical Leads, Programme Manager, National Performance Manager           

Usual office base:                            Kigali

Grade:                                              TBD

Job purpose:

Education Development Trust, has secured an accountable grant from the UK’s DFID to deliver a programme of support to the Rwanda Ministry of Education in improving the country’s primary education system.

The £25m Building Learning Foundations (BLF) programme will drive improved quality and equity, deliver improved numeracy and functional literacy standards in English, and strengthen the system at all levels.

The Team Leader’s role is to head up the project and manage our in-country project delivery team of national and international staff including those supplied by our consortium partners, guiding and overseeing the development and implementation of a range of targeted measures that will improve quality and learning outcomes in the early grades, smooth the transition from Kinyarwanda to English that takes place at P4, and reduce dropout.

The Team Leader is responsible for delivering results and improving educational outcomes, managing engagement with senior political leadership and overseeing a team of high-performing specialists in this complex environment.

Responsibilities:

• Leading a diverse programme team, including high performing consultants in the National Taskforce, education experts and strong grassroots delivery partners to successfully implement the programme
• Working with the programme team and wider stakeholders at all levels in the Rwandan system to ensure improved learning outcomes and increased school retention is achieved across the country, in line with programme objectives
• Overseeing the development of the programme delivery plan (Delivery Plan) and managing its implementation by multiple agencies – including the Rwandan government, DFID, project teams and staff from other providers (from within our core consortium and beyond)
• Leading successful engagement with key government and wider stakeholders to ensure support at the highest levels politically for the aims and successful delivery of the programme
• Leading the establishment of data systems and the production of high quality monitoring documentation for senior government officials and DFID staff
• Presenting monitoring information on programme outputs and outcomes to senior stakeholders at regular stocktakes, identifying issues and proposing solutions so that any remedial action required can be taken swiftly
• Ensuring the successful co-ordination of work carried out by a roster of additional technical experts and additional suppliers, including quality assurance, contract management and ensuring that disparate inputs are co-ordinated into a cohesive programme 
• Playing a leading role in continuously updating the Delivery Plan to analyse and resolve systemic issues in education quality
• Overseeing and approving the work of the Programme Manager (including budget management and client reporting)
• Leading the transfer of National Taskforce processes and wider technical knowledge to the Government of Rwanda through a capacity building programme
• Being accountable to a strategic board, and working with senior leadership representatives where necessary to support National Taskforce priorities 

Person specification:

Knowledge:

Essential

• Qualified to degree level or above.
• Knowledge of government systems and reform processes

Desirable

• Masters degree or evidence of further study in a relevant subject area

Experience:

Essential

• Experience of working with funders and delivering project objectives.
• Experience of working with government at senior level.
• Prior experience of large-scale ($10m) donor funded education intervention’s in a developing country context.

Desirable

• Experience of living and working in sub-Saharan Africa.

Skills:

Essential

• Demonstrable ability to manage human and financial resources
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including report writin

Desirable

Competency Band:                                [4]

Key Competencies for the role:

Education Development Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.