Bridge International Academies is the world’s largest and fastest-growing chain of primary and pre-primary schools with more than 400 academies and 120,000 pupils in Kenya and Uganda. We democratize the right to succeed by giving families living in poverty access to the high-quality education that will allow their children to live a very different life. We leverage experts, data, and technology in order to standardize and scale every aspect of quality education delivery, from how and where academies are built to how teachers are selected and trained, and how lessons are delivered and monitored for improvement. We are vertically-integrated, tech-enabled, and on our way to profitability. Bridge expects to continue rapid expansion in East Africa, and will be launching operations in Nigeria in September 2015, with India to follow in 2016.
Job Title: Area Manager
Customer Experience at Bridge
A company’s ability to deliver an experience that sets it apart in the eyes of its customers will inspire brand loyalty. The customer experience team ensures the delivery of a consistent, well-connected, aspirational experience across all of our academies, leveraging our staff, community outreach, academy engagement, and more.
About the role
About the role
Area Managers lead the continued growth of a group of Bridge International Academies within a specific geographic area. They work hands-on with Academy Managers to provide the leadership, mentorship, and individualised support needed to ensure that each of their academies delivers on the Bridge experience and continues to reach more pupils, receive timely payments from parents, meet operational requirements, and deliver instructional excellence at scale. In order to achieve this, Area Managers are based in the field, spending their days traveling from academy to academy. This also allows them to engage with teachers, parents, pupils, and local government and community leaders and stay tuned to the unique needs of each community. Area Managers are authoritative but inspirational, and exhibit excellent problem solving skills with the ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively. Ideally they have been an Academy Manager before, or done similar work running a customer-facing business that was results driven and sought to create social change.
What you will do
Academy oversight – supervise and mentor Academy Managers to ensure that financial, operational, and instructional goals are met, and any/all academy issues are resolved in a timely manner; helps recruit staff as needed
Government and public relations – develop and maintain strong relationships with local government and community leaders to advocate for higher-quality education and promote Bridge
Customer relations – support the customer outreach and customer relations work of Academy Managers; engage with customers personally to stay tuned to the unique needs of each community; ensure that the academy delivers on the safe, conducive, and smart environment that parents expect
Financial sustainability – ensure that all academies in your geographic area are growing and able pay all staff salaries and vendors on time by ensuring all pupils fees are paid on time and academy spending is on budget; conduct audits on spending and processes as needed
Travel – commute between all of the academies in your area on a daily basis using public transport; depending on your area, you may be required to spend a significant amount of time away from home to meet the needs of academies
What you should have
Proven leadership experience managing a large-scale community organisation or business including a large sense of personal responsibility, a dynamic ability to manage and motivate field-based staff, and the ability to be stern when needed; Experience as an Academy Manager highly preferred
Prior success driving growth at a data-driven, customer-facing organisation
Proven resilience handing the realities of on-the-ground operational challenges and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with multiple demands
Strong familiarity of the communities Bridge International Academies are in; you have lived or worked in low-income communities for several years and are accustomed to how communities work
Past experience and passion for education, social equality, community development, or community organising; experience working with local governments preferred
Clear communication skills with impeccable written and spoken English and multiple local language skills (3+ languages preferred)
A desire to grow personally and professionally, including the ability to quickly learn and follow the policies of a multinational organisation; internal promotions are encouraged
6 years work experience, Degree holders preferred
Geographic flexibility, willing to move with the requirements of the organisation
How to Apply
Click Here to Apply Online
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