Project Director

Location: Monrovia, Liberia 

Bridge Liberia

In 2016, Liberia’s President and its Ministry of Education announced Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL), an innovative public private partnership designed to transform the primary public education system. Eight education providers - with proven track records in delivering high-quality education - were paired with public primary schools across Liberia; while teachers remained on the Government payroll. After a change of  national Government, PSL became the Liberian Education Advancement Programme (LEAP). 

LEAP is now in its sixth year; supporting 312 schools overall across the country; within that we support 60,800 students. Our schools are based in some of the most remote counties, such as Maryland in the south-east.

Government teachers have been re-trained, supported and equipped to succeed in the classroom. Four Independent Studies and Randomised Control Trials have  shown the efficacy of the programme. For us there was a statistically significant improvement in learning outcomes.  In a gold standard RCT, students supported in our programme were found to benefit by an equivalent of 2.5 years more of learning in just 3 years.

LEAP was designed to be self-sustaining once the Ministry of Education raises its education budget to $100 a child per year; until that moment it remains reliant on philanthropic support.

Today, we work across the country, in all of Liberia’s 15 counties, to ensure that all children have access to a high quality education and that Sustainable Development Goal 4 focussed on Quality Education becomes a reality for all children in Liberia. 

You will join a group of dynamic and passionate Liberians taking concrete action to help address the education crisis in Liberia and ensure a better future for the children of Liberia.

About the Role

We are seeking a talented, motivated and adaptable individual to support the Managing Director and the senior leadership team as Project Director. The ideal candidate is a multifaceted individual who will work closely with the Managing Director in a job shadow capacity. As a co-strategist, implementer, and trusted advisor, the successful candidate will lead execution of strategic initiatives for the Managing Director and leadership team and will also ensure streamlined activities within the organization to improve the daily management of the organisation based on the priorities of the Managing Director. This is a highly hands-on and analytical role, involving intense program management and broad technical knowledge covering financial management, supply chain and school operations management. The Project Director should have a proven track record of exceptional performance driving strategic initiatives and projects to completion.

This role reports to the Managing Director and VP Operations. You will be part of a leadership team composed of various directors. The School Inspection Manager/Director, who in turn supervises a team of field associates, will report to you.

What You Will Do

Ensure that the programme’s termly and annual milestones are attained on schedule

1. Manage & update the programme operational calendar
2. Ensure appropriate follow through on actions, decisions, and commitments made by the Managing Director by working with the parties responsible for implementation
3. Attend functional team meetings to keep a pulse on the business and help connect dots with others across the organisation
4. Assess inquiries directed to the Managing Director, determine the proper course of action and delegate to the appropriate individual to manage
5. Assist the Managing Director in facilitating effective decision-making

Continuously improve the programme’s performance

1. Coordinate the execution of strategic initiatives
2. Prepare periodic business performance and market analysis, business trends and provide insight with the aim to increase operational efficiency
3. Deliver business planning processes (forecasts, budgets, long-range plans) including analysis of variances with relevant commentary to support management decision making
4. Translate business requirements to technical requirements. This includes using powerful analysis and modelling tools to match strategic business objectives with practical technical solutions
5. Create organizational dashboards and reports to support effective decision making and cross-company communications of business performance status
6. Monitor and review departmental spending vs. budget to ensure optimal spending and ensure funds are directed towards projects that generate the highest return on investment (ROI)

Ensure that the School Inspection Team (our internal quality assurance team) is driving compliance to school policies and processes at the school level

1. Oversee the activities of the School Inspection team which is in charge of auditing our school operations (facilities, materials & supplies, personnel and processes) against our set of standards and policies to ensure all schools maintain an environment where teaching and learning thrive

Other responsibilities as determined by the Managing Director.

What You Should Have

• A bachelor’s degree from a top-tier university with an excellent academic record. Quantitative undergraduate degrees, and advanced degrees such as an MBA are preferred
• 5+ years of executive level experience in reputable companies from which you have outstanding records of professional achievement. You should have at least one experience that required highly independent work in an exceedingly challenging environment such as in management consulting, finance or in a start-up
• Excellent project management skills including being incredibly organised with calendars, gantt charts, trackers, and have the ability to systematically follow up and support senior leaders with their deliverables across a broad set of projects/strategic initiatives
• Solid functional knowledge, including but not limited to strategy, operations, HR, supply chain, customer experience management, finance, project management
• Exceptional analytical and quantitative problem solving skills. You need to be able to see patterns, be a fast thinker and a good decision maker
• Advanced MS Excel/spreadsheets skills, and mastery of presentation/reporting tools such as MS Word/Google docs & MS Powerpoint/Google slides
• Excellent communication skills (writing and speaking), which enable you to communicate complex ideas effectively to people at all levels in the organisation
• Demonstrated leadership ability in a team environment. You should have a proven track record of working strategically and collaboratively with senior leaders across different functional areas
• Strong willed, a fast learner and able to effect changes fast. You should be able to flourish in dynamic, ambiguous environments, to produce high quality work with very short deadlines, effectively prioritize work among multiple competing demands, and adapt to unexpected work demands

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, we work 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.

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