Education Systems Strengthening Manager Building Tomorrow

Building Tomorrow, an international nonprofit organization working to provide literacy and numeracy for all children, is seeking an exceptional, values-aligned Education Systems Strengthening Manager (ESSM), who will codesign, manage, and supervise BT’s education systems strengthening programming, a program developed in partnership with local government to build government’s capacity to implement and scale community-powered education initiatives.

THE ORGANIZATION
Started in 2006, Building Tomorrow supports community-powered learning in rural areas. Through over 500 Building Tomorrow Fellows and over 12,000 Community Education Volunteers, Building Tomorrow has enrolled over 140,000 out-of-school children and reached over 350,000 learners with our signature Roots to Rise (R2R) literacy and numeracy camps. Between offices in the USA and Uganda, Building Tomorrow has a full-time staff of over 230, just eight of whom work outside Uganda. Building Tomorrow has received funding and recognition for its innovative work from the Mastercard Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Echoing Green, Big Bang Philanthropy, and Forbes Magazine. More information can be found online at: www.buildingtomorrow.org .

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS
The ESS Manager will lead Building Tomorrow’s new Education Systems Strengthening department, a department devoted to working alongside district and sub-county officials to support government adoption and management of BT’s community-powered initiatives. The ESSM will directly oversee 10 Education System Strengthening Coordinators (ESSCs), BT staff embedded in sub-county offices across Uganda, who are responsible for working alongside government officials to adopt programming. The ESSM will work closely with the other key Program Managers to share successes and challenges with government uptake so learners can inform BT’s programming. In addition, the ESSM will work very closely with senior leadership, including the Director of Government Relations, to ensure harmony between BT’s national government advocacy efforts and the ESS priorities.
This position is full-time and based in Building Tomorrow Uganda’s Country Office in Kampala but with frequent trips to Jinja and Kamuli. The ESSM will report to the Director of Programs, directly supervise 10 ESSCs, and work in close collaboration with the Director of Government Relations, BT’s Pedagogy Team, and other program leads to ensure district efforts are integrated and informed by and from that as progress is made on national-level priorities and organizational-wide learnings.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
ESSC Program Design and Implementation:
• Inform the development of BT’s education systems strengthening program, including conducting an in-depth analysis of Uganda’s education system, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and proposing solutions to address gaps.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to develop strategic objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) for the department that align with national government priorities and BT’s programmatic goals.

Implement strategies and action plans to work alongside local government to strengthen systems to support community-powered foundational learning.
• Support training and technical assistance initiatives to education stakeholders, including teachers, school administrators, and government officials, to enhance their capacity to implement effective education reforms.
• Work closely with BT’s Pedagogy Team to modify BT programming for above responsibilities
Supervision and Management:
• Provide strategic oversight and support to ESSCs in their efforts to empower the government to uptake community-powered learning initiatives through regular one-on-one check-ins and leading department meetings
• Responsible for the professional development and mentorship of ESSCs
• Ensure that Building Tomorrow rules and procedures, policy guidelines are enforced within assigned districts.
• Create and utilize feedback mechanisms that allow for information flow from ESSCs to BT UG HQ and from BT UG HQ to local districts
• Travel monthly by bus and boda to rural schools, other districts to provide field support to ESSCs.
• Ensure the development and maintenance of a team culture that enables all members of management to be effectively informed on programming within Building Tomorrow.
Advocacy and Communication:
• In collaboration with the BT Director of Government relations, develop recommendations and strategies for strengthening the education system, with a focus on community-powered targeted education approaches.
• Advocate for the importance of education system strengthening with district and sub-county officials and share success stories and lessons learned through effective communication and advocacy campaigns.
• Actively assess district-based networks for all opportunities towards leveraged school support and ensure partnerships in all implementation districts.
• Work closely with senior leadership to inform BT’s advocacy plan

MUST HAVES
Applicants should possess the following qualifications:

Minimum of 5 years of experience working in education system strengthening, policy advocacy, or education program management, preferably in a non-profit or international development context.
• Strong knowledge of Uganda’s decentralized educational systems, policies, and practices.
• Minimum of 2 years experience supervising results-oriented teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Economics, Public Policy, Project Planning and Management, International Development or a related field. A Master’s degree will be of added advantage.
• Experience in program design, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Highly organized, with strong project management skills and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of grant writing and fundraising is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint etc
• Willingness to travel frequently to rural schools and areas outside Kampala.

WE WANT YOU TO APPLY IF…
• You have an unshakeable passion for education equality, believing access to an inclusive, quality education is a basic human right.
• You possess creative ingenuity, being progressive in your thinking and approaching challenges old and new. You are intrapreneurial and unafraid to pilot new ideas.
• You are relentlessly determined, refusing to accept the status quo, persistently striving to create new opportunities to reach more children, allowing them to reach their maximum potential.
• You believe in collaborative engagement. You believe more can be achieved together than alone, believe in the power of cultivating relationships, and see everyone as an equal partner.

WHAT WE OFFER
Compensation will be commensurate with experience. Benefits package includes health insurance, retirement plan, paid personal leave, and sick days.