School Support Officer

The context: 

Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school – but they are not learning. A recent study estimated that less than 1% of school children in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a school where the teaching meets basic standards of quality. At Rising Academies, we’re changing that, and we want your help. Our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people that need it most. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®. 

About Rising Academies: 

Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we’ve spent over a decade crafting a unique blend of high-tech and low-tech learning solutions proven to dramatically improve student outcomes that elevate teaching quality at scale. 7 RCTs have shown that the students we support learn, on average, 2.4x faster each year than their peers in comparable schools.

Today, we serve more than a quarter of a million students across 1,000 schools in West and East Africa through three integrated and complimentary channels: 

• Pioneering Great-Value Private Schools: Our innovative networks of private schools deliver best-in-class results for children while developing highly scalable new technologies and approaches.
• Scalable Government Partnerships: We partner and collaborate with local and national governments across Africa to transform the quality of public school systems at scale.
• High Impact Solutions for Partners: We offer our proven high-impact solutions to other education providers and schools to improve school performance & increase outcomes. 

Our innovative approaches combine expertly designed curriculum materials, personalized learning experiences, intensive teacher coaching and actionable data for school leaders. You can learn more about our solutions here: https://www.risingacademies.com/oursolutions 

At Rising we keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to share in our commitment to meeting the highest standards of safeguarding excellence and protecting children from harm

About the role:

We are seeking highly motivated, professional and organized individuals to join our team as School Support Officers in Rwanda. The School Support Officers play a critical role in ensuring that schools and project stakeholders receive timely, high-quality support across Rising’s initiatives. They will conduct regular follow-ups with schools, teachers, and partners to ensure that key activities are completed successfully and on schedule, driving both academic excellence and school improvement outcomes.

Working closely with government counterparts, school leaders, and community stakeholders, the School Support Officers will help strengthen implementation of Rising’s education programs, support data collection and usage, and provide practical assistance to schools in overcoming challenges. The role requires building strong relationships, maintaining clear communication, and ensuring accountability across multiple projects and districts. The successful candidate will be based in Kigali, Rwanda, and will support schools and stakeholders across Rising’s partner districts, contributing to the overall mission of creating outstanding schools where teachers and leaders thrive, and students reach their full potential.

The School Support Officer will:

• Build strong, trusting relationships with Headteachers (HTs) and Deputy Headteachers (DHTs) through regular communication and school visits.
• Ensure effective implementation of Rising’s academic model and other program initiatives to a consistently high standard in meeting academic and operational goals.
• Engage and collaborate with key stakeholders — including Sector Education Inspectors (SEIs), District Education Officers (DEOs), District Directors of Education (DDEs), and the NESA District Pool of Inspectors (DPIs) — to generate support, build buy‑in, and liaise on relevant matters across projects.
• Support school leaders and inspectors in strengthening collaboration and accountability for school improvement.
• Capture and share lessons learned, using successes and challenges from schools to inform continuous improvement across projects.
• Collect, review, and use data to drive evidence‑based decisions and provide actionable feedback to schools.
• Contribute to training and professional development, ensuring schools and stakeholders have the necessary materials and support to apply strategies effectively in classrooms.
• Promote accountability and safeguarding, ensuring compliance with Rising’s child protection policies and fostering a culture of responsibility and integrity in all interactions.
• Report directly to the Project Manager, keeping them appraised of progress, challenges, and emerging issues across schools and projects.

Location and reporting:

The role will be based in Kigali, Rwanda. The school support officer will report to the Project Manager. This will be a Full-time Fixed term contract - through end of December 2026 with the possibility for an extension.

Application deadline: 

The target start date for this role will be March 1st, 2026

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of teaching, school support, or education project experience.
• Strong facilitation and coaching skills with teachers.
• Confidence using tablets, apps, or digital learning tools in classroom settings.
• Familiarity with Rwanda’s lower and upper primary curriculum and classroom dynamics.
• Strong organisational, record-keeping skill and familiarity with Google Docs, Spreadsheets, and Slides
• Familiarity with mobile data collection tools
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems quickly and support others under pressure.
• Strong communication skills in both Kinyarwanda and English.
• Bachelor’s degree in Education (preferred), or a related field

About You:

• You are a strong communicator, able to motivate, challenge, and support others.
• You set high standards for yourself and others and go the extra mile to get things done.
• You have the highest levels of integrity and trustworthiness.
• You understand the contexts in which we operate and the educational and operational challenges they pose.
• You are passionate about improving the quality of education. 
• You are very well organized and have great record-keeping skills.
• You have strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• You have the ability to learn quickly, are happy to give and receive feedback, and are interested in trying new approaches.
• You make decisions in a logical way and on the basis of good evidence/reasoning.
• You are comfortable working with basic technology.
• You are passionate about quality education in Africa.

Benefits

Why Join Us?

• Compensation: We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We regularly benchmark our compensation against comparable businesses, social ventures and non-profits. Rising’s goal is to be transparent about salaries at all levels of the organisation and have a standard, global pay scale for all positions that is non-negotiable. 
• Continuous Development and Growth: Rising is a Certified B Corp and twice named in its “Best for the World” list. We are committed to continuous development, which is grounded in our values and a vital part of how we bring the ‘Rising Way’ to life. We provide a nurturing environment where our staff are supported with the right ongoing conversations with their managers, among teams and as an organization, to support their career growth and help us reach our goals. 
• Impact: Our students achieve learning gains 2.4 times faster than their peers in comparable schools, positioning our impact in the top 10% of global education interventions. This role offers an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to this proven success.

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Rising is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, national origin, family or parental status, veteran or disability status.

Rising is committed to creating a culture within the organisation, and its schools, that recognises the importance of safeguarding children and prioritising their rights and needs. We strive to uphold international safeguarding standards, and keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to have the same level of commitment to protect children from harm. Safeguarding questions are part of every interview process and all Rising employees undergo reference checks before joining the organisation.