Vacancy: Head of African Centre for School Leadership Research

ABOUT ESSA

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ESSA improves education 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, higher education leaders, policymakers, funders and employers to improve education outcomes for young people. We support research that generates actionable insights to inform decisions, policies and practice and strengthen education systems. This is an exciting opportunity to join a small but 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

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About the African Centre for School Leadership

The African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) is an entity, formed through a coalition of partners in Africa, committed to the promotion of effective school leadership by bringing together partners that offer professional development services, research, and policy advice on effective school leadership.

The vision of the ACSL is that every learner in Africa benefits from quality education that prepares them for a bright future, and it achieves this through partnering with governments and other stakeholders to strengthen school leadership systems that improve learning outcomes and well-being for all. Read more about the ACSL here.

With growth funding from the Mastercard Foundation, the ACSL will be directly supporting school leaderships initiatives in Tanzania, other Leaders in Teaching expansion countries as well as providing broader pan-African support to interested partners across the continent. The Centre has ambitions to further grow its funding and implementation partnerships to meet high levels of demand.

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About the role

In 2025 ESSA is kicking off an exciting new programme of work in partnership with VVOB and ADEA to scale the ACSL. ESSA will be taking the lead on the research component, ensuring that the Centre is making use of the best existing research on school leadership from Africa and commissioning new African-led research into effective school leadership. The emphasis will be on increasing the effectiveness of policy and practice relating to school leadership, through demand-driven research.

The Head of ACSL Research is therefore an important and exciting new role that will bring this area of ESSA’s work to life, to help us achieve our vision for education in Africa. With guidance from the Director of Research and Programme Delivery, the successful candidate will lead in establishing the research function of the ACSL and building out a small research team. The Head of ACSL Research will also be expected to generate ideas and concepts for more projects, lead the setting up and contribute to fundraising (where needed) to grow this portfolio of work.

The post-holder will collaborate with the ACSL team in partner organisations namely VVOB and ADEA and internally with other colleagues at ESSA. As such, (S)he will be an active member of the ACSL Technical Leadership Team led by the ACSL Technical Lead, providing support in target countries as well as at the pan-African level.  (S)he will also lead ESSA’s interaction with existing and new external partners (e.g., government officials/policymakers, academics, education leaders, non-governmental organisations, corporate organisations/businesses, and funders) to design and implement this innovative work to high-quality standards and within budgets

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RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• People, project, and partnership management (60%): Oversee the robust initiation and ongoing management of the ACSL research portfolio. The portfolio will include sub-granting to research partners, reviewing existing research and convening researchers alongside policymakers and practitioners. Provide coaching and line management oversight and ensure that ESSA team members and external project partner(s) understand their roles and responsibilities, the project objectives, resources available, timelines, reporting schedules, etc., to ensure a strong foundation and successful implementation. Liaise with ESSA’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team to gather baseline data, agree appropriate project checkpoints and ensure effective tracking of delivery to understand and learn from the impact of such work, and to enable efficient engagement with and reporting to project (and prospective) funders and contractors. In addition, provide effective quality control for research outputs/products generated. Furthermore, collaborate with existing (Senior) Research/Project Managers at ESSA to ensure effective exchange of information and alignment across the broader research, policy and evaluation teams at ESSA.

• Strategic stakeholder engagement and networking (15%): Build and strengthen partnerships within and beyond the ACSL, collaborations, and networks with education stakeholders (e.g., students, educators, employers, funders, and policymakers), to make the ACSL a partner of choice for understanding, using and commissioning African-led research into school leadership. Represent ESSA and the ACSL (where necessary) at project, programme, and stakeholder meetings and events in and outside Africa as needed.

• Project sourcing, providing technical input into fundraising, and recruitment (15%): Engage with ESSA’s fundraising group and senior colleagues across the ACSL consortium to identify potential partners and supporters for ACSL’s research. Then, provide technical input for proposals and workplans, develop relevant budgets, and secure funding and resources for this evolving portfolio of work. Furthermore, liaise with ESSA’s Human Resource personnel and other relevant ACSL colleagues to recruit staff for the new projects/programmes/services within the portfolio.

• Communication and dissemination of outputs (10%): Be influential in getting ACSL’s high-quality research products and services into the right fora to increase the visibility and use of our evidence and to help achieve the anticipated impact. Liaise with both the ACSL’s and ESSA’s Communications teams and relevant external partners to enable timely and appropriate dissemination of research products to the ACSL’s stakeholders, including policymakers, to help close the gap between education research and policy and practice.

• Undertake other tasks as may be required at ESSA, commensurate with experience.

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Person specification

ESSENTIAL: We are looking for the following attributes, although you may be more experienced in some areas than others.

• Proven track record of using evidence from Africa to inform strategy and influence change;

• Educated to PhD level or have equivalent experience in education or other relevant social science subject;

• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research and synthesising evidence in the field of education in Africa and passionate about the role of education in development;

• Minimum of seven years’ professional experience in generating grants for research or managing education research;

• Excellent writing skills, including policy-oriented reports and scientific papers for publication in peer review journals;

• Entrepreneurial and creative; a problem-solver who can take his/her own initiative and meet tight deadlines;

• Experience of building, managing, coaching, and mentoring successful teams;

• Excellent communication skills, able to translate complex research findings for a non-specialist audience;

• Proven experience in building partnerships with policymakers, funders, educators, and non-governmental organisations; having the experience and confidence to network and engage effectively with such decision-makers at high-profile events;

• Demonstrated ability to contribute to the development of research proposals for submission to funders/contractors;

• Attention to detail and ability to ensure high-quality finish to written products;

• Outstanding oral and written English;

• An independent worker but also a team player; able to thrive in an internationally dispersed team; respectful of diversity and can demonstrate a commitment to ESSA's values;

• Computer literate with substantial experience in the use of information databases and Microsoft Office suite.

DESIRABLE: You will be more successful in the role if you have:

• Knowledge of the field of school leadership.

• The ability to speak, read and write in French.

• Experience of working in a cross-functional team.

• Experience of budget preparation and oversight.

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EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

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 diverse 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.

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APPLICATION DETAILS

Please ensure your CV and cover letter are saved using your given name and surname. For example, firstname.surname CV. The closing date for applications is the 3rd of March, 2025 at 0900hrs GMT.

Apply here

Download the job description:

JD - Head of African Centre for School Leadership Research

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