Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) exists to accelerate good governance and equitable prosperity in Africa. Achieving that vision requires talented, ethical, energetic government professionals. With our in-country partners, we rigorously select diverse cohorts of public service professionals who are committed to practicing and promoting good governance throughout Africa. With EPL’s support throughout their career journeys, these leaders influence and strengthen their country’s infrastructure for delivering government services with care, innovation, and integrity.
 

EPL’s competitive recruitment process, continuous and responsive training, professional development, and mentorship motivates highly qualified, college-educated young professionals to pursue careers in the civil service. By injecting government institutions with new innovative, diverse, and ethical talent, EPL aims to improve government capacity and performance, strengthen countries’ democratic governance and accelerate sustainable growth in the countries where we operate. We bring an inclusive and accessible approach across lines of class, ethnicity, ability and geography because we believe that governments who reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, better meet the needs of those citizens. Additionally, EPL ensures that the recruitment, retention, and promotion of young women in public service is prioritized; women and men are equally represented in the Fellowship program.
 

EPL has built strong partnerships with funders, government partners and local implementing partners in Liberia, Ghana and Kenya. The organization’s business model involves managing a significant amount of restricted funding and targeted international grant-making, which underlines its need for a strong and strategic operational infrastructure. It has a budget of approximately $4M and expectations of continued growth – with a headquarters office located in Washington, DC and staff based globally.

Position Description 
The Director of Programs and Learning oversees the effective and efficient implementation of programs by EPL’s implementing partners across countries and at the global level through a full project cycle management. This is a critical role for EPL with responsibility for building and strengthening EPL’s programs and alumni engagement. 
 

An essential goal of this position is to move EPL’s work beyond a focus on the success of individual programs, towards ensuring that all EPL’s activities are anchored in its strategic objectives and informed by evidence, data, and insights.

This is a role for an experienced leader and a skilled expert; with a vision for how evidence can be used to effectively drive decisions, practice and impact in a complex, high stakes environment.
The Director of Programs and Learning reports to the Executive Director and manages the Programs & Learning Associate. 
 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Spearhead the development and periodic review of operational plans and matrix for effective implementation of programs
• Oversee development and effective implementation of annual operating and work plans, and budgets that supports effective management of EPL’s programs and operations
• Incorporate an action learning component in the MEL process to ensure context responsiveness, agility and adaptability to achieve programmatic results
• Provide leadership to the Programs and M&E team at EPL, working collaboratively with the Country teams
• Provide evidence-based insights to inform programs design, strategy, and resource mobilization
• Ensure that innovative strategy development approaches are taken that keep EPL at the cutting edge of strategic and systems thinking
• Lead the management of strategic reviews, planning processes, reporting and impact analysis
• Working with the Executive Director to identify activities to be supported, scaled up or stopped in line with EPL’s set objectives and changes in the external environment
• Develop the business development and planning capabilities across the organization to identify new areas of growth, expansion, and innovation for EPL
• Work with the senior leadership team to ensure the right platforms, systems, processes, and resources are in place to successfully problem solve when there are obstacles to progression
• Provide expertise, set standards, and guide colleagues and external evaluation teams on the design and development of measures, metrics, and data systems that are rigorous and consistent
• Develop research and evaluation capabilities across the organization to inform the work of all departments 
• Lead on the collection, synthesis, analysis, and management of data across the organization
• Develop, manage, and commission internal and external research and evaluation into the impact of EPL’s work
• Provide needed information to, and collaborate with, key internal/external stakeholders to ensure successful development and implementation of programs by local partners
• Develop concepts and proposals 
• Supervise and manage the performance of direct reports
• Participate in resource mobilization and fundraising together with the Executive Director and other staff members 
   

Key Qualifications: 

• Masters’ Degree in social sciences, project management, development work, or related field
• At least 8 years of relevant professional experience
• Passionate about EPL’s mission  
• Experience working with international nonprofit organizations, especially those operating in Africa
• Track record of effectively designing, implementing, and managing large-scale, multi-stakeholder projects, systems, and processes, particularly with respect to cross-organizational monitoring and reporting solutions
• Technically proficient in applied research, evaluation, and impact measurement
• Proven experience utilizing a range of project management, strategy development theories and evidence-based decision-making tools
• Proven experience of effective strategic thinking, detailed planning, and the ability to deliver on clear long-term objectives
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills 
• The ability to work effectively at a senior level, including partnership with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors
• The ability to maintain and build relationships with partner organizations
• Proven excellence in working with a dispersed team, leading, and supporting them to achieve agreed upon goals

 
 Preferred (Not Required) Qualifications

• Ability to communicate in both English and French

• Globally competitive salary

Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) is driving Africa’s development by creating a new generation of public servants committed to social impact. EPL exists to accelerate good governance and equitable prosperity in Africa. EPL believe that Africa’s development and economic growth can be accelerated by building effective civil service departments from the bottom up. 

Through the Public Service Fellowship, we support in-country programs that recruit Africa’s most promising future leaders and place them into meaningful civil service positions.  Over a period of two years, fellows are provided with the supervisory support, rigorous training and mentorship they need to launch and build a successful career in public service.

With a footprint in Liberia, Ghana and Kenya, our short-term vision is to expand our Public Service Fellowship Program and create a pan-African network of 500+ fellows by 2027. By supporting a merit-based pathway for competent and ethical talent to work in government, EPL is helping to improve civil service performance in Africa.

Today's fellows. Tomorrow's leaders.

EPL Fellowships provide an array of benefits for aspiring public leaders.

• Employment – Fellows are guaranteed two years of salaried employment during the fellowship and support for ongoing career growth and development to ensure successful careers in civil service.
• Purpose – Fellows are placed in meaningful positions in enabling workplaces, and are encouraged to make contributions to the overall development of their country
• Prestige – Fellows become a part of Africa’s only competitive and reputable civil service program for youth leadership in government.
• Access to resources – Fellows have access to a myriad of resources including monthly professional development training sessions, supervision and mentoring, and networking opportunities to navigate the challenges of civil service
• Community – Access to EPL’s regional network of mentors, alumni, and supporters