Country Programmes Manager – Zambia 188 views0 applications

VVOB is an international organisation with programmes and projects in 9 countries worldwide. Our head office is based in Brussels, Belgium.

When you join VVOB, you become a key player in VVOB’s mission to ensure quality education as a key enabler for achieving the sustainable development goals. We implement our programmes and projects with one shared passion: to ensure the improvement of quality education. Our teams of national and international experts achieve this by providing technical assistance to governmental and other education actors. In doing so, worldwide we ensure capacity building of governmental and other education actors.

Do you share our ambition to ensure that learners around the world can enjoy their fundamental human right to quality education, without exception? Are you convinced as well that quality education guarantees equal opportunities for everyone and is the key to a better world?

We are looking for a Country Programmes Manager who will operate from our office in Lusaka, Zambia and who will bear the final responsibility for the totality of all activities in Zambia. Do you want to take on this challenge? Then continue reading!

VVOB in Zambia

In Zambia, VVOB is working in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE). We are building capacity on Early Childhood Education (ECE). Our key focus points in ECE are ‘Learning through Play’ and ‘Emergent Literacy.’ We also work with TaRL Africa to support Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL).

The evidence-based TaRL approach helps learners in Grades 3, 4 and 5 to develop basic reading and numeracy skills. TaRL (or Catch Up -as it is known in Zambia) now reaches more than 400.000 learners spread over 8 provinces.

Our ambition is to support MoE in scaling the ‘Learning through Play’, ‘Emergent Literacy’ and ‘Teaching at the Right Level’ work.

You will:

• You hold the end responsibility of all VVOB operations within Zambia and are accountable for key results in all areas, including programme operations, finances, human resources and internal organization;
• As a leader and role model, you develop and inspire the 70 staff members of the team in Zambia and you offer managerial advice, guidance and support towards them in order to achieve programme results;
• You are actively involved in the further development of the business at country level, including portfolio management, highlighting of achievements, identifying the landscape of both partnerships and competition and seeking new funding opportunities;
• You are actively engaged in strategy and policy development at global organisational level and translate these global strategies and policies into relevant and scalable strategies, policies and programmes at the country level. As a leader you ensure VVOB in Zambia lives and implements VVOB’s Learning Unlimited strategy (https://www.vvob.org/en/learning-unlimited-strategy);
• You develop and maintain a network with relevant government, funding, technical and network partners and other internal and external stakeholders. Furthermore, you represent VVOB towards them.

If you’re our Country Programmes Manager, your workweek at the office will include the following highlights:

1. You prepare, together with your team, the upcoming team retreat, where you will work with your team on the planning of activities for the upcoming year and organize some team building workshops, such as one to clarify roles and responsibilities within the team.
2. You have a meeting with your right-hand, the Operations Manager, about financial processes and the draft budget for a multimillion project we’re trying to secure.
3. Lunch! A perfect way to nurture relationships with TaRL Africa.
4. You give a presentation at the Ministry of Education on VVOB’s work, especially on gender-responsive education, to the country’s top officials.
5. You have a discussion with the education managers in your team about the progress and next steps of the programmes. Any challenges, e.g. in the cooperation with partners, are raised here.
6. You respond to a policy note sent by the VVOB Directors on the new strategic and operational objectives for VVOB in 2023-2030.

Who are you?

This position is an expat position, which means the position is open to all staff who are not a citizen of the country where the position is located.

Your expertise and experience

• A Master’s Degree;
• At least 2 years of international work experience;
• Strong and proven management and leadership skills with a track record of success in building effective teams and leading and motivating a diverse group of professional staff;
• Demonstrated and successful experience in strategic networking and partnership building with a varied range of partners, including government partners, donors and investors;
• Experience in organizational development and leading an organization through change;
• At least 3 years’ work experience in managing a project portfolio with an annual budget of more than 1 million euro;
• Experience with capacity development processes and strategies, change processes and change management at institutional level;
• English proficiency: CEFR level C1.

Matching competences

VVOB core competences:

• Result orientation
• Continuous improvement
• Cooperation

Function specific competencies:

• Agility
• Vision building
• Giving direction
• Persuasiveness
• Strategic networking & partnership development

What we’re offering:

• A full-time contract until 31/12/2026;
• A dynamic working environment in an international context;
• An attractive compensations & benefits package including holiday allowance and 13th month, insurances, housing allowance, school fee allowance, annual family home travel ticket and pension savings;
• An exciting job in a growing organisation with varied responsibilities and opportunities for professional development.

Join us: May 1st, 2023

Your duty station: Lusaka, Zambia

Your motivation letter and a detailed CV are expected no later than February 19, 2023.

Please use the webform to apply for this vacancy:

Shortlisted candidates will take a written test, go through an interview process and assessment centre, before a final offer.

VVOB firmly believes that quality education can only be achieved if equity is ensured. Qualities of people prevail, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or disability.