ESSA Job Vacancy: Senior Manager (Foundational Learning)

ABOUT ESSA

ESSA improves education by using evidence and data from Africa in research, advocacy and programme design.

We take a systems approach by identifying challenges and co-designing solutions in partnership with local education researchers, education leaders, policymakers, funders and employers to improve education outcomes for young people. Our research generates actionable insights that inform decisions, policies and practice and strengthen education systems.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing, passionate and driven team based in Africa and Europe, to play a key role in advancing our work, impact, and partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

ESSA’s values are at the heart of everything we do, and they are:

• Evidence-driven: We are driven by data and evidence to find what works best, building an evidence alliance for education in sub-Saharan Africa.

• Solutions-focused: We seek the highest impact for young people and educators in sub-Saharan Africa with the cost-effective funds we invest.

• Strengthening Trust: We strive to create supportive environments, building trust with the communities we work with.

• Always learning: Everyone’s opinion is valuable; we develop solutions through teamwork.

To find out more about ESSA, visit essa-africa.org.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Senior Manager (Foundational Learning) role is a new and important position within the ESSA team, leading our support to researchers in Africa with a focus on foundational learning. The postholder will coordinate and lead work across Kenya, Senegal and Ghana, including provision of small grants and stakeholder consultation events

S/he will engage with researchers, university leadership and policymakers to catalyse collaboration for co-developing and conducting high-impact research. The postholder will manage ESSA’s Research Manager in Senegal and a Project Assistant and will also liaise closely with colleagues in the Research, Communications, and our Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning teams to maximise impact. Furthermore, s/he will engage with colleagues at the REAL Centre at the University of Cambridge, UK.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the development and execution of strategies to support researchers, policymakers and practitioners in the African countries to identify research priorities and agendas focusing on foundational learning.

• Produce research-driven outputs (such as blogs, policy briefs, and conference presentations) and build on existing reports and data relating to the research landscape to engage and inform stakeholders and drive conversations at the country-level.

• Undertake background research into education policy priorities and how they relate to research gaps.

• Lead the provision of small grants to individuals, pairs, or small groups of researchers within Kenya, Senegal, and Ghana to develop policy-relevant research ideas.

• Provide project management function for project activities, including ensuring that monitoring, evaluation and learning is firmly embedded and relevant metrics captured.

• Manage relationships and engage (e.g., through organising in-country convenings) with partners and stakeholders including funders, researchers, practitioners and policymakers.

• Collaborate with ESSA’s Communications Team to disseminate key findings/evidence/insights to our target audiences in and outside Africa via channels such as websites, newsletters, social media sites, and conferences/webinars.

• Help with any other tasks as skills and competencies allow.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

• Passionate about the impact that African-led research can have for young people.

• Strong technical background in foundational learning (e.g. experience in implementation or research focused on early grade reading or mathematics programmes in Africa).

• A master’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. education, economics or other social science, international development, or a related discipline).

• Knowledge and experience about the Kenyan education system and policy context (other countries a plus).

• Experience of organising stakeholder consultations, conferences, workshops, and webinars, engaging with people at all levels from different backgrounds and viewpoints.

• Experience in translating complex research findings for a non-specialist audience e.g. through verbal presentations, blogs, and reports.

• Ability to build and manage work relationships internally, as well as with external agencies.

• A team player who has cultural awareness/sensitivity; is committed to respecting and valuing equality, diversity, and inclusion, and understands how these apply to their own area of work.

• Ability to work independently with accuracy, using own initiative and under minimal supervision.

• Excellent attention to detail, commitment to high standards and ability to meet tight deadlines.

• Proactive, efficient, creative, collaborative, ethical, entrepreneurial and a problem-solver.

• Self-motivated, strong interpersonal, organisational, project/stakeholder/people management.

• Computer literate, including familiarity with Microsoft Office suite.

DESIRABLE

• French speaking

• A PhD in relevant discipline (see list above)

• Evidence of interest in foundational learning in African context.

• Experience of grants management and reviewing applications (e.g., for job recruitment and grant applications).

• Experience of working in a cross-functional team.

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

The importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) underpins our mission and values at ESSA. We prioritise inclusion and celebrate the breadth of knowledge and experience working across different cultures brings to the organisation. EDI at ESSA is embodied in the current composition of our Board of Trustees and our workforce, which strongly reflects the communities we work in, and we actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please complete the form by clicking on this link. Please ensure that your CV and cover letter are saved using your given name and surname. For example, firstname.surname CV.

The closing date for applications is 25^th November 2024 at 09:00hrs GMT.

You can also download a PDF file of the job description: 

Senior Manager (Foundational Learning)