Head of Partnerships, Ghana

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: 

Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we’ve spent over a decade crafting a unique blend of high-tech and low-tech learning solutions proven to dramatically improve student outcomes that elevate teaching quality at scale. 7 RCTs have shown that the students we support learn, on average, 2.4x faster each year than their peers in comparable schools.

Today, we serve more than a quarter of a million students across 1,300 schools in West and East Africa through three integrated and complimentary channels: 

• Pioneering Great-Value Private Schools: Our innovative networks of private schools deliver best-in-class results for children while developing highly scalable new technologies and approaches.
• Scalable Government Partnerships: We partner and collaborate with local and national governments across Africa to transform the quality of public school systems at scale.
• High Impact Solutions for Partners: We offer our proven high-impact solutions to other education providers and schools to improve school performance & increase outcomes. 

Our innovative approaches combine expertly designed curriculum materials, personalized learning experiences, intensive teacher coaching and actionable data for school leaders. You can learn more about our solutions here: https://www.risingacademies.com/oursolutions 

At Rising we 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 share in our commitment to meeting the highest standards of safeguarding excellence and protecting children from harm.

About the role:

The Head of Partnerships, Ghana will play a central role in leading and growing Rising’s partnerships in Ghana. The role combines strategic relationship building with disciplined programme execution, working closely with government partners to deliver measurable improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy at scale. The Head of Partnerships will oversee the successful delivery of major partnership programmes, manage and develop a high performing Ghana based team, and work closely with Rising’s central teams to ensure strong implementation and impact. This is a leadership role for someone who is excited about solving complex challenges, working on the bleeding edge of edtech in Africa, building trusted partnerships, and helping transform education systems so that more children can learn and thrive.

The Head of Partnerships, Ghana will:

• Lead Rising’s portfolio of partnerships in Ghana, ensuring programmes deliver measurable improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy at scale.
• Build trusted relationships with senior government stakeholders, particularly within the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service, ensuring they understand our capabilities and long term commitment to the country.
• Oversee the successful delivery of major partnership programmes, ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget, and in line with agreed implementation and evaluation plans.
• Manage and develop a high performing Ghana based partnerships team, setting clear expectations, supporting team members to grow, and maintaining a culture of accountability and high standards.
• Coordinate closely with Rising’s central teams including programmes, research, finance, business development and partnerships to ensure programmes are well designed, well executed, well funded and aligned with organisational strategy.
• Identify and develop new partnership opportunities with government and philanthropic partners that allow Rising’s programmes to grow and reach more students.
• Ensure strong programme management systems are in place including clear reporting, milestone tracking, and communication with partners.
• Oversee programme budgets and financial performance, ensuring partnerships operate within budget and contribute to Rising’s long term sustainability.
• Represent Rising externally with professionalism and credibility, strengthening the organization's reputation as a trusted partner working to improve education systems.

Location and reporting:

This is a full-time position based in Accra, Ghana. The role will report into the Senior Partnerships Manager at Rising. 

Application deadline: 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, we encourage qualified applicants to apply as soon as possible. Target start date is Mid June or earlier.

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience:

• Several years of professional experience in roles involving partnerships, programme leadership, consulting, public sector reform, or organisational leadership.
• Proven experience managing complex programmes or partnerships involving multiple stakeholders, ideally including government partners.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and managing staff to deliver ambitious goals in fast moving environments.
• A track record of developing team members and future leaders, and fostering a strong culture of collaboration, accountability, and constant improvement.
• Experience managing budgets and ensuring programmes are delivered on time and within financial constraints.
• Strong experience building relationships with senior stakeholders including government officials, funders, or institutional partners.
• Experience working in education, international development, public policy, or social impact organisations is strongly preferred.
• A track record of helping organisations grow through new partnerships, programme expansion, or strategic initiatives.
• Bachelor’s degree required. An advanced degree in education, public policy, international development, business, or a related field is an advantage.
• Professional experience in Ghana is necessary and experience and networks within the education sector are highly advantageous.

About You:

• A mission driven leader who is motivated by improving learning outcomes for children and excited by the opportunity to strengthen education systems at scale.
• An excellent relationship builder who can establish trust with senior stakeholders, particularly government officials, while representing Rising with credibility and professionalism.
• An experienced operator who has successfully managed complex programmes or partnerships and delivered results in challenging and fast moving environments.
• Curious and comfortable with technology, able to engage with digital learning tools, data systems, and technology-enabled programmes that support improved learning outcomes.
• Highly organized and comfortable managing multiple priorities, ensuring that programmes are delivered on time, on budget, and to a high standard.
• A strong team leader who enjoys building teams, developing talent, and creating a culture of ownership and accountability.
• Comfortable working across different teams and functions, coordinating work between country teams and central teams in a rapidly growing international organisation.
• A practical and thoughtful problem solver who can navigate ambiguity, make sound decisions, and keep work moving forward.
• Someone who takes initiative, communicates clearly, and holds themselves and others to high standards.

Benefits

Why Join Us?

• Compensation: 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.
• Continuous Development and Growth: Rising is a Certified B Corp and twice named in its “Best for the World” list. We are committed to continuous development, which is grounded in our values and a vital part of how we bring the ‘Rising Way’ to life. We provide a nurturing environment where our staff are supported with the right ongoing conversations with their managers, among teams and as an organization, to support their career growth and help us reach our goals. 
• Impact: Our students achieve learning gains 2.4 times faster than their peers in comparable schools, positioning our impact in the top 10% of global education interventions. This role offers an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to this proven success.

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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.