Senior Director, New Opportunities at NewGlobe

NewGlobe supports visionary governments to transform public education systems, the cornerstone of a prosperous, equitable, and peaceful society. With a comprehensive system transformation platform and data-driven educational services, NewGlobe delivers rapid and dramatic improvements in learning outcomes at state and nationwide scale. Through building impactful partnerships and programmes, NewGlobe ensures that all children have access to an education that will develop their full potential and create a foundation for growth and prosperity.

NewGlobe leverages more than a decade of educational experience and proven impact in integrated school management, teacher professional development, instructional design innovation, technological system support, child-centered classroom practice, and parent engagement -  all grounded in learning science - to ensure each teacher is empowered to engage children in transformational learning, and all children have the opportunity to develop to their full potential. Every day, NewGlobe supports governments to solve what were once seen as intractable problems, and by doing so, ensures this generation will be able to grow up to lead more fulfilled lives, while simultaneously building economic prosperity for themselves, their communities, and the globe.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Senior Director, New Opportunities

Location: Lagos

The New Opportunities Group

• New Opportunities brings the majority of our extensive breadth of technical expertise to ensure large scale transformation of education systems into one team. This team kick-starts new programs in new countries (i.e. ‘launch’).
• Each member of the team is responsible for a core area of expertise, and then setting up all work and functions related to that expertise in the new program/new country.
• This includes putting all relevant policies, practices, systems and technology in place, and leading the hiring of the leader who will take charge of this work as the permanent lead for this body of work.
• This is our SWAT team, with specialists brought together to solve the critical and urgent problem of launching a state or nation-wide new program.
• This team must work collaboratively, thrive in creating order out of chaos, and understand that proactive problem solving is a daily task.
• All members of this team should expect extensive travel to remote and underserved areas, and to be resident in up to 5 other locations per year, setting up new programs.
• When not deployed on starting a specific program, each team member will do work with the core technical team which he or she represents, to support special projects, deepen technical knowledge, and otherwise advance in the field.
• This team is critical to delivering on our shared vision of transforming the lives of 10,000,000+ children, and in so doing seeing peace and prosperity where we work.

About the Role

• Great challenge is where there are great rewards - the opportunity to be the person who launches every step of multiple industrial value chains to succeed in radically altering the future of millions of children across multiple countries and continents.
• We are seeking a talented, motivated and adaptable individual to  support and deputise for the VP, New Opportunities as Senior Director, New Opportunities.
• The ideal candidate is a multifaceted individual who will work closely with the VP, New Opportunities, as support and deputy to gain knowledge on how to launch and run a business.
• As a co-strategist, implementer, and  trusted advisor, the successful candidate will lead execution of operational and strategic initiatives for the VP, New Opportunities and the rest of the New Opportunities team.
• This includes during multiple co-current launches across different countries, the role of being deputised to lead a specific launch. 
• This is a highly operational hands-on and analytical role, involving intense programme and people management and broad  technical knowledge covering the entire business of launching a start-up in a new market: from project management, legal, teacher training and academics to operations, supply chain and people operations.
• The Senior Director, New Opportunities should have a proven track record of exceptional performance leading start-ups during a launch phase, or similar strategic initiatives and projects to completion.  

What You Will Do

• Act as one of the deputy leaders on the New Opportunities team, support, and potentially oversee entire launches, programmes, projects and budgets
• Provide leadership on both strategic and operational delivery 
• Operationally own and maintain the key documentation around launch programming, including but not limited to: ‘launch playbooks’, work plans, gantt charts, checklists and systems write-ups
• Identify issues and risks related to program implementation in a timely manner, and suggest appropriate program adjustments.
• Ensure the technical and methodological soundness of activities in collaboration with the VP, New Opportunities and other functional heads.
• Collaborate with colleagues to solve problems and build a learning environment within the organization.
• As and when directed by the VP, New Opportunities, lead and manage the program team – providing the vision, day-to-day coordination, resource management, and supervision required to accomplish project objectives and to deliver superior quality products.
• Ensure appropriate follow through on actions, decisions, and commitments made by the VP, New Opportunities by working with the parties responsible for implementation
• Deputize for the VP, New Opportunities as and when necessary.

What You Should Have

• Bachelor’s Degree essential, MBA (or Master’s) would be preferred.
• At least 9 years of progressively responsible experience working in project management and design in developing countries, preferably including experience in the state or country to which you will be assigned.
• At least 4 years of management experience, including direct supervision of professional and support staff and assembling teams working in multi-faceted roles including field based roles.
• A proven track record of excelling in the leadership of operational teams, as well as in design-thinking, process and system design and application, managing complex and inter-related functions, as this will be critical overseeing a large scale school system transformation.
• Prior experience within a fast-paced, high-growth, metric-driven operational organization will be an advantage.
• Excellent organizational skills, with keen attention to detail and ability to follow up systematically  on a broad set of initiatives and decisions 
• Strong willed, a fast learner and able to effect changes fast 
• Excellent presentation creation skills. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word 
• At least one work experience that required highly independent work in an exceedingly  challenging environment 
• Strong management skills, leadership qualities, professional reputation, ability to build or access key contacts within the Ministry of Education or equivalent local and state regulatory bodies.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government representatives, for-profit private sector entities, local community organizations, donors, consortium members and other stakeholders, at national and sub-national levels.
• Ability to flourish in dynamic, ambiguous environments 
• Ability to produce high quality work with very short deadlines, effectively prioritize work among  multiple competing demands, and adapt to unexpected work demands
• Respect and sensitivity towards cultural, gender, ethnicity and religious diversity.
• Prior work experience as a management consultant is a plus 
• Passion for our vision of democratizing the right for all children to succeed.

You’re also:

• A detailed doer - You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
• A networking mastermind - You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates.  You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
• A creative problem-solver - Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, we work in often fragile, sometimes volatile low-resource communities and with complex government systems. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand.
• A relentless advocate - The children we serve and teachers we empower never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like.  Every decision you make considers their benefit, experience, and value.
• A malleable learner - You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others.  You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.
• A curious investigator - You ask why a lot. You don’t just take what you see and accept it. You wonder why it is that way, and are aware that the world we see is created by human choices and actions - and it could be different. You wonder, and see the world as wonderful even when you want to change a part of it that is unjust.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online