Project Manager, RisingFaster

The context: 

Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school, yet learning outcomes remain critically low. In Sub-Saharan Africa, a recent study found that less than 1% of students attend a school where the teaching meets basic quality standards. Rising Academies was founded to address this gap and transform educational outcomes by creating the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people who need them most.

Our mission is to improve access to high-quality education for all, and we are one of the fastest-growing education organisations in Africa. As a Certified B Corp®, we are dedicated to balancing purpose and profit while prioritizing positive social impact. We rely on data-driven insights and close partnerships to adapt our programs to meet the evolving needs of communities, ensuring each approach is both impactful and sustainable.

The RisingFaster initiative in Rwanda builds on the success of our Elimu-Soko program, which has demonstrated measurable improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy. With new partnerships and an MOU with the Government of Rwanda, we aim to scale these gains across public and government-aided schools. This context demands innovative approaches that are aligned with national priorities and adaptable to local needs. Rising Academies is committed to creating sustainable, evidence-based solutions that empower teachers, improve school quality, and ultimately support student learning at scale.

About Us:
We own and operate great-value private schools, partner with governments to improve the quality of public school systems, and use our content and technology to support other education providers. Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we initially provided emergency education to children kept out of school by the Ebola epidemic before opening our first school in 2015. Today, we serve more than 250,000 students across 900+ schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Rwanda.

In Rwanda, Rising Academies has recently celebrated two successful years of implementing the Elimu-Soko initiative, which achieved significant improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy. As a result, Rising has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Rwanda to expand these initiatives across public schools, supporting a vision of quality education accessible to all students. Through strong curriculum design, intensive teacher coaching, and actionable data insights, we help teachers and school leaders bring quality to every classroom.

Our results speak for themselves: in Rwanda, Elimu-Soko students improved their letter recognition proficiency by 25 points and made notable gains in reading and maths skills, underscoring the transformative potential of our programs when scaled thoughtfully with government partnerships. We look forward to expanding these initiatives to support even more communities, enhancing education quality and accessibility in alignment with both local and national goals.

About the Role
We are seeking a dedicated, organized, and results-oriented Project Manager to lead our RisingFaster initiative in Rwanda. This role involves full oversight of project implementation, with a focus on ensuring that all critical activities are completed on time to deliver measurable improvements in educational quality.

The Project Manager will play a central role in coordinating Rising Academies’ efforts to expand foundational skills in lower primary education across seven districts: Nyarugenge, Kicukiro, Gasabo, Bugesera, Rulindo, Rwamagana, and Kamonyi. Working closely with the Ministry of Education and local school staff, this role requires excellent project management skills, experience in large-scale education initiatives, and the ability to work effectively with diverse teams.

The Project Manager, RisingFaster will:

• Support the Head of Programs in coordinating activities with REB and other stakeholders to align FasterReading (FR) and FasterMath (FM) materials with the REB curriculum and develop foundational assessment benchmarks.
• Oversee day-to-day logistics for the alignment and assessment initiatives, ensuring smooth implementation as directed by the Head of Programs.
• Collect feedback from schools and teachers to provide insights that inform adjustments to materials and benchmarks.
• Supervise team contributions to ensure alignment with the Head of Programs’ objectives and timelines.
• Build strong relationships with national, regional, and district education officials through regular communication and engagement.
• Ensure timely and professional responses to all government requests and inquiries.
• Develop and maintain engagement plans with stakeholders aligned with government priorities.
• Oversee team recruitment, onboarding, and support to achieve project objectives.
• Deliver high-quality training sessions and ensure all logistics are well-coordinated.
• Manage and track team performance, aligning goals with project objectives.
• Ensure timely distribution of materials and devices to schools, resolving issues promptly.
• Conduct bi-weekly touchpoints with schools and collect feedback for program improvement.
• Oversee project budget, ensuring financial accuracy and accountability.

Location and reporting:

This is a full-time position based in Kigali, Rwanda with occasional travel required to the seven districts involved in the project (Nyarugenge, Kicukiro, Gasabo, Bugesera, Rulindo, Rwamagana, and Kamonyi). The Project Manager - RisingFaster will report to the Head of Programs and work closely with government stakeholders, the Rising Academies leadership team, and school staff to ensure successful project implementation.

Application deadline: 
The deadline for application is November 21, 2024.

Qualifications and Experience:

• University degree in Education, Project Management, or a related field (preferred)
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in managing large-scale projects, preferably in the education sector
• Proven track record of professionalism, trustworthiness, and delivering results
• Strong oral and written communication skills with experience in relationship building and stakeholder management
• Ability to set high standards and effectively support teams to achieve them
• Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving skills in complex project environments
• Willingness to learn, adapt, give and receive feedback, and try innovative approaches
• Passionate about improving education quality and driving impactful change
• Strong organizational, planning, and record-keeping abilities
• Experience in similar project management roles, especially in education-related projects
• Proficiency in Google Docs, Spreadsheets, and Slides
• Familiarity with mobile data collection tools and technology for project management

About You:

• You are an excellent communicator, able to motivate, challenge, and support teams and stakeholders effectively.
• You set high standards for yourself and others, consistently going the extra mile to achieve project goals.
• You have the highest levels of integrity and trustworthiness, ensuring transparency and accountability in all your work.
• You have a deep understanding of the educational and operational challenges in the regions where we work, and you adapt to those contexts with insight.
• You are passionate about driving improvements in education and making a lasting impact.
• You are highly organized, with strong planning and record-keeping skills that ensure smooth project execution.
• You excel in building and maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• You are a fast learner, open to feedback, and willing to experiment with new approaches to achieve better outcomes.
• You make decisions based on evidence and logical reasoning, ensuring well-informed and thoughtful actions.
• You are comfortable working with basic technology, including project management and data collection tools.

Compensation and Benefits:

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. 

The benefits we offer are built to have a strong added value on our staff’s well-being and we are excited to discuss this further with you in the process.

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 recognizes the importance of safeguarding children and prioritizing 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.