The Programs Director leads the strategic direction, oversight, and execution of TaRL Africa's programmatic portfolio across countries. This includes guiding high-impact implementation, strengthening government partnerships, driving evidence-based learning and adaptation, and ensuring sustainable scale. The Director oversees multiple sub-teams, fosters collaboration across the organization, and ensures our work delivers measurable improvements in foundational learning.
Major roles and responsibilities:
Strategic Program Leadership (25%)
Lead the development and execution of TaRL Africa's overall program strategy across countries where TaRL Africa does not yet have a country presence.
Ensure coherence and alignment across delivery, program measurement, partnerships, improvement, and sustainability efforts.
Oversee cross-team planning and execution of OKRs and strategic initiatives.
Support the Deputy Executive Director in high-level decision-making and strategic reviews.
Leadership of Senior Program Team (25%)
Supervise and support a team of five senior program leaders, ensuring clarity, alignment, and performance.
Foster a strong, collaborative culture across sub-teams, encouraging learning, continuous improvement and shared accountability.
Ensure strategic staffing, performance management, and succession planning across the program function.
Government Partnerships and System Integration (15%)
Provide senior-level support to governments and country teams in embedding TaRL into national systems.
Represent TaRL Africa in key conversations with Ministries, and regional actors on scale, quality, and sustainability.
Guide alignment between technical assistance efforts and long-term institutionalization goals.
Fundraising & Donor Engagement (15%)
Collaborate with the Fundraising team to position the organization and develop compelling proposals.
Support the development of programmatic content for funding applications, reporting, and donor communications.
Represent the programmatic vision and progress in high-level donor meetings and funder briefings.
Program Quality and Learning (10%)
Oversee d program improvement priorities.
Support the testing, reflection, and adoption of innovations that enhance impact and cost-effectiveness.
Ensure learning from across countries is codified and feeds into decision-making.
Budgeting & Resource Management (10%)
Provide oversight on programmatic budget planning and resource allocation.
Ensure program resources are aligned with strategic priorities and grant requirements.
Support cross-country financial planning in collaboration with Finance and Operations teams.
Education and Experience
Master's degree in Education, Public Policy, International Development, or a related field
At least 10 years of progressive leadership experience in education or development programs
Proven ability to manage senior teams and oversee multi-country operations
Demonstrated experience in early-stage program design, scale-up, or systems integration
Experience working with governments in Sub-Saharan Africa on education reform or large-scale program implementation
Strong understanding of delivery models, MEL systems, and program strategy
Excellent communication, relationship-building, and cross-functional management skills
Fluency in English required; French or a local African language is an asset