Education Manager

Summary

The Rift Valley Institute seeks an exceptional, multi-talented professional to manage and expand the RVI education and training programme, mainly in Eastern Africa.

Description of position

The RVI Education Manager will be responsible for the management and development of the Institute’s training and education programmes in eastern and central Africa, and elsewhere. These programmes include annual week-long in-country training courses, now in their twelfth year, that have set a gold standard for graduate-level training (www.riftvalley.net/key-projects/courses) in the social and political realities of the Sudans, the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa. The courses are central events in the RVI annual calendar, bringing together academic specialists, aid and development practitioners, and researchers and activists from the region. The Education Manager will be responsible for the year-round marketing, management and delivery of the courses, working with other RVI staff, teachers and consultants. Other responsibilities of the post will include the following: devising and delivering new training courses in various locations throughout the year, liaison with universities, colleges and research organizations in Eastern and Central Africa with a view to implementing new educational programmes, and developing a platform and content for an RVI digital learning programme. The post will also involve work on the RVI’s online digital libraries and collaboration with Institute colleagues on other RVI programmes. This is a high-pressure job, especially during the annual course season, requiring a person who can gracefully coordinate colleagues, consultants and clients, and who is willing to work beyond normal office hours. The successful candidate will combine an academic background with proven managerial ability. Candidates from Eastern Africa are encouraged to apply.

General

Title of post
Education Manager

Employment type
Full-time

Duration
One year contract with likelihood of permanent contract thereafter

Start date
Late 2015

Location
Nairobi or London with frequent travel between RVI offices and in eastern and central Africa

Salary
UK£ 31,250 to UK£ 35,000 (US$ 50,000 to US$ 55,000)

Other provisions
28 days annual paid leave, public holidays, overseas allowance, training allowance, staff canteen; flexible working arrangements are possible.

Application deadline
30 September 2015

Background

The Rift Valley Institute (www.riftvalley.net) is a small, expanding, independent non-profit organisation working in eastern and central Africa. The Institute operates at the interface between research, policy and education, aiming to advance understanding of the region and its diverse communities. RVI programmes are designed for long-term impact: shaping aid interventions, expanding space for public participation in policy, supporting local research capacity, preserving communal histories and promoting social justice. The activities of the Institute include action-oriented research, field-based training, online digital archives, distance learning, open-access publishing and support for educational institutions in eastern and central Africa. There are RVI offices in the UK (London), in Kenya (Nairobi), in South Sudan (Juba) and in the United States (Annandale-on-Hudson). The Institute is a registered charity. RVI staff and Fellows are drawn from Eastern and Central Africa, and from Europe, Asia and America. The RVI is an equal-opportunity employer.

Requirements

Essential qualifications, skills and experience
• University degree(s) in relevant area.
• Experience in teaching at tertiary level. Experience in event management.
• Experience engaging with academics, researchers, social activists, government officials, diplomats, and senior staff of international organizations.
• Experience in managing staff and/or consultants.
• Advanced written and oral communication skills in English.
• Experience of working with small-to-medium teams in an inter-cultural context.
• Experience or established interest in eastern and central Africa.
• Capacity for extensive periods of travel.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
• A track-record in delivery of training programmes.
• Post-graduate degree.
• Fluency in one or more of the languages of the region, apart from English.
• Experience in proposal writing and fund-raising.
• IT and financial management skills.
• Record of academic, technical or journalistic publication.
• Experience in public relations or marketing.

Duties

Management of RVI Annual Field courses
• Overall responsibility for marketing, planning and management of the courses, with assistance from RVI administrative teams in Nairobi and London.
• Devising and implementing a course marketing campaign.
• Coordination of RVI staff, consultants and other service providers engaged in running courses.
• Drafting and implementing a yearly work plan for the courses.
• Ensuring that courses are delivered on time and within budget.
• Management of recruitment of teachers, drafting course syllabuses with course directors of study, design and content of course books.
• Development of relationships with past and present course participants and institutions that send participants on courses.
• Expanding the RVI scholarship programme for researchers and activists from eastern and central Africa.
• Incorporation of new teaching methods in consultation with course directors of study.
• Critically reviewing format, timing and costs of Annual Field Courses and proposing changes for continuous improvement and refinement.

New courses
• Devising and developing new subregional and thematic courses, including potential new annual field courses.
• Fund-raising for new courses; organisation and delivery of courses.
• Responding to requests to the RVI from other organisations to provide customised courses for their staff.
• Design, organisation and delivery of customised courses in various locations.

Development of Education and Training activities for other RVI projects
• Actively support conceptualising training activities required as part of broader RVI activities such as large research programmes or activities of the Rift Valley Forum.
• Design, coordinate and implement training activities that form part of other RVI projects.

Broader RVI engagement
• Publicizing RVI, its courses and other activities; raising the institution’s profile in the region through participation in public events, official functions and media appearances.
• Development of relations with universities in eastern and central Africa.
• Engagement in RVI strategic development process.

Reporting and management lines
The Education Manager will undertake this role with support from administrative staff in RVI offices in London, Nairobi, Hargeysa and Juba. The Education Manager will report to the RVI Executive Director in London.

Modification to duties
These are the normal duties which the RVI requires from you at the date of your appointment. However, it may be necessary for changes to be made to this job description in accordance with the needs of the job and the organization. Existing duties may be changed and new duties may be added. Any changes will be made after consultation with you.

Application forms can be found here. All submissions require a CV and a cover letter including two references. The deadline for applications is 30 September 2015. For further information seewww.riftvalley.net or write to recruitment@riftvalley.net. Candidates who are nationals of countries in eastern Africa and central Africa (the region where RVI operates), and who have legal residency in Kenya or right to work in Kenya, are strongly encouraged to apply.