Role Purpose

The Program Management &  Impact Lead is a senior member of the Programs team, responsible for driving continuous program improvement and fostering an organizational culture of learning and evidence use. The Program Management &  Impact lead is responsible for ensuring that we are always improving the program effectively to meet our mission of improved foundational learning for all. They will act as a key bridge between evidence and implementation. 

Major roles and responsibilities:

1Program Learning and Improvement (70%) 


Drive organizational improvement cycles by identifying key implementation challenges, incorporating what is working, and learning about how to fix what doesn’t, including  ensuring best practices are documented, shared, and integrated into standard operating procedures.
Lead the program improvement component of annual and mid-term program reviews at country and regional levels.
Facilitate cross-country learning by synthesizing internal and external insights on effective foundational learning programming.
Champion the uptake of innovations and program adaptations with the potential to improve impact at scale,  including adapting programs based on RCT results and other evidence to maximize impact.
Project manage strategic program enhancement trials


Strategic Knowledge Leadership (15%) 


Serve as TaRL Africa’s internal focal point on program effectiveness — curating and communicating learnings, innovations, and research findings relevant to program design and delivery.
Maintain an accessible and up-to-date knowledge base on what works for foundational learning, drawing from global literature and TaRL Africa’s own evidence base.
Work with the Research, Learning, and Evidence (RLE) team to facilitate knowledge-sharing across teams, ensuring effective replication and scaling of effective interventions


Research and Innovation Input (15%) 


Collaborate with country and technical teams to conceptualize, draft, and review proposals that advance TaRL Africa’s learning agenda, including innovations, research, and MEL systems strengthening.
Serve as a core contributor to the organization’s Learning Agenda, ensuring alignment with program strategy and country needs.
Provide strategic input on research questions, study design, and the use of results for program improvement in collaboration with Program Design and Pedagogy as well as Research and Learning teams and research partners.


Requirements:


Master’s degree in public policy, education, international development, or related field.
Minimum 7–10 years of experience in program design, implementation, or research, with at least 3 years in a strategic or learning-focused role.
Strong analytical and synthesis skills with the ability to make complex ideas accessible.
Demonstrated experience in using evidence to inform programmatic decisions and drive improvements.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Experience working in or with governments or education-focused organizations in Africa is strongly preferred.