Description
The context:
Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school – but they are not learning. A recent study estimated that less than 1% of schoolchildren in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a school where the teaching meets basic quality standards. At Rising Academies, we’re changing that, and we want your help. Our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people who need them most. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®.
About us:
We own and operate our own great-value private schools, partner with governments to improve the quality of public school systems, and use our content and technology to help other education providers. Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we provided emergency education to children kept out of school by the Ebola Epidemic before opening our first school in April 2015. Today, we serve more than 250,000 students across more than 900 schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Rwanda.
Through a great curriculum, intensive teacher coaching, and actionable data, we help teachers and school leaders bring quality to every classroom. And we get results: independent studies show Rising students make more than twice the progress of their peers in comparable schools.
About the role:
We are seeking highly professional, motivated, and organized education leader for our School Support Officers in Rwanda. The School Support Officers will conduct regular follow-ups with project stakeholders to ensure that key activities are completed successfully and on time to achieve outstanding academic and school improvement outcomes. In partnership with the Government of Rwanda (GoR), through the Ministry of Education, Rising Academies is scaling up innovations to improve how teachers teach foundational skills at lower primary level in public and government-aided schools. Rising’s partnership schools are located in the Seven Districts; Nyarugenge, Kicukiro, Gasabo, Bugesera, Rulindo, Rwamagana, and Kamonyi. The successful candidate will be supporting the beneficiaries from the schools in 7 districts.
The School Support Officers will:
- Build strong relationships with Headteachers through regular phone calls and regular school visits.
- Set high standards and effectively support schools to achieve them.
- Build strong relationships with stakeholders, generate support and buy-in, and liaise with them as necessary on relevant matters as they arise.
- Ensure the effective implementation of Rising’s academic model to a high standard.
- Keep the Project Manager appraised of progress and challenges within each school, and report any issues as soon as they arise.
- Support Headteachers and Sector Education Inspectors to build and maintain positive relationships for better progress, and other key stakeholders.
- Learn from the successes and challenges of each school, proactively share lessons learned, and use these to improve the quality of other schools.
- Collect, review, and use data to inform decisions
Location and reporting:
These are full-time on-site positions. The role will be based in Kigali, Rwanda. The school support officers will report to the Project Manager. This will be a one-year fixed-term, from Sept 2024 until August 2025 with the possibility for an extension upon performance and availability of project funds.
Application deadline:
The target start date for this role will be September 2024
Requirements
Qualifications and Experience:
- University degree in Education or related program
- Minimum 3 years of professional experience in the education sector in a similar role.
- Strong track record of professionalism and trustworthiness.
- Experience generally supporting schools and program delivery in schools.
- Effective oral and written communication, relationship building, and teamwork skills
- Sets high standards and can support others to achieve them
- Strong organisational and record-keeping skills
- Familiarity with Google Docs, Spreadsheets, and Slides
- Familiarity with mobile data collection tools
About You:
- You are a strong communicator, able to motivate, challenge, and support others.
- You set high standards for yourself and others and go the extra mile to get things done.
- You have the highest levels of integrity and trustworthiness.
- You understand the contexts in which we operate and the educational and operational challenges they pose.
- You are passionate about improving the quality of education.
- You are very well organized and have great record-keeping skills.
- You have strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
- You have the ability to learn quickly, are happy to give and receive feedback, and are interested in trying new approaches.
- You make decisions in a logical way and on the basis of good evidence/reasoning.
- You are comfortable working with basic technology.
Benefits
Compensation and Benefits:
We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We regularly benchmark our compensation against comparable businesses, social ventures, and non-profits.
Rising’s goal is to be transparent about salaries at all levels of the organisation and have a standard, global pay scale for all positions that is non-negotiable.
The benefits we offer are built to have a strong added value on our staff’s well-being and we are excited to discuss this further with you in the process.
Rising is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, national origin, family or parental status, veteran or disability status.
Rising is committed to creating a culture within the organisation, and its schools, that recognises the importance of safeguarding children and prioritising their rights and needs. We strive to uphold international safeguarding standards and keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to have the same level of commitment to protect children from harm. Safeguarding questions are part of every interview process and all Rising employees undergo reference checks before joining the organisation.
Make an application here