JOB OVERVIEW
Post Title: Director of Policy and Impact
Hours of Work: Full time – 35 hours per week
Period of appointment: Permanent
Location: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal or Tanzania (Applicants must have an existing right to work in their chosen location)
Travel: 20-30%
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer(CEO)
Direct Reports: Head of Research and Stakeholder Engagement; Senior Research, Evaluation and Impact Manager; Senior Manager, Foundational Learning; Research and Policy Manager (East Africa)
Salary: Competitive-dependent on experience
ABOUT ESSA
Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA)’s improves education using evidence and data from Africa in research, advocacy and programme design.
We take a systems approach by identifying challenges and co-designing solutions in partnership with local education researchers, higher education leaders, policymakers, funders and employers to improve education outcomes for young people. Our research generates actionable insights that inform decisions, policies and practice and strengthen education systems.
ESSA’s values are at the heart of everything we do, and they are:
- Evidence-driven: We are driven by data and evidence to find what works best, building an evidence alliance for education in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Solutions-focused: We seek the highest impact for young people and educators in sub-Saharan Africa with the cost-effective funds we invest.
- Strengthening Trust: We strive to create supportive environments, building trust with the communities we work with.
- Always learning: Everyone’s opinion is valuable; we develop solutions through teamwork.
To find out more about ESSA, visit essa-africa.org.
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE
- Shape how ESSA can be most effective in closing the gap between research/evidence, policy, and practice in education.
- Recruit, motivate, develop, and manage the performance of a talented, mission-driven and internationally dispersed team to deliver ESSA’s strategic policy, advocacy, influencing, and impact goals. Guide and support the team to ensure quality work and build leadership capacity, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.
- Oversee MEL at ESSA. This will include updating and implementing our theory of change, as well as the collection, measurement, analysis, and interpretation of data and trends from ESSA’s work for use in strategic decision making.
- Engage with our Communication team to ensure the strategic dissemination of evidence to target audiences, including researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and funders. Build strategic partnerships with these education stakeholders and advocate for the use of our evidence in their decision making and action to catalyse positive change and impact.
- Identify and pursue opportunities for joint initiatives that enhance ESSA’s voice, influence, and reach, and drive the uptake and integration of evidence-based insights into national and regional education systems across sub-Saharan Africa.
- Organise and represent ESSA at high-profile, advocacy-focused events, forums, conferences and debates, chairing panels, facilitating and participating in sessions, speaking to the media, and communicating via written pieces.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of ESSA’s strategic plans and governance decisions made by the CEO, SLT and Board of Trustees. Advise on policy trends and emerging opportunities in education that can shape our strategy.
- Collaborate with ESSA’s fundraising group to develop and pitch compelling, evidence-led cases for support to institutional donors and philanthropic partners, to enable us to secure funding to support ESSA’s vision, mission, and sustainability.
- Champion ESSA’s values and contribute to a positive and inclusive organisational culture.
- Undertake other tasks as may be required, as commensurate with experience.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
ESSENTIAL: We are looking for the following attributes, although you may be more experienced in some areas than others.
- Proven experience of building trusted partnerships with African policy makers (and influencing policy at the highest levels), researchers, funders, and NGOs, and advocating for positive change.
- Senior experience in strategic planning and goal setting, with strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Able to develop and translate a strategic vision into operational plans and measurable positive outcomes.
- Strong understanding of MEL tools and methods, integrating MEL into programme design and adaptive learning cycles. Able to measure and report development achievements and challenges.
- A proven track record of generating and using evidence in Africa to demonstrate impact in influencing education reform, funding decisions, or policy through evidence-based approaches. Passionate about the role of education in development.
- Excellent communication skills, fluent in written/spoken English; able to speak confidently in public spaces and policy forums, translating complex research findings for a non-specialist audience to amplify ESSA’s voice and impact.
- Experienced in managing projects and multifaceted programmes, embracing change where needed.
- Willingness and ability to travel within and outside Africa.
- Experience in budget preparation and oversight.
- Educated to PhD level, or have equivalent experience in education or other relevant social science subject.
- Most importantly, as a representative of ESSA, the post holder should be a values-driven team player who is able to strike conversations, be respectful of diversities, and willing to learn. You should be independent, creative, sincere, and possess a powerful drive to pursue policy change and positive impact linked to quality research by Africans in Africa.
DESIRABLE: You will be more successful in the role if you have:
- The ability to speak, read and write in French.
- Familiarity with digital platforms, including the MS Office suite.
EQUALITY & DIVERSITY
The importance of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) underpins our mission and values at ESSA. We prioritise inclusion and celebrate the breadth of knowledge and experience working across different cultures brings to the organisation.
EDI at ESSA is embodied in the current composition of our Board of Trustees and our workforce, which strongly reflects the communities we work in, and we actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures.
HOW TO APPLY
Please ensure that your CV and cover letter are saved using your given name and surname. For example, Samuel.Smith_C.V
The closing date for applications is the 30th June 2025 at 0900hrs GMT.
