Director, Policy & Partnerships, Africa at NewGlobe

About the Role

• The Director, Policy & Partnerships, Africa will work closely with the Vice President Policy and Partnerships Africa as well as the rest of the P&P team to identify, engage and close new statewide and nationwide partnerships across Africa. These multi-year, contracted partnerships for complete system transformation become the signature reform of our government partners to deliver on their state’s critical education, development, and economic objectives. The Director of Partnerships Africa should be prepared to work with the highest levels of government, from generating leads all the way through successful contract negotiations. Throughout this complex partnership development cycle, you will leverage and be supported by other key leaders and groups within the organization (including from Academics, Technology, Executive Leadership). In this role, you will be an execution focused, result oriented contributor who will work collaboratively with other team members across the continent, and will be ultimately responsible for expanding this life-changing work to millions of additional students across Anglophone Africa.

What You Will Do

Manage the full cycle of new partnership development:

• You will generate interest from new potential government partners at the highest levels of government (chief executives of state and national governments across Africa).
• You will use existing and new relationships and networks, conferences and events, along with data-driven approaches to identify key potential partners for whom this type of transformation will resonate and become a priority for their administration.
• You will become a compelling expert in presenting the potential white-labeled partnership to implement this system-wide transformation. This includes your ability to communicate both the big picture political / economic / education vision as well as dive into the details of how each aspect of the transformation is delivered and fits with the specific nuances of the local education system.
• In addition to presentations, demonstrations, and deep dives, you will need to learn the local context, priorities, politics and challenges, to articulate how this transformation will fulfill each government’s needs, goals and vision.
• While ultimately championed by the chief executive of a government, concluding a new partnership requires identifying and deeply engaging relevant decision makers, supporters, all the way up and down both the bureaucratic and political chains.
• Large, multi-year contracts that will transform an entire statewide education system need to be carefully negotiated, and you will be leading that effort.
• Once a new partnership is closed, you work carefully to transition relationships and oversight to operational implementation leaders and teams.

What You Should Have

• Deep experience across multiple countries in Africa in business development / sales for large-scale government contracts / partnerships.
• Experience working with national and regional governments in general as well as demonstrated ability to work across the full spectrum of bureaucracies.
• Experience in large, consultative sales for complex services or products.
• Experience in leading through the entire business development process, from "door opening" through to contract negotiations.
• Politically-savvy and ability to understand how partnerships intersect with existing political situations and dynamics.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Other preferable but not key requirements:
• Exposure to Development Agencies and Partners already working with governments across the Continent (e.g. World Bank, USAID, FCDO).
• Experience in primary/secondary education is a bonus. But regardless, you have the demonstrated ability to learn a new area or industry.

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, NewGlobe works 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 data-driven decision-maker – When making decisions, you don’t rely on your intuition alone. You collect data, you analyze it and make decisions with clear justifications.
• 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.