Technical Advisor to Director General, NESA at Educate: (Deadline 16 September 2023)

Technical Advisor to Director General, NESA at Educate: (Deadline 16 September 2023)

Technical Advisor to Director General, NESA

at Educate!

Rwanda

Position Overview 

Educate!, a high-growth and award-winning non-profit social enterprise, is looking for a Technical Advisor to the Director General (DG) of the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA). The Technical Advisor will play a crucial role in providing  expert guidance and strategic support to the DG in decision making and implementation of various  activities to advance the mandate of NESA. This position requires close collaboration with the DG and acts as a trusted strategic advisor in all aspects of NESA’s operations.

The right person for this role will:

• Possess in-depth knowledge of Rwanda’s educational policies, assessment practices, quality assurance frameworks, and regulatory requirements.
• Have policy advisory expertise: Demonstrated track record in providing education consultancy and policy advisory services for large-scale educational reforms.
• Have experience in data-driven decision-making: Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, making data- or evidence-based decisions to address complex educational issues and offer evidence-based recommendations.
• Be effective at communication and collaboration: Excellent strategic communication and collaboration skills, with a preference for experience in human-centered design processes. He/she should be able to effectively convey complex concepts and recommendations to stakeholders at various levels, ensuring follow up and follow through on decisions made.
• Possess planning, execution, report writing, team management skills and a strong strong motivation to work within government education systems, along with the ability to handle sensitive information professionally and maintain strict confidentiality.

Sound like you or someone you know? Read below, visit our careers page to learn more about Educate!, or Click on this link to apply.

About Educate! 

By 2035, Africa will contribute more people to the workforce each year than the rest of the world combined. Educate! leverages an obsession with evidence and iterative learning to tackle one of our planet’s greatest challenges — unlocking the potential of its youngest continent.

Educate! prepares youth in Africa with the skills to succeed in today’s economy. We’ve created a 100-hour experience that delivers the most essential skills youth need to transition to work, combining training, mentorship, and practical experience starting a business. We deliver this experience to youth in 3 ways: directly to schools, integrated into education systems, and through bootcamps for out-of-school youth.

All three delivery channels have been validated by several independent evaluations, and to date, more than 200,000 youth have been meaningfully impacted by this model across Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya. Along the way, Educate! has become the largest youth skills provider in East Africa.

Educate! is a team of over 210 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, 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 with the essential skills they need to succeed in life.

Performance Objectives

Strategic Advice

• Provide strategic advice to the DG on examination and school inspection processes, aligned with NESA’s objectives and mission.
• Advise on long-term strategies to improve examination and school inspection processes.
• Align recommendations with NESA’s vision to enhance the quality of education.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement in assessment procedures, school inspection and quality assurance.
• Support the DG in addressing challenges and potential risks in educational initiatives as they relate to assessment and inspection.

Decision-Making Support

• Conduct thorough research, analysis, and evaluation of educational policies, proposals, and initiatives to assist the DG in making informed decisions.
• Present well-researched information to aid the DG in crucial decision-making processes.
• Analyze the impact of proposed policies and initiatives on the assessment approaches and processes within the education system.
• Provide evidence-based insights to guide policy choices that align with NESA’s goals.
• Assist in evaluating the effectiveness of past decisions to inform future actions.

Policy Development

• Contribute to the development, review, and enhancement of policies, guidelines, and standards related to examinations, school inspections, and educational quality assurance.
• Contribute to the formulation of comprehensive policies for examination standards.
• Review existing guidelines and recommend updates to ensure relevancy and compliance.
• Enhance quality assurance measures to uphold the integrity of educational assessments.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to develop policies that promote inclusive education practices.

Implementation Oversight

• Oversee the implementation of NESA’s activities, initiatives, and programs, ensuring compliance with protocols, timelines, and quality standards.
• Monitor the progress of NESA’s activities, ensuring they adhere to established protocols.
• Prepare comprehensive reports, briefings and presentations for the DG, providing key updates on initiatives, progress, challenges and recommendations
• Evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs and initiatives in achieving objectives to address potential bottlenecks and challenges in the implementation process proactively.
• Recommend adjustments to timelines and strategies to meet organizational goals.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including government officials, development partners, educational institutions, and subject matter experts, to foster partnerships and gather insights for effective decision making.
• Foster strong partnerships with educational institutions and relevant government bodies.
• Engage subject matter experts to provide valuable insights on educational best practices.
• Facilitate open communication channels between NESA and its stakeholders and ensure follow up on execution of decisions made during meetings, workshops and conferences or any other forum
• Seek feedback from stakeholders to improve the collaboration and effectiveness of NESA’s processes.
• Document best practices from stakeholders to inform future policy development and guidelines.

Qualifications 

• Dynamic experience in public sector preferred, with a background in change management, consultancy, innovation leadership or large scale government reforms, preferably in Africa
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in a similar role within the education sector. In addition qualifications in education or a related field at a masters or higher education degree level preferred,
• In-depth knowledge of Rwanda’s educational policies, educational assessment, quality  assurance frameworks, and education regulatory requirements.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to evaluate complex educational issues and  provide evidence-based recommendations.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders, and effectively convey information to diverse audiences.
• Proven track record in project management, including planning, coordination, and  monitoring of activities.
• Demonstrating the capacity to maintain focus, productivity, and composure in high pressure situations.
• Passion for Educate!’s mission is a must. We value diverse perspectives and encourage applications from people with a variety of backgrounds.
• This role will be based in Rwanda and Rwandan Nationals are encouraged to apply
• A good fit with our Five Cultural Tenets (see “What is Educate! About?” Below; learn more by looking at Educate!’s culture deck here.

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 in 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.
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.

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