E!BA Field Operations Coordinator, Uganda

Position Overview 

Educate!, an award winning non-profit social enterprise, is looking for a self-driven, highly enterprising, and enthusiastic candidate to fill the E!BA Field Operations Coordinator - Position (1) in Uganda. The successful candidate will join our high performing Field Operations Team.

Educate! prides in creating impact and spreading this impact to thousands more youth across the Country. The E!BA Field Operations Coordinator will be reporting to the Field Operations Manager, The E!BA Field Operations Coordinator is responsible for coordinating youth transport logistics, identifying suitable venues, managing vendor relationships, and overseeing partnership engagement. Additionally, the he/she will manage field logistics, oversight on the timely delivery of materials and resources to support smooth program execution. 

The right candidate for this opportunity should be excited about working with young and ambitious youth, self-driven, passionate about our mission of creating leaders and entrepreneurs in Africa, and committed to being part of a high performing team!

About Educate! 

Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. By 2035, the continent is poised to contribute more people to the global workforce each year than the rest of the world combined. 

At Educate! we're obsessed with impact. We leverage iterative learning to build highly scalable youth employment solutions aimed at unlocking the potential of the world’s youngest continent. 

Educate! prepares youth in Africa learn, earn and thrive in today’s economy by: 

1) introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary, and 

2) delivering livelihood bootcamps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalized rural girls and young women.

To date, more than 250,000 youth have been meaningfully impacted across Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya, and along the way, Educate! has become the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa.

Educate! is a team of over 250 largely African staff and 300 volunteer youth mentors. We prioritize building an engaging, fulfilling and growth oriented work environment. 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over 5 years, 10+ alumni have started their own organizations and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows. 

We have been backed by top foundations such as Imaginable Futures, Big Bang Philanthropy,  #startsmall, Generation Unlimited, CIFF and Echidna Giving. Educate! won a 2018 Klaus J. Jacobs Prize and a 2015 WISE Award, and has been highlighted by the World Bank’s S4YE's Impact Portfolio, an Al Jazeera documentary, BBC, The Brookings Institution as one of 14 case studies on scaling education, and the Gates Foundation as a Goalkeepers Accelerator. In 2022, we received a catalytic investment from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to scale our systems change work.

Educate!'s long-term vision is to design solutions that measurably impact millions of youth across Africa each year. By 2025, we aim to scale our annual reach by 4x and measurably impact over 400,000 new youth. 

Performance Objectives

Youth Transport Coordination (20%)

• Collaborate with the Performance Metrics department to verify youth attendance in relation to transport reimbursement eligibility.
• Ensure youth payment details are accurate, updated and well-documented for timely processing.
• Receive, act, and document youth transport-related complaints to resolve issues efficiently.
• Collaborate with the Finance department to develop and maintain accurate youth payment sheets.
• Work with Performance Metrics and Finance to ensure the timely disbursement of youth transport funds.
• Ensure clear and consistent communication with youth participants and staff regarding transport reimbursement processing and any updates.
• Handle on-the-ground transport-related issues or emergencies, providing timely solutions to minimise disruptions.
• Maintain accurate records of youth transport, including details on payments made, missed, or bounced transactions, for accountability and reporting.
• Collaborate with the Field Operations Manager to track and manage transportation budgets, ensuring cost-effective solutions while maintaining the Cost Per Youth (CPY).
• Oversee compliance with transport safety regulations and policies to ensure the safety and well-being of youth participants during travel to and from the boot camp.
• Work closely with the Field Ops manager to inform and improve the transport strategy as and when need arises.  

Venue search and vendor management (20%)

• Work with the Program management  team to update and refine the minimum requirements for venues, sharing these with the leadership team.
• Coordinate venue discovery initiatives in all operational districts to identify potential locations for boot camps.
• Collaborate with  the Admin department in identifying meal vendors who have the capacity to serve our programs.
• Lead orientation sessions for meals vendors, ensuring alignment on expectations, standards, and requirements for boot camps.
• Oversee and manage the performance of meal vendors during boot camps, ensuring timely service and quality.
• Document and respond to any issues or concerns raised by venue managers or meals vendors during the boot camp.
• Monitor Vendor Compliance to ensure that meal vendors comply with food safety regulations, hygiene standards, and serve adequate portions.
• Keep detailed records of venues and vendors, including costs, capacity, and performance, for future boot camps.
• Organise post-boot camp debriefs with venue managers and vendors to gather feedback, identify areas for improvement, and strengthen relationships for future engagements.
• Work closely with the Admin and Finance departments to ensure timely processing of venue and vendor payments.
• Assist the Field Operations Officer in ensuring that venue quotations are submitted promptly to Admin for review and approval.
• Collaborate with the Admin team to ensure negotiations with venues are conducted and finalised in a timely manner.
• Work closely with Field Operations Officers to ensure all participants at boot camp sites sign in for meals, and that sign-out sheets are accurately completed and submitted to Admin.
• Create and lead the implementation of a comprehensive student meal management strategy for boot camps and other events, ensuring efficient meal distribution and tracking.

Partnership Management (20%)

• Develop and lead a partnership management strategy that facilitates seamless execution of program activities.
• Work closely with the Field Operations Manager to organise and lead district launches prior to the start of any boot camp activities in operational districts.
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders such as District Education Officers (DEOs), Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), and other local government officials to secure support and buy-in for Educate!'s programs.
• Foster collaboration with boot camp Venue administrations, ensuring alignment with boot camp goals and smooth integration with boot camp operations.
• Regularly engage community leaders and youth representatives to maintain strong local partnerships and ensure community involvement for any Educate! program
• Collaborate with external organisations and service providers to enhance program support, ensuring effective resource allocation and collaboration.
• Maintain continuous communication with stakeholders to address challenges, share progress updates, and align on expectations.
• Coordinate feedback sessions with stakeholders post-program to gather insights for future improvements and strengthen long-term partnerships.
• Track and document partnership activities, ensuring transparency and accountability in all stakeholder engagements.
  Identify and pursue opportunities for new partnerships that align with Educate!’s mission and objectives.

Field Logistics & Materials coordination (40%)

• Collaborate with the Field Operations Officer to ensure timely delivery of all boot camp materials to the field.
• Collaborate with the Admin department and Program management teams to maintain an updated materials tracker that defines the units as per the scope of work and ensure PRFs (Purchase Requisition Forms) are submitted promptly.
• Collaborate with the Field Operations Officer and Admin department to address any discrepancies or variances in field materials.
• Ensure that all material balances at the end of the boot camp are verified and returned to the office in good condition.
• Coordinate with the Finance department to ensure field  logistics-related payments like Contractors’ and Vendors payments  are processed according to the established schedule.
• Ensure timely processing of all field team requests to avoid delays in program execution.
• Collaborate with other departments to identify necessary materials for the field and update the materials tracker accordingly.
• Monitor and manage material usage to prevent shortages or overstocking during boot camps.
• Provide logistical support for the transportation and storage of materials in the field, ensuring their security and condition.
• Establish clear communication channels between field teams and the office to track material needs and resolve any issues promptly.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in any business course with at least 3 years of professional experience. At least 2 years experience in development work (NGO, Schools, Youth related work, Volunteers/Interns, School Practices, Church) directly managing a diverse team.
• Proficiency with Google suites, MS Office Suite, with excellent MS Word and Excel skills, etc.
• Experience working within the education sector in East Africa preferred and leading & coaching a team, managing finances, program reporting. 
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills,strategic Skills, project Planning, and Problem-solving skills
• Should be systems oriented, high integrity with experience in multitasking in a fast – paced environment, set priorities, work independently as well as thrive a team.
• Fits our Five Cultural Tenets (see What is Educate! About? below); Learn more by looking at Educate!’s culture deck here

Terms 

• Salary is commensurate with experience
• Attractive Benefits & Packages including Medical Insurance.
• The location is Central Uganda; Field position

What Is Educate! About?

We’re ambitious. Are you? Educate! is growing fast, so new opportunities are opening up and expanding all the time. We’re inspired by people with drive, and we love to help them reach their full potential. We expect everyone at Educate! to contribute above and beyond their job description, grow their skills, and advance their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey.

1. We put Youth First, Impact-Obsessed - We never forget that Educate! exists to impact youth. We are purpose-driven. We obsess over impact daily and if it doesn’t lead to impact, we want nothing to do with it. We prioritize interacting with and listening to youth. We design and manage the organization to ensure every dollar creates transformative experiences that youth value. 
2. We Exceed Expectations - We take pride in going above and beyond to achieve the best results. When we know what needs to be done, we do it. We don’t wait to be asked and we don’t stop at what is asked of us. We look for solutions as much as we identify problems.
3. We Are Always Learning - We are committed to seeking and applying new knowledge and ideas. We stay open-minded. We know there is always another way and we are excited to learn about it. We continuously look for resources of all kinds from multiple disciplines. We try new things, experiment, grow, and improve. We invest in learning for ourselves and our teams.
4. We are One Team, Many Views - We say what we think while treating each other well. We believe that all people have the same inherent value and that diverse ideas and open dialogue fuel excellence. We constantly strive to create an environment where everyone can and does express themselves freely. We support and respect each other as people and colleagues. We act as one team: We prioritize the organization's mission and goals over team or individual goals.
5. We have the Startup Mindset - We will always keep innovating to grow our impact. We aspire to be game-changing. We never think “we have arrived” or “we’re done.” We question the status quo in our industry. We move fast and embrace change to move towards our long-term vision. We’re not afraid of failure. We interrogate anything that slows us down. 

Every person at Educate! — from interns to the executive director — is evaluated by how they live up to these five cultural tenets. They are at the core of how we achieve our mission and why we work as well as we do.

Educate is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact in our community.  In creating this environment, we encourage people from a variety of cultures, backgrounds and life experiences to join our diverse team.

Child Safeguarding: Educate! is committed to child-safe/youth-safe recruitment, selection and screening. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children in our programs. The successful candidate will be required to provide a satisfactory Certificate of Good Conduct as a condition of employment. We reserve the right to decline to offer employment to an individual or terminate an employment contract with an employee that may pose a risk to children and youth.