The Regional Senior Manager, Higher Education Inclusion will work closely and in collaboration with WUSC teams in Kenya and globally, the donor’s regional and country teams, and the donor’s partners.

Reporting to the Deputy Project Director, they will:

• Work collaboratively with project team members to provide technical, programmatic, and facilitative leadership to ensure the higher education inclusion goals of the initiative are reached;
• Provide strategic and technical oversight for WUSC’s 40+ higher education inclusion partners and the project’s higher education inclusion team;
• Develop strong working relationships with critical stakeholders such as UNHCR, the Tertiary Refugee Student Network, government ministries and others;
• Maintain up to date knowledge on emerging trends and issues in forced displacement, complementary pathways, and durable solutions;
• Lead the project’s engagement within higher education communities of practice and working groups across the sector;
• Build networks with RDP youth and refugee-led organizations (RLOs) to advance the mission of the initiative;
• Provide technical coaching and mentorship to the project’s higher education inclusion team (Partnerships Manager, Project Coordinators and Project Officer);
• Work closely with the project’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Head to comprehensively track the quality and effectiveness of technical assistance delivery on the initiative’s partners (universities, RLOs, donor staff, etc.)
• Work closely with the project and donor’s Communications teams to highlight learnings, success stories and impact to a variety of audiences;
• Host and participate in country or regional level convenings focused on inclusive higher education;
• Identify promising practices and ways to share learnings across the network; and
• Work closely with the WUSC global Durable Solutions team to identify synergies and opportunities across WUSC’s portfolio of programming;
• Work closely with the Deputy Director and Director to identify broader policy, research and strategic network opportunities within higher education.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

The ideal applicant will combine technical expertise in higher education inclusion, strong familiarity with the displacement context in multiple geographies of focus in Africa, exceptional partnership management skills and relationships, an ability to get things done, and strong organization, coordination, and communication skills.

Education

• At minimum, a Bachelor’s degree in a related field (International Development, Education, Public Policy, International Relations);

Experience & Competencies

• Seven to ten years of work experience in higher education or technical assistance projects, at least 5 years in a management capacity;
• Relevant experience on projects or partnerships that promote higher education access for populations of concern;
• Experience providing technical support to organizations and a commitment to a participatory partnership approach to capacity development;
• Demonstrated success in developing toolkits and training materials for mid to senior level staff in private sector, government and civil society organizations;
• Deep knowledge of key issues and emerging trends and barriers in education and youth employment in one or more regions or countries on the African continent;
• Demonstrated commitment to social inclusion and knowledge of the specific constraints and realities of challenges faced by refugee and displaced groups;
• Adherence to gender equality and social inclusion principles; proven knowledge of and commitment to the concept of gender equality and intersectionality within programming;
• Complete fluency in English is essential, with the ability to write articulately and cogently, and to edit at a similarly high level;

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RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of the Project Director, the Regional Senior Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) will oversee the MERL strategic response by offering leadership, and technical oversight across the project’s interventions. The Regional Senior Manager, MERL  will be responsible for designing the MERL system in alignment with the country level  frameworks.

The lead will:

MERL System Design and Management

• Design and manage the program’s overall MERL standards and framework, ensuring data collection and reporting capabilities are robust and aligned with program goals and donor requirements.
• Establish and oversee quality standards, ensuring adherence to the necessary level of MERL standards across the entire project portfolio.
• Manage and mitigate the risk associated with challenges in maintaining quality MERL standards across a diverse set of partners.
• Develop annual operating forecasts of MERL budgets, and the annual research, evaluation and learning agenda in close collaboration with the Project Director and team leads;
• Oversee a team of five, including a Learning Manager, Research Manager and 3 MERL Officers, providing coaching and support to successfully deliver the initiative’s ambitious MERL agenda;
• Provide coaching and support to the Technical Assistance Mechanism, Higher Education Inclusion, and RLO Opportunity Fund units to ensure that M&E practices are embedded in the teams’ daily work.

Learning and Knowledge Exchange

• In close collaboration with the WUSC global MERL Manager, develop and oversee a strategic approach to learning and knowledge sharing within the project. This includes creating and implementing a project learning agenda aligned with WUSC’s institutional learning agenda and contributing learning results to the institutional knowledge hub.
• Lead the development of a learning agenda to synthesize lessons learned and facilitate their incorporation into program design and implementation.
• Oversee the process of assessments and thematic papers, research, analysis, interpretation and reporting of various data across all projects in the region to  ensure  the highest standards of intellectual honesty, research ethics, and academic convention;
• Support network connections to promote knowledge exchange and strategic collaboration across geographies and partners, ensuring data and learning are leveraged for scaled impact.
• Ensure learning and evidence are utilized to enhance the capacity of donor staff and partners to develop, test, and scale innovative programming.
• Establish and manage working relationships and strategic engagement with external evaluation and research consultants and other partners, including relevant government bodies, researchers and other MERL stakeholders;

Refugee-led Organization Capacity Strengthening:

• In close collaboration with the core pillar leads, develop and implement a tailored MERL training strategy for RLOs to effectively address gaps and improve their data collection and reporting capabilities.
• Support RLOs in meeting project expectations and ensure they can maintain accountability and quality standards in their data and reporting.

Reporting and Systemic Change:

• Track progress towards the ultimate program goals of enabling 1 million RDP youth to secure dignified work and 35,000 RDP youth to access education through technical assistance.
• Provide evidence and data to inform the adaptation or redesign of interventions to address systemic barriers to education and economic opportunities for RDP youth.

Work environment

• Promote and maintain an organizational culture that advances gender equality, reduces power abuse and inequalities, and fosters trust, respect and safety.
• Create a working environment is free from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH)
• Ensure high standards of prevention and response measures for SEAH are in place consistent with the WUSC’s safeguarding policies and WUSC’s Code of Conduct.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

Education

• At minimum, a Bachelor’s degree in a related field (International Development, Public Policy, International Relations).

Experience & Competencies

• Extensive experience (over ten years) designing, implementing, and managing complex MERL systems for large-scale, multi-country programs, preferably in the African context.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical assistance and capacity building in MERL to diverse partners, including community-based organizations and higher education institutions
• Expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, data management, and the use of evidence for systemic change and policy influence.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with experience synthesizing complex data into clear learning products and reports.