Program Quality Officer, Uganda

Who We Are! 

🌍 Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. By 2035, the continent is poised to contribute more people to the global workforce each year than the rest of the world combined. At Educate! we're obsessed with impact. We leverage iterative learning to build highly scalable youth employment solutions aimed at unlocking the potential of the world’s youngest continent. 

Educate! prepares youth in Africa to learn, earn and thrive in today’s economy by: 

1. Introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary and 
2. Delivering livelihood Boot Camps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalized rural girls and young women.

So far, we’ve impacted over 250,000 youth across Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya—and the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa. Our team of over 250 largely African staff and 300 volunteer mentors is passionate about creating meaningful change. Plus, 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over five years! 🎉10+ alumni have started their organizations and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows. 

Global organizations like  Imaginable Futures, Big Bang Philanthropy,  #startsmall, Generation Unlimited, CIFF and Echidna Giving have backed us and support our mission! In 2022, we received a catalytic investment from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to scale our systems change work.

Educate!'s long-term vision is to design solutions that measurably impact millions of youth across Africa each year. By 2025, we’re on track to quadruple our reach and impact 400,000 youth annually. Want to join us on this journey?

Position Overview 

Educate!, an award winning non-profit social enterprise, is looking for a self-driven, highly enterprising, and enthusiastic candidate to fill the Program Quality Officer - Position (1) in Jinja District of Uganda. The successful candidate will join our high performing Field Operations Team. 

The Program Quality Officer will manage a team of 12-15 Field Operations Assistants across multiple districts as they carry out their activities for the program & Community Unit administration, Lead all training activities for the Field Operations Assistants assigned across the region. Take the lead on communications, Support the Performance metrics data collection & reporting through the Field Operations Assistants team as well as providing quality checks on Performance metrics data. Ensure quality implementation of the program through rigorous monitoring & providing quality program feedback. Coordinate all survey activities in the region & ensure accuracy & timely execution of reporting in all regions and Participate in the mapping out of the survey areas & data analysis. You will report to the Field Operations Manager. 

The right candidate for this opportunity should be excited about working with young and ambitious youth, self-driven, passionate about our mission of creating leaders and entrepreneurs in Africa, and committed to being part of a high-performing team! 

Performance Objectives

1. Field operations assistant Performance Management (30%)
2. Field Operations Assistant Training & Coaching (25%)
3. Data Reporting and Coordination Oversight (30%)
4. Quality assurance -skills lab observation(Data map & Survey follow ups) (15%)

Field operations assistant Performance Management (30%)

• Lead 1:1 meetings with Field operations assistants at least twice a month. Review work plans, set weekly priorities & align Field operations assistants goals on a monthly basis. 
• Lead weekly regional meetings to address challenges and concerns of Field operations assistants & keep the Field operations assistants up to date with program changes. 
• Lead annual staff appraisals of Field operations assistants. Complete performance development process,participated in the PDP process and submitted to HR. 
• Coordinate and lead Field operations assistants capacity building programs on a monthly basis. 
• Act as Hiring Manager for all Field operations assistants recruitment needs: support Field operations assistants recruitment guide update and sit on interview panel as and when required. 
• Oversee Exp-program activities for the region by checking in with Field operations assistants on progress and ensuring that they have the capacity and tools necessary to carry out activities effectively. 

Field Operations Assistant Training & Coaching (25%)

• Lead Field operations assistants induction for newly hired. Facilitate one month virtual training, oversee Field operations assistants job shadowing. 
• Constantly plan & communicate Training plans & program changes to Field operations assistants. 
• Empower Field operations assistants to develop, clear & be in constant communication & coordination of activities with the mentors in the Exp program. 
• Lead monthly Field operations assistants capacity building programs Including preparing for Field operations assistants training and providing pragmatic and content related feedback to the design and Implementation team. 
• Observe mentors during induction, program delivery & training to ensure high-quality mentors. 
• Observe field Operations assistant's growth areas and develop capacity development plans that are tailored to those needs. 

Data Reporting and Coordination Oversight (30%)

• Ensure quality implementation of the program through rigorous monitoring & providing quality program feedback 
• Support the Performance Metrics team in the dissemination & collection of the Exp scholar-centricity forms. 
• Work with Performance metrics to develop data collection tools & also to improve the data collection processes. 
• Setting timeliness & ensuring that Field operations assistants adhere to the reporting submission timelines. 
• Train Field operations assistants on the importance & usage of the data collection tools and coordinate all survey activities in the region & ensure accuracy & timely execution of reporting in all regions 
• Participation in the mapping out of the survey learning questions & data analysis.
• Leads student focus groups to check on the implementation of the Quality Exp Program.
• Document all survey learnings and share them with the Exp program implementation team. 
• Leads mentor focus groups to check on Exp program quality 

Quality assurance -skills lab observation(Data map & Survey follow-ups) (15%)

• Through the Field, operations assistants ensure that mentors conducting the Skills labs and GMs are observed & observation forms submitted to the Performance metrics department. 
• Work with the Field operations assistants to ensure that they submit the observation forms, participation trackers, graduate forms & mission data at the end of every term. 
• Ensure that the field operations assistants always meet the Exp program monitoring target. 
• Use Dashboard reports (LEC, Observations, GMs, Events, Pitching, and scholar selections) to support the mentors and close the Exp program implementation gaps.
• Checks the quality of data reported by the field operations assistants and mentors and provides timely feedback. 
• Ensure that observation forms are collected, compiled & shared with Performance Metrics for data analysis. 
• Support the training of Field operations assistants to increase their knowledge of program activities & tracking. 
• Ensure trackers, forms, and mission data are accurate and information is updated and submitted timely. 
• Communicate regularly with the Senior Field Operations Manager to ensure that program management concerns are addressed in a timely and appropriate manner. 

Qualifications 

• • Bachelor’s degree in any business course with at least 3 years of professional experience.
  • At least 2 years experience in development work (Schools, Youth-related work, Volunteers/Interns, School Practices, Church) directly managing a diverse team of at least 7 people.
  • Proficiency in MS Office Suite, with excellent MS Word and Excel skills, PowerPoint, email, Google Drive, etc.
  • Experience working within the education sector in East Africa is preferred.
  • Experience leading a team, managing finances, and program reporting. 
  • Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
  • Excellent Strategic Skills
  • Excellent Project Planning and Problem-solving skills
  • Must have knowledge in Finance and taxation
  • Experience in leading and coaching a team
  • Thoroughness when accomplishing tasks and paying attention to detail
  • Systems-oriented, high-integrity
  • Excellent customer service, general management skills, and strong personality.
  • Experience in multitasking in a fast–paced environment, setting priorities, working independently as well as thrive a team.
  • Fits our Five Cultural Tenets (see What is Educate! About? below); Learn more by looking at Educate!’s culture deck here

What We Offer 💼

• A vibrant, mission-driven environment with a supportive and fun team.
• Flexibility— Hybrid work environment with at least 3 days in our awesome Nairobi office (If working from the Nairobi office)!
• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Healthcare coverage for you and your dependents, work laptop, Internet & call stipend
• Learning & growth opportunities
• This is a Fixed term  contract with a possibility of extension based on performance

Application Process: Rolling basis, interviews happening soon!

Our Culture & Tenets(Values) 🌱

We’re ambitious. Are you? Educate! is growing fast, so new opportunities are opening up and expanding all the time. We’re inspired by people with drive, and we love to help them reach their full potential. We expect everyone at Educate! to contribute above and beyond their job description, grow their skills, and advance their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey of their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey. 

1. We put Youth First, Impact-Obsessed - We are purpose-driven, focused on impact, and prioritize what truly matters. We listen to youth, design our efforts around their needs, and ensure every dollar creates transformative experiences they value.
2. We Exceed Expectations - We take pride in going above and beyond to achieve the best results—proactively identifying problems and seeking solutions without waiting or stopping at what's requested.
3. We Are Always Learning - We are committed to seeking and applying new knowledge and ideas. We stay open-minded and continuously try new things, experiment, grow, and improve. We invest in learning for ourselves and our teams.
4. We are One Team, Many Views - We value all individuals, believe diverse ideas and open dialogue drive excellence, foster a supportive and respectful environment where everyone can freely express themselves. We work as one team and prioritize the organization's mission over personal or team interests.
5. We have the Startup Mindset - We innovate relentlessly to grow our impact, we never think “we have arrived” or “we’re done.”We constantly challenge the status quo, embrace change, and move quickly toward our vision. Unafraid of failure, we question anything that hinders progress.

Every person at Educate! — from interns to the executive director — is evaluated by how they live up to these five cultural tenets. They are at the core of how we achieve our mission and why we work as well as we do.  Educate is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact in our community. In creating this environment, we encourage people from a variety of cultures, backgrounds and life experiences to join our diverse team. 

We’re committed to ensuring all candidates are screened for child and youth safety. As part of the process, you’ll need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct. Educate! reserves the right to withdraw employment offers if any risks to youth are identified.