Academy Manager at Code for Africa (CfA)

Code for Africa is the continent’s largest federation of independent civic technology and data journalism laboratories, which build digital democracy solutions giving citizens unfettered access to actionable information that empowers them to make informed decisions and that strengthen civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Academy Manager

Location: Nigeria
Employment Type: Full Time

Description

• Do you want to close any gaps in knowledge and reinforce the skills of media actors, technologists, scientists, data analysts and researchers in Africa?
• The position is based at one of our hubs in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa or Uganda. We’re also open to exceptional applicants from elsewhere in Africa.
• The ideal candidate will embody a ‘growth mindset’ - that is, they will champion the belief that skills and talents can always be enhanced through learning and consistent practice.
• They will have demonstrable experience in educational programme design and management.
• They must also have a proven ability to establish, maintain and manage relationships with all kinds of stakeholders - from training participants to partners and donors.
• Candidates with pre-existing relationships with players in the media, academia, technology and/or civil society sectors will have an advantage.
• The CfA’s Knowledge initiative spearheads training management and partnerships, data analysis, digital journalism and storytelling initiatives for partner newsrooms, universities and local community events in Africa.
• It also includes CfA communities such as the WanaData women data science / storytelling network and the africanDRONE civic drone community, as well as the sensors.AFRICA sensor journalism initiative, with a network of more than 50+ newsroom and university partners across Africa.
• The Knowledge team is also the custodian of other major CfA public infrastructure, such as the continent’s largest open data portal, open.AFRICA, and Africa’s largest census data portal, HURUMap.
• The successful candidate will work with an agile transnational team of trainers, data analysts, curriculum developer, in-country community coordinators, digital designers, and editorial experts, as well as a larger multinational and multilingual CfA’s teams using digital collaboration tools to grow our Academy initiative even further.

About the Role

• The successful candidate will join CfA’s Knowledge team. This team spearheads data liberation, digitisation and analysis for internal programmes at CfA as well as projects at external partners, (such as media and universities); leading all training and mentoring efforts; and the production of data storytelling or infographics as part of our mission to improve citizen and civic watchdog access to actionable information.
• You will head up CfA’s Academy.Africa programme. You will lead a team of trainers and curriculum developers in the design and implementation of all training components in CfA’s projects, using a combination of different learning modalities such as self-/instructor-led and online/in-person training.
• You will ensure that the curriculums, courseware and training components are of the highest quality.
• You will be the product champion for CfA’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).
• You will work closely with subject matter experts and CfA’s programmatic teams to drive the customisation and packaging of project deliverables into self-directed coursewares.
• You will work closely with the curriculum developers to ensure that all content is maintained and updated so that it remains relevant and best-of-breed.
• Additionally, you will be responsible for the management of the programme, including managing project work plans to ensure the timely delivery of project activities; capturing and tracking programme/project targets against log frames; assisting the finance team to track and manage project budgets; and coordinating with the logistics team to identifying project resource needs and putting in place procurement plans.
• You should feel comfortable working with a specialised training audiences such as journalists and civil society organisations.
• And, you will work closely with CfA’s business development team and the Knowledge Senior Programme Manager to help the Academy programme expand its reach across Africa through new projects and institutional relationships.
• We operate in a fast-paced environment, so you will need to be highly organised and possess a keen attention to detail.
• You should be comfortable handling multiple tasks with multiple ongoing deadlines and should have previous experience working on the digital collaboration tools that CfA uses, such as Slack, Google Drive, and Trello.

Responsibilities
Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Manage day-to-day operations of the Academy programme, including training management and delivery, curriculum development, coordination and facilitation.
• Lead the delivery of on-site, online and blended training events across Africa.
• Build, manage and support a team of data analysts, trainers, and curriculum developers who will work with you to deliver top-notch and impactful training programs across Africa.
• Create and implement quality assurance tools to evaluate the standards of training, recommend development areas for facilitators and manage the development process.
• Lead Academy project monitoring, evaluating and learning efforts by contributing to defining, reviewing, and helping to track core metrics of training programmes, which includes the application process, learning activities, curriculum development, mentoring sessions, coaching sessions, and peer engagement.
• Consistently review and update all Academy training content and resources and introduce new content when appropriate.
• Work closely with the online curriculum developer and CfA’s in-house and external subject matter experts to create online courseware for CfA’s MOOC platform that is customised to the African countries where CfA operates.
• Contribute to the development of training-of-trainers (TOT) curricula and processes with the aim of building a cadre of trainers.
• Participate in CfA’s partner’s capacity assessment and identify capacity building needs for the Academy programming.
• Provide timely and regular information on project performance (outputs, outcomes and impacts) to Knowledge’s Senior Programme Manager to ensure smooth programme implementation, address challenges and improve the overall programme quality management.
• Design and consolidate the project reporting database with the distinct requirements of each project/donor (e.g. annual, interim, quarterly reports, etc.), for different stakeholders such as government, donors, and update and track progress to satisfy these in a timely manner.
• Explore and evaluate new partnerships and initiatives that can significantly increase CfA’s Academy programme footprint in Africa.

Requirements
Minimum requirements include:

• Bachelor's Degree in Education / Social / Economic Sciences, Media Studies, Technology, International Development or related fields.
• 5+ years of educational programme development experience, preferably at development organisations (NGOs/CSO/non-profit), technology/media communities or high-growth startups.
• 3+ years managing teams (with direct reports), preferably to design and develop highly technical training programs and curriculum materials.
• Demonstrable experience in various learning modalities, such as online, in-person led, eLearning, and blended learning methodologies, as well as in individual mentorship.
• Experience in identifying training and development needs through training needs analysis.
• Ability to design and produce training materials for various learning modalities
• Demonstrable experience in programme and project management, including managing multiple concurrent projects and managing process improvement efforts.
• Experience building and managing relationships with stakeholders such as media institutions, governments, international organisations, educational institutions, and other private and not-for-profit organisations in the civic technology and media ecosystem.
• Demonstrable experience managing databases
• Excellent written communication skills
• Strong administrative skills and precision in handling budgets and contracts.
• Have an enthusiastic, generous, nimble and hands-on approach.
• Proficient in the English language (spoken and written).
• Understanding of donor funding and reporting.

Preferred:
Candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:

• Understanding current training delivery mechanisms and tools, and be forward-thinking with respect to new ways of delivering training.
• Experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) system, measuring training results and learning effectiveness.
• Strong research and writing skills and ability to write in a non-academic, accessible and engaging manner.
• Previous experience in the creation and delivery of learning packages, including in instructional design.
• Ability to lead cross-functional consultation on training strategy, and curriculum development.
• Experience working with subject matter experts to develop blended learning models to match the appropriate methods
• Experience working with industry-standard Learning Management Systems (LMS) and designing self-directed e-learning modules.
• Deep understanding of the technology and media ecosystem in Africa.

Language and Location Requirements:

• Location: Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal or South Africa. Exceptional candidates from elsewhere in Africa will be considered.
• Languages: English
• Preferred but not required: Arabic, French, KiSwahili or any other major language spoken in Africa.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
• A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
• Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques / technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
• A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.

Application Closing Date
30th December, 2021.