Who We Are!
🌍 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 to learn, earn, and thrive in today’s economy by:
- Introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary and
- Delivering livelihood Boot Camps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalized rural girls and young women.
So far, we’ve impacted over 250,000 youth across Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya—and the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa. Our team of over 250 largely African staff and 300 volunteer mentors is passionate about creating meaningful change. Plus, 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over five years! 🎉10+ alumni have started their organizations and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows.
Global organizations like Imaginable Futures, Big Bang Philanthropy, #startsmall, Generation Unlimited, CIFF and Echidna Giving have backed us and support our mission! 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’re on track to quadruple our reach and impact 400,000 youth annually. Want to join us on this journey?
Position Overview
Educate! the largest youth skills service provider in East Africa, is looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic, and high-performing Program Manager to join the Programs department. As a Program Manager, you will play a crucial role in driving the success of our programs. You will be responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation of our initiatives, ensuring that they align with our mission and deliver exceptional outcomes for our participants.
The successful candidate will have at least 4 years of a strong foundation in program management, including planning, coordinating, and using data to make informed decisions. They will also demonstrate excellent leadership skills to manage and motivate a team, an ability to develop and manage budgets as well as strong communication skills.
Performance Objectives
Finance and Budget Management
- Draft and manage the program budget to maximize the impact of every shilling spent, while preparing budget memos as needed to ensure quality program delivery and support for the program team.
- Prepare and review quarterly budgets, and monthly and quarterly program budget variance analyses (BVAs) to clarify all budget line expenses. Review and approve all program-related requisitions and accountabilities, ensuring they align with the budgeted activities.
Program Strategic Implementation
- Ensure strategic alignment with the product team on implementation milestones to track progress each term and conduct weekly reviews of implementation data to monitor program execution and coordinate with M&E as needed.
- Conduct termly field visits to evaluate team performance and school status, hold weekly check-ins with Program Officers to review zone performance and identify challenges, and offer guidance to help resolve implementation issues.
- Propose and build tools and systems to improve team productivity and efficiency during program delivery.
Team Performance Management
- Conduct biweekly 1:1s with Program Officers to review performance and provide support, while tracking their progress on a monthly and termly basis.
- Address performance issues of program officers and youth leaders, provide coaching to support the growth of frontline teams, and escalate any issues hindering team or program progress as needed.
- Lead monthly Programs’ team capacity-building training to upskill them.
Team Culture Management
- Demonstrate the org culture and cultural tenets through professional behavior and leadership
- Create an environment of open communication and trust, address conflicts quickly and constructively, and make improvements based on feedback and observations.
- Create an inclusive and supportive environment where all team members feel valued, involve everyone in decision-making, and promote a healthy work-life balance.
District & Local Government Engagement
- Drive the establishment of strong relationships with government officials and community leaders by attending district meetings as needed to understand their needs and priorities.
- Conduct thorough assessments to identify district-specific challenges and opportunities, use data and feedback to inform strategic planning and decision-making, and monitor implementation status at the district level, making adjustments as necessary.
Qualifications
- Fits our Five Cultural Tenets (see What is Educate! About? below); Learn more by looking at
- Program Management: Minimum of 4 years of a strong foundation in program implementation management, including planning, coordinating, and using data to make informed decisions.
- Experience in developing and managing budgets.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a related field.
What We Offer 💼
- A vibrant, mission-driven environment with a supportive and fun team.
- Flexibility— Hybrid work environment with at least 3 days in our awesome Nairobi office (If working from the Nairobi office)!
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Competitive salary based on experience.
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Healthcare coverage for you and your dependents, work laptop, Internet & call stipend
- Learning & growth opportunities
- This is a 2-year contract with a possibility of extension
Application Process: Rolling basis, interviews happening soon!
Our Culture & Tenets(Values) 🌱
At Educate!, we pride ourselves on living by the Tenets:
- We’re ambitious.
- We put Youth First
- We are Impact-Obsessed
- We Exceed Expectations
We’re ambitious, youth-first, and driven by impact. We always strive to exceed expectations, continuously learn, and push for innovation. We’re one team with many perspectives, and we welcome people from all backgrounds to join us.
We’re committed to ensuring all candidates are screened for child and youth safety. As part of the process, you’ll need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct. Educate! reserves the right to withdraw employment offers if any risks to youth are identified.
