Head of Communications and Marketing

The context: 

Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school – but they are not learning. A recent study estimated that less than 1% of school children in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a school where the teaching meets basic standards of quality. At Rising Academies, we’re changing that, and we want your help. Our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people that need it most. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®. 

About us: 

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

Through great curriculum, intensive teacher coaching and actionable data, we help teachers and school leaders bring quality to every classroom. And we get results: independent studies show Rising students make more than twice the progress of their peers in comparable schools. In June 2024, one of our private schools in Sierra Leone - Rising Academy Waterloo - was shortlisted in the Top 10 for the World's Best School Prizes in the Overcoming Adversity category. Sierra Leone's Minister for Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Hon. Mr. Conrad Sackey, helped announce this honor.

In 2022 we closed our Series A funding round and won a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant to accelerate the development of our digital ed-tech solutions for low-income students across the globe. Our ‘Bambai’ suite of digital tools already includes a school information system, school observation tool, chatbot tutor, accelerated learning program and teacher coaching app. This is just the start. We want to expand our range of digital products to help improve the quality of education for millions of students around the world. If you want to make a difference to the lives of teachers, students and parents, then we are the right place for you.

About the role:

Join Rising Academies as the Head of Communications & Marketing and spearhead our mission to establish Rising as the premier education brand in Africa. In this strategic role, you'll be instrumental in expanding our reach, impacting millions of students across the continent. You will develop and implement a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy across our diverse delivery channels. You will also strengthen and uphold Rising’s child safeguarding practices from a media lens. Your efforts will drive substantial audience growth, increase our funding and customer base, and ensure our brand consistently shines in all external interactions. If you are a visionary leader with a passion for transformative education and a knack for dynamic marketing, this role offers the unique opportunity to shape the future of education in Africa and beyond.

The Head of Communications and Marketing will:

• Develop and Execute Strategic Plans: Craft and implement a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy across all of our commercial channels - affordable private schools, government partnerships and licensing to the non-state sector. 
• Expand Audience Reach: Significantly increase followers across Rising’s social media platforms and enhance content reach.
• Drive Revenue and Funding: Source and originate significant funding and new customer acquisition through effective marketing and communications strategies.
• Uphold Brand Excellence: Ensure that all external communications and marketing initiatives consistently adhere to and promote Rising’s branding guidelines.
• Build and Lead a High-Performing Team: Establish a fully operational Communications team.
• Foster Content Creation Network: Bring together talented and mission-aligned freelancers who can consistently generate high quality outputs in line with strategy and brand guidelines.
• Leverage Rising’s Networks: Utilize ministerial and partner connections to secure international media coverage and place articles, blogs, and interviews with prominent media outlets and events.
• Monitor and Report on Performance: Provide regular updates on communications and marketing performance to the board and the senior leadership team, with detailed insights into KPIs.
• Enhance Marcomms Effectiveness: Continuously gather and analyze performance data to identify and implement improvements, aiming for substantial improvements in overall marketing communications effectiveness.

Location and reporting:

This is a full-time position, this could be a remote role globally or based in any of our operating countries. The role will report directly to Rising’s Chief Strategy Officer with dotted line relationships across Rising’s Management team.

Application deadline: 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but officially closed by April 4th 2025. Target start date for this role is Mid May 2025.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Degree in Marketing, Communications, or related field: Advanced degree preferred.
• Proven Experience in Strategic Marketing and Communications: Demonstrable experience developing and implementing successful marketing and communications strategies in a leadership role.
• Expertise in Digital Marketing: Strong understanding of digital marketing channels and tools, including social media, SEO, email marketing, and content management systems.
• Leadership Skills: Experience in building, leading, and motivating a team, with a track record of managing a diverse and creative workforce.
• Strong Analytical Skills: Ability to analyze marketing data and insights to guide strategy and improve performance.
• Exceptional Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to create compelling and effective marketing and communication materials.
• Networking and Partnership Development: Experience leveraging networks to enhance brand visibility and forge strategic partnerships.
• Adaptability and Creativity: Ability to adapt to changing market conditions and come up with innovative solutions to marketing challenges.

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 recognises the importance of safeguarding children and prioritising 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.