Volunteer Teacher (VT) Program Manager, Tanzania

Position Overview

Educate!, the largest youth skills service provider in East Africa is seeking a highly strategic, organized, and execution-focused Volunteer Teacher (VT) Program Manager in Tanzania, to lead the implementation of the VT program at a national scale. This role is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of Volunteer Teachers from recruitment, induction, to deployment and long-term management, ensuring high-quality delivery aligned with government priorities and Educate!’s learning goals. 

The VT Program Manager will work closely with TAMISEMI, Local Government Authorities (LGAs), schools, and internal teams to ensure the VT program operates smoothly and efficiently, in full compliance with partners and government requirements. This role blends strategy, operations, people leadership, budget management, and stakeholder engagement. 

This position requires someone who can navigate government systems, manage cross-functional processes, drive results with discipline, and lead high-performing teams in a fast-paced environment. 

What You Will Do:

Finance and Budget Management

• Lead budgeting for the VT program, including induction, deployment, stipends, training, and support activities.
• Ensure efficient use of resources and compliance with donor and government requirements.
• Oversee stipend payment workflows, ensuring accurate attendance verification, proper documentation, and timely disbursement.
• Conduct a detailed Budget Variance Analysis and use insights to optimize spending and inform strategy.
• Ensure all processes are audit-ready, transparent, and compliant with funder requirements and internal controls.

Program Strategic Implementation

• Own the full strategic implementation of the VT program, from recruitment through long-term deployment, aligned with the VT product strategy.
• Design and oversee recruitment processes co-created with TAMISEMI and LGAs and aligned to national teacher staffing needs.
• Coordinate the multi-phase induction program, ensuring content is continuously improved based on learning and feedback.
• Manage deployment planning and ensure VTs are placed in appropriate schools with full documentation.
• Establish and oversee the VT support model, including virtual support, targeted in-person coaching, and inclusion in district trainings.
• Ensure attendance verification, contracting processes, and stipend workflows are reliable, compliant, and fully documented.
• Track program delivery at scale, identify risks early, and proactively design solutions to ensure successful implementation.
• Use data and insights to refine the VT model and support Educate!'s learning agenda around business creation pathways and teacher performance.

Team Performance Management

• Manage and develop a high-performing VT implementation team, ensuring clarity of expectations, consistent feedback, and continuous skill growth.
• Drive a strong performance culture characterized by accountability, ownership, and results.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, coaching sessions, and termly planning sessions with team members.
• Address performance challenges promptly and constructively, and ensure strong succession planning and talent development as the team and program scale.
• Build systems, habits, and ways of working that help teams execute with consistency, speed, and high standards.
• Anticipate staffing needs as the program scales and support recruitment, onboarding, and professional development.

Team Culture Management

• Demonstrate the organization culture and cultural tenets through professional behavior and leadership
• Model Educate!’s cultural tenets daily by fostering an environment of openness, trust, collaboration, and high expectations.
• Build a positive, inclusive, high-performance team culture that supports innovation, continuous learning, and professional growth.
• Encourage open communication, constructive feedback, and team participation in decision-making.
• Proactively address issues related to team morale, conflict, communication, and workload balance.

District and Local Government Engagement

• Serve as the primary program lead for coordination with TAMISEMI, LGAs, schools, and other government actors involved in VT deployment, contracting, and oversight.
• Maintain strong relationships with local government officials, ensuring alignment on staffing gaps, deployments, and program progress.
• Represent Educate! at district and regional meetings, sharing updates, resolving challenges, and advocating for program needs.
• Attend key meetings, represent Educate!, and ensure alignment with regional and district priorities.
• Conduct routine assessments to identify gaps and opportunities across program locations, using insights to inform implementation strategy.
• Serve as a trusted partner, ensuring Educate!’s work is well understood, appreciated, and supported by stakeholders across all levels.
• Ensure all engagements are well-documented and feed into strategic planning processes. 

Who You Are: 

You have a minimum of 4 years of program management experience, ideally within medium to large organizations, where you have successfully led high-performing teams and navigated complex, multi-stakeholder environments. You have demonstrated strength in government engagement, partnership management, and the effective oversight of budgets and financial processes. Your ability to leverage data for informed decision-making and continuous improvement, combined with your strong communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills, positions you for meaningful impact in this role. With a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a related field, you will step into an opportunity that is both professionally rewarding and intellectually energizing. You fit our Five Cultural Tenets (see below); Learn more by looking at Educate!’s culture deck here

Terms

The location is in Dar es salaam, Tanzania with frequent travel to program locations.