Vacancies at The Pharo Foundation

Opportunity

• We are currently in search of a visionary and results-oriented Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") to lead our organisation into a new era of growth and impact. As a critical member of our executive leadership team, the CEO will be responsible for driving the implementation of the Foundation’s mission-driven strategy and scaling the operations of the social enterprises of Pharo’s for profit-arm, Pharo Ventures. This role will require a high-caliber individual with a solid track record of driving organisational excellence.
• Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the CEO will work closely with the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Research and Evaluation Officer to shape influential decisions for the organisation. With direct oversight of our Mission Directors, Director of Global Partnerships and Communication, the Foundation’s executive team and senior leadership team of Pharo Ventures, the CEO will be instrumental in formulating and driving the organisation-wide strategy. As a key member of the executive leadership team, the CEO will provide critical and timely intelligence on the organisation's performance, opportunities, and outlook to the Board of Directors and has budget ownership and accountability.

Duties and responsibilities

Strategy

• Develop and implement a long-term strategic plan that aligns with the Foundation's vision and objectives.
• Provide clear direction and guidance to the management team and staff to achieve organisational goals.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with mission-aligned entities and identify opportunities to leverage impact.
• Stay attuned to global trends, research and events and position Pharo Foundation as a relevant player in our mission areas in Africa.
• Lead the internal investment committee and ensure all programmes, investments and activities are fully aligned with the strategic priorities of the Foundation.

Ventures focus

• Oversee the design of Pharo Ventures’ operations, funding, and scaling of businesses across Africa.
• Evaluate and track the success of the existing ventures to ensure resource optimization, achieve bottom-line and IRR targets and maximise social impact.
• Collaborate with Pharo Ventures leaders to assess and minimize risks to the businesses in the operating environment.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including government entities, donors, partner organisations, and local communities.
• Represent the Foundation at relevant forums and events to promote its mission and secure necessary support.

Financial Management

• Collaborate with CFO and COO to develop and manage the Foundation's budget, ensuring financial sustainability and accountability.
• Identify and secure collaboration opportunities through partnerships aligned with the Foundation’s missions.

Visionary leadership

• Be a worldclass communicator and motivate all staff to achieve a common vision and embody the organisational values.
• Foster a positive and inclusive work environment where diversity is celebrated, and employees are motivated and empowered to achieve their full potential.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to the management team, promoting professional growth and development.

Organisational Governance

• Lead an efficient and effective organisational operation according to best practices, ethical guidelines, and fiduciary requirements.
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as adherence to the Foundation's policies and procedures.
• Report to the Board of Directors on organisational performance and provide timely updates on key initiatives and challenges.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Collaborate with the Chief Research and Evaluations Officer to establish robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track the impact and effectiveness of the Foundation's programs.
• Utilize data-driven insights to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement.

Qualifications and requirements

• Minimum ten years of professional experience, with a proven track record of successfully driving organisational growth and impact in Africa.
• Strong relationship builder and communicator with experience in partnership development and the ability to represent the Foundation externally. Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., business administration, international development, economics) is highly desirable.
• Experience in managing multicultural teams and working in diverse environments.
• Strong understanding of development programmes in education, employment, and water-related issues in Africa.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including government officials, and local communities.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• An entrepreneurial-leaning and successful private sector experience is strongly preferred.
• A solid academic background and a minimum of a relevant professional master’s degree.
• Strong familiarity with Africa and its diverse needs and cultures, with an emphasis on East Africa.
• Strong leader and communicator with experience leading diverse work teams, developing an organisation-wide strategy for programme excellence.
• Demonstrates integrity, strives for excellence in her/his work, and has experience of leading others to new levels of effectiveness and programmatic impact.
• Passionate about the Foundation’s vision and mission with the ability to promote and communicate the philosophy, mission, and values of the Foundation to external and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to travel up to 50 percent of the time to provide on-site leadership.

Personal attributes

• Positive and outgoing personality with solid leadership, interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
• A visionary leader with ability to inspire and motivate others to achieve organisational objectives.
• Great attention to detail and a flexible approach to work. 
• Highly structured and keen on processes that drive organisational effectiveness.
• Excellent communicator and comfortable to work in a diverse team environment.
• Passionate about developing people.
• Demonstrates high ethical standards and is values driven.
• Ability to foster collaborative approaches to work and build partnerships with key stakeholders.
• Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to navigate through change and uncertainty.

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Opportunity

• We are seeking an Education Mission Director to drive the strategic development of the education mission and lead the Foundation’s network of Pharo Schools,  ensure all schools are centers of academic excellence and achieve their financial KPIs. This is a critical position in our organisation, which requires a high calibre individual with a strategic mindset, experience in Eastern Africa and a proven track record to lead schools to academic excellence and financial sustainability.
• As a member of the global senior leadership team, reporting directly to the CEO, the Education Mission Director will spearhead the multi-country and multi-year strategy for the Education Mission. Pharo’s diverse and vibrant education portfolio consists of a network of schools (K-12 / day and boarding schools), transformational education projects and PPPs in some of the most challenging regions within eastern Africa and a tertiary scholarship programme aiming to educate Africa’s future leaders.
• The Mission Director will oversee the Pharo Schools and is the custodian of the Pharo Hallmark, the operating manual for all schools. As such, the Education Mission Director will drive advancement of academics in all schools, implement effective operations and financial sustainability and focus on holistic child development in a safe environment.
• The Mission Director is the direct supervisor to the Education Programme Lead, works closely with the School Principals and has a functional relationship with the Education Mission Heads based in our Country Offices across four countries.
• In this exciting role, the ideal candidate will have an opportunity to leverage their experience, leadership, and strategic outlook to influence the path of an ambitious and expanding organisation that is committed to making a positive impact in the lives of millions of people across Africa.

Duties and responsibilities

Strategy

• Set the strategic vision for the education mission, develop a strategic framework and cascade the goals and objectives down to measurable and relevant metrics for country and school teams.
• Expand the network of Pharo schools in the region and develop the multi-year expansion strategy into new geographical areas.
• Ensure new programmes are impactful and fully mission aligned.
• Assess impact of the existing programme portfolio lead strategic decision making about programme growth or exit.
• Lead the design and development of new education programmes in collaboration with the Chief Research and Evaluation Officer, Country Directors and the education team. Ensure that all programmes are aligned in strategy with the education mission.
• Partner with the CEO and other senior leaders to represent the Foundation to external stakeholders, including community, governmental, and private organisations.

Pharo Schools

• Oversee the project management for launches of new Pharo schools, including construction and acquisition projects.
• Provide leadership to school principals with the goal, to drive efficiency in workforce planning for teaching and non-teaching staff.
• Review, update and maintain the Pharo School Hallmark and define necessary standards and requirements to achieve high level of academic performance in all schools.
• Develop continuous personal development strategies for all teaching staff and school leadership.
• Evaluate and assess the curriculum in local and global context and make improvements where necessary through blended learning and extracurricular activities.
• Set policies and frameworks for the School Leadership to ensure child protection and safeguarding and an overall conducive and safe school environment.
• Follow and evaluate emerging trends in pedagogy and coordinate implementation where necessary to ensure that Pharo Schools stay ahead of the curve.
• Align the school system with other international curricula and form partnerships with exam centers and certification bodies (SAT, IELTS, etc.) to enhance the value proposition for the community and important stakeholders.
• Provide leadership during the budgeting process to drive the Pharo School portfolio towards financial sustainability.
• Collaborate with the Director of Communications and Partnerships to develop a strong network of partners that support school operations, student experience and professional development for the teachers and school leadership.
• Integration of a school management system across all schools.

Education programme portfolio

• Oversee the foundations programme portfolio in all countries and work with the education teams in country to monitor;
  • Compliance of programme implementation with approved programme design.
  • Budget compliance.
  • Adherence to timeline and milestones.
  • Validate programme beneficiaries against target group.
• Foster cross-learning across different country offices and programme team with regards to programme design and implementation.
• Provide frequent updates to the Monitoring and Evaluation team about programme KPIs and quarterly updates to the board of trustees.

Compliance

• Ensure all programme activities operate consistently, legally, and ethically, within the mission and values of the Foundation. 
• Collaborate with country-level leadership to ensure compliance of Pharo Schools with the operating standards of the Foundation and requirements of national and international regulators.

Management and Leadership

• Provide leadership to direct reports, dedicate time to coach and mentor leaders to perform to their full potential and act as a role model for culture and values.
• Provide visionary leadership to all members of the education department and Pharo Schools to align the programme and school operations with the Vision, Mission and Values of Pharo Foundation.
• Reporting of programme progress and programme KPIs to the board of trustees.
• Regular reporting on school performance, headcount and academic data.

Qualifications and requirements

• Minimum eight years of professional experience, with a minimum of four years in senior leadership
• Experience in for-profit schools or group of schools is strongly preferred.
• A solid academic background and a minimum of a relevant professional master’s degree.
• Strong familiarity with Africa and its diverse needs and cultures, with an emphasis on East Africa.
• Strong relationship builder and communicator with experience leading diverse work teams, developing an organisation-wide strategy for programme excellence.
• Demonstrates integrity, strives for excellence in her/his work, and has experience of leading others to new levels of effectiveness and programmatic impact.
• Passionate about the Foundation’s vision and mission with the ability to promote and communicate the philosophy, mission, and values of the Foundation to external and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to travel 25 percent of the time to provide on-site leadership.

Personal attributes

• Great attention to detail and a flexible approach to work. 
• Hands on problem solver with a can-do attitude and willingness to roll up her/his sleeves.
• High professional and ethical standards.
• Structured and data-savvy. 
• Excellent time and project management skills with the ability to balance multiple priorities.
• Motivated to learn and perform and not be afraid to ask questions.
• Willing to challenge the status quo and add value by introducing positive change.
• Excellent communicator and comfortable to work in a team environment.
• Positive and outgoing personality with solid leadership, interpersonal and diplomatic skills.