Programme background

AKF-Kenya is part of the AKF-East Africa regional structure that supports programmes in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In Kenya, AKF is managing an ambitious portfolio of multi-input initiatives that seeks to address the interconnected causes of poverty and poor quality of life in rural areas. Within education, AKF’s portfolio in Kenya covers teacher transformation, school leadership, community engagement, and system strengthening. AKF focuses on pre-primary, primary, and secondary education and incorporates wider interventions associated with Early Childhood Development

Overall Role:

Reporting to the Regional Education and ECD Advisor, the Education Programme Manager (EPM) is responsible for leading the education portfolio and co-lead the ECD portfolio. The EPM will be responsible for developing and maintaining a robust portfolio of education and ECD programmes, grant management, high quality delivery of existing programmes, promoting learning and innovation, fostering effective partnerships, and enhancing visibility of AKF and AKDN in the education sector in Kenya. The EPM will work closely with the AKF(EA) Regional Education and ECD Advisor based in Nairobi.

Specific Responsibilities include:

Effective programme and grant management: Ensure high quality delivery and management of all donor grants for education and ECD.

• Implement/improve grant management system, processes, guidelines, and tools and effectively manage all donor funded grants.
• Develop and/or finalise narrative progress reports and workplans for donor projects.
• Ensure full compliance to AKF and donor requirements on reporting, financial management, and results/targets.
• Support project teams to develop their understanding of and capacity to adhere to donor compliance.

Programme Monitoring: Monitor and track on-going grants and programme initiatives in the sector in Kenya.

• In collaboration with project teams, programme teams, and M&E team, develop Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for new project(s)/programmes.
• Collaborate with the M&E team manage and operationalise all current PMF.
• Organise technical advisory services to strengthen M&E system for education and ECD projects.
• Support the project team to use data to inform project design and make information-based decisions.

Quality Assurance of Programming: Improve the technical implementation and quality of education and ECD programmes in Kenya.

• Develop/introduce or assist in operationalising quality assurance system/protocols for education and programmes/projects.
• Conduct periodic field visits to review quality of programme implementation and provide ongoing technical support to field teams.
• Deliver programme quality/data audit for project(s).
• Draw on field data and local/global good practice to support improvements in programme delivery.

Programme Development and Resource Mobilisation: Lead education and ECD programme development for AKF and ensure AKF has a robust pipeline of grants to support programming in education and ECD in Kenya

• Develop an understanding of AKF and AKDN strategy and programming priorities in the education and ECD sectors in Kenya and more broadly for East Africa.
• Scan funding opportunities and respond to relevant opportunities/call for proposal.
• Proactively engage donor agencies, foundations, and other funders to mobilise resources for education and ECD programming.

Learning, Policy Engagement, and Communications: Lead a robust learning, policy engagement and communications agenda for the education and ECD targeting key stakeholders (government, donors, NGOs/CSOs, practitioners, AKDN etc.) to inform policy, programmes, and practices.

• Engage key stakeholders in discussion to share/foster learning and to inform/influencing policy, programme, practices.
• Proactively engage in education and ECD technical working groups at the national level to both learn from and to inform/influence.

The requirements

Skills and Competencies:

Programme and Award Management:

• Demonstrated experience in implementing and improving grant management systems, processes, and tools.
• Proven ability to develop and implement project implementation plans, workplans, and budgets.
• Strong communication skills to manage relationships with donors and consortium partners.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Proficiency in developing and operationalizing Performance Measurement Frameworks (PMFs).
• Experience collaborating with Monitoring and Evaluation teams to ensure data-driven decision-making.
• Ability to organize technical advisory services to strengthen M&E systems for education and ECD projects.

Quality Assurance and Improvement:

• Experience developing and introducing quality assurance systems/protocols for education programs.
• Proven ability to conduct field visits for program quality/data audits and provide technical support.
• Familiarity with integrating findings and learning from monitoring data and qualitative studies for program improvement.

Programme Development and Resource Mobilization:

• Strong understanding of AKF and AKDN strategy and programming priorities in education and ECD.
• Proven success in leading program development for education and ECD aligned with organizational strategies.
• Experience in scanning funding opportunities, responding to proposals, and brokering partnerships with government and non-government stakeholders.

Learning, Policy Engagement, and Communications:

• Ability to lead a robust learning and dialogue framework to influence policy and practices.
• Proficient in developing and implementing a policy engagement agenda and workplan.
• Strong communication skills for producing policy documents, learning briefs, case studies, and communication materials.

Experiences:

Education and ECD Portfolio Management:

• Several years of experience managing education and ECD portfolios, preferably in an international development context.
• Track record of successful implementation of programmes focusing on teacher transformation, school leadership, community engagement, climate education, and system strengthening.
• A graduate degree in a relevant field is desired.

Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Building:

• Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining positive relationships with donors, government agencies, NGOs, and community stakeholders.
• Proven ability to foster effective partnerships and collaborations with both AKDN and non-AKDN agencies.

Resource Mobilization:

• Successful track record in mobilizing resources for education and ECD programming through engaging with donor agencies, foundations, and other funders.
• Experience identifying joint programs and synergies with AKDN and non-AKDN agencies.

Policy Influence and Advocacy:

• Experience in engaging with relevant ministries, parastatal bodies, and technical working groups to influence and inform national education policies, strategies, and regulations.
• Active participation and contribution to dialogues and discussions on education and ECD strategy formulation within AKDN and at the national level.

Leadership and Team Management:

• Previous experience leading and managing teams in the education and ECD sector.
• Strong leadership skills to foster a culture of learning, innovation, and collaboration within the program teams.