Director, Policy & Partnerships

EdoBEST 

The Edo State Government launched the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme in 2018,  to revolutionize basic education across the state. The programme is designed to deliver on the Governor’s core belief that ‘'once you get basic education right, everything else falls in place.’’ 

EdoBEST recognizes that a strong educational foundation will launch its children into a future of success and takes this responsibility seriously. The programme uses a holistic approach that centers on scientifically-based learning materials, a data-driven model and continuous capacity building. 

Through EdoBEST, teachers are equipped to leverage technology, motivate pupils and employ scientifically-based learning materials; teaching methods and classroom techniques. EdoBEST head teachers are coached to support their teachers, connect with their communities and take full ownership of all aspects of their schools. While education managers are trained to leverage technology and data-driven approaches to support school staff and effectively fulfill their roles.

EdoBEST is on track to serve hundreds of thousands of children across all government primary and junior secondary schools in the state, improving their learning outcomes and their life opportunities. Critically, the program is also investing in the professional development of government teachers, school leaders and education managers; providing capacity building for thousands of civil servants.

Working hand in hand with the state government to entrench quality education and the structures that enable it is dynamic and urgent work. We need team members that are deeply passionate, thrive in ever-changing environments and enjoy digging into challenges.

We are truly a team of trailblazers working to ensure that the children of Edo State have the opportunity to maximize their potential. We need those that are committed to this transformative programme, and inspired by its ambition, to join us!

Partnerships (Program Management)

The Policy & Partnerships team engages with visionary political and Government leadership to help shape policy, strengthen delivery and impact complex education systems through comprehensive technical support. We work to ensure policies support children’s access, opportunity and advancement, and that there is an enabling environment for governments to work with technical assistance partners to enact large-scale system transformation. We ensure close collaboration, communication, and engagement with our government partners whom we serve in existing programs and the rest of the delivery teams to ensure we deliver on the promise of our program, and that the government sees solutions coming to the fore, and is participating in the work and recognizes the impact taking place. In support of the government program, may also engage with other dynamic influencers (NGOs, think-tanks, academicians, and bi- and multilateral agencies) to unlock additional support for our government programming and children in underserved communities. It is our responsibility to ensure that the program we deliver is understood by our government partner, and to negotiate any changes or updates or new needs in the program as it evolves, and to seek its expansion and renewal, based on successful track-record and measured improved learning and positive impact.

About the Role

As the Director, Policy & Partnerships, you oversee an entire program’s large-scale, government-led, system-wide education transformation within all new locations. You are responsible for building and managing diverse stakeholder relationships, and focussed on account management and sustaining our work and operations in the territory. You own the government engagement with the diverse stakeholders and the many moving parts involved in our work in the territory. You are the first point of call for any communication between the program, the Government and other key stakeholders in the territory. 

You’ll be taking over existing relationships from the Policy and Partnerships Programme Development team and other Executives, and make these your own to ensure close collaboration and on-time execution of the program. This entails significant relationship management, as well as project management in ensuring data and approvals needed to pass between the government and program do so in a timely way for program deadlines. You will ensure that the government partners understand the program, and support its implementation. This will require coordination of stakeholder sessions, government workshops, and government public events and celebrations. During government workshops, there will be a need for careful engagement and collaboration on programme details -- to be successful in this role, you must learn about all aspects of our programming, and what can be negotiated and what cannot to ensure we deliver on what the government requires of us -- improved learning outcomes. You will need to be diplomatic and have discretion; know when to speak and when to listen.

What You Will Do

• Report to the Managing Director, to help build partnerships, relationships and execute strategies to sustain our goals across the specific program.
• Work closely with the Programme Development counterparts and regional leadership, be responsible for overseeing key government relationships and programming. To do this, you’ll lead government engagement, training and stakeholder meetings. 
• Ensure creation of governance committees according to core programming guidelines, and establish a regular meeting schedule.
• Ensure thorough weekly and monthly reporting to the government begins and is continued under permanent programme leadership.
• Manage and oversee all Policy and Partnerships program staff (focussed on Programme Management).
• Manage the diverse strategic stakeholder management across multiple Government departments and levels within those departments; with prominent education ecosystem stakeholders, including but not limited to the local and national teacher labour unions; and  important 'influencers’ to ensure the successful and popular launch of the government’s new programme. 
• Establish and implement short- and long-range goals, objectives, policies and operating procedures for the government relations support function; monitor and evaluates program effectiveness; effects changes required for improvement;
• Map all key government officials, and create a plan for management of each;
• Work with key stakeholders on consultative efforts to drive reforms in delivery of education to underserved communities;
• Utilize lead management techniques and maintain a detailed and dynamic database of these key influencer communities while tracking progress of programme launch; 

What You Should Have

• Bachelor's degree with superior academic performance;
• Over 4 years’ experience in government program delivery or working in account management or as an engagement manager; 
• In depth experience building and systematically managing key complex relationships and accounts to ensure program delivery in a complex, multi-stakeholder program or project; 
• Previous experience working with a Ministry of Education on program delivery, preferred; If not within education, experience with another government delivery program or project, such as in health or ICT; 
• Confidence, authority, and level-headed decision making needed as the leadership voice for the program;
• Knowledge of local, state and federal government issues related to the provision of primary education in the country would be preferred;
• Ability to balance commercial interests and social benefits - a blend across business and political acumen, but also high emotional intelligence and relationship-building skills;
• Experience acting as an on-the-record spokesperson;
• Highly capable and thoughtful problem-solving skills; able to act as an intermediary and a solutions driven lead, to ensure effective collaboration and communication between the Government client and our organization;
• Prior experience within a fast-paced, high-growth, metric-driven operational organization will be an advantage;

You’re also

• A detailed doer – You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
• A networking mastermind – You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates.  You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
• A creative problem-solver – Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, NewGlobe works in often fragile, sometimes volatile low-resource communities and with complex government systems. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand.
• A relentless advocate –The children we serve and teachers we empower never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like.  Every decision you make considers their benefit, experience,
  and value.
• A malleable learner –You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others.  You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.
• A data-driven decision-maker – When making decisions, you don’t rely on your intuition alone. You collect data, you analyze it and make decisions with clear justifications.
• A curious investigator – You ask why a lot. You don’t just take what you see and accept it. You wonder why it is that way, and are aware that the world we see is created by human choices and actions – and it could be different. You wonder, and see the world as wonderful even when you want to change a part of it that is unjust.