British Council Jobs Feb. 2017

The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. The organisation uses English, arts, and education and society to bring people together and to attract partners to working with the UK.

British Council Ghana operates from Accra and Kumasi. The organisation focuses on “creating and enhancing learning opportunities and building access and understanding between Africa and the global community.”

Job Description

Job Title: TGSS Alumni Manager

Pay Band 6 Locally Appointed Nine(9) Months Fixed Term Contract(Till 31 December 2017)

Location: Accra, Ghana

Purpose Of Job

This role will work closely with the Programme Manager to deliver aspects of the project closure activities which involve ensuring that the alumni sustainability plans are developed and approved including delivering regional alumni events in the UK, to complete all M&E data processing for client reports and ensuring on-going engagement on alumni with maintenance of the social media activity including maintaining a 50% increase on blogs and articles and maintaining 15k Facebook likes.

Accountabilities, Main Duties And Responsibilities 

Regional and Country management

• Wider geographical oversight: Since the closure of the project (March 2016) all the responsibility for alumni network activities have now had to be carried out solely by the post holder. As result, the post holder has to utilise a variety of communication, networking and planning tools with regards to how to engage the networks with little or no support from staff in those countries.
• Manage all aspects of the TGSS website administration including the project alumni page
• Manage all aspects of the TGSS Facebook pages including the group and public pages
• Management of TGSS mail boxes relating to alumni coordination including archiving of relevant data to ensure and all ongoing enquiries are resolved in various country mailboxes

Budget Management

With reduced input from Project managers responsible for scholars in Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritania, Suriname, Uruguay and Ivory Coast, the role will make use of corporate financial systems and processes to appropriately monitor and control the TGSS alumni budget for the various countries. This has included negotiating and defining specific budget allocations for the various countries, producing reports and contributing to overall project planning and forecasting with the UK Finance team.

• Ensure that all TGSS project suppliers work is completed or goods received, and are paid in all countries of operation

Engaging Senior Managers And External Stakeholders

With reduced input from Project managers responsible for scholars in Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritania, Suriname, Uruguay and Ivory Coast, the role will employ the use of a range of non-standard and creative approaches to communicate and influence relationships especially with senior managers, country directors and external stakeholders including the client to persuade for new thinking and ideas to be formed about alumni activities in the various countries and clarifying the objectives and expectations for all. This has included the development of detailed and data heavy reports which have analysed the progress of scholars over the period.

Complete tasks on all outstanding issues – university contracts, other vendor contracts, website, publicity contracts for all countries

Project complexity:

The scholarship currently has an alumni network of over 400 individuals in Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Kenya, Mauritania, Suriname, Uganda and Uruguay. In managing the intricacies of such a large group of people, the role will utilize a progressive approach for activity to evolve and this has helped bring about solutions mainly through the use of social media platforms to overcome challenges with connecting and communicating with the network members.

• To provide regional management of pre award and alumni activity in all countries to ensure high performance and appropriate standards of customer service are delivered to scholars and alumni
• To ensure that communication channels are clear and understood in terms of how colleagues in-country work with individual scholars/alumni
• To provide support to country managers in advising on alumni events to a high standard and within deadline.
• To ensure best practice and consistently high standards of delivery are done on a country wide basis.
• To ensure proper risk management of the Project and in coordination with UK colleagues.
• Provide support and advise within the TGSS alumni network activities as scholar liaison to TGSS scholars
• Provide support and assistance in the management of student welfare issues by the UK team

Specific Regional Duties

Expanded scope:

As a result of the project closure, the role has to take on new responsibility for developing, implementing and driving a strategy for building a sustainable alumnus across all those countries for over 400 individuals. This implies taking lead in developing budget projections, analyzing requirements with the participants and the stakeholders, defining the specification, planning, revising and finally implementing.

• Lead on the development of an Alumni sustainability plan to cover all scholars in all countries
• Any other duties relating to the closure of the scheme and the transitional arrangements as directed by the programme manager

Language:

In light of the changes following the project closure and with the role working directly with the alumni and scholars especially from the Francophone countries, a level a proficiency in French (especially written) is required in order to engage with scholars and providing solutions on various issues including welfare.

Project impact:

Given the timing of the project closure, a clear demonstration of its impact has been requested by both internal and external stakeholders. This has required further skills in storytelling, describing and showing relevant evidence, how the project is influencing change, where quality has been established and calculating the social return on investment especially to the client.

• To manage the reporting process regionally in terms of impact and M+E reporting
• To deliver the regional work plan in relation to alumni work, for example mapping, tracking and monitoring of alumni
• To represent and promote Tullow scholarship at any events as appropriate or through the media or publications
• To ensure that BC can show maximum impact of the project in priority countries
• To troubleshoot any issues arising in particular countries or regionally
• To provide a short written report covering countries within the network to Tullow Oil on a monthly basis
• To work closely with the UK team to ensure that Alumni costs and budgets are maintained and monitored.
• From time to time and as required to work with Tullow Oil on all alumni network activities
• To liaise with country alumni coordinators on a regular basis (at least fortnightly) and to receive written country reports on a regular basis to a format agreed with the client
• To lead on any regional/country wide monitoring and evaluation activities
• Lead in the planning and development of all activity regarding 2015/16 – 17 scholars including welcome back reception, alumni activities, such as graduation and 2 regional events in the UK
• Management of lessons learning exercises for completion and written up for inclusion in the final report for client
• Manage the gathering of all M&E data collected and processed for inclusion in the final reports for BC and Tullow

Reporting and working with the client

• To provide a written report covering all alumni activities in countries within the region to the client on a quarterly basis
• To work with the client and the Programme Manager to administer and deliver an alumni sustainability work plan
• To work closely with the Programme Manager to ensure that all running costs budgets are maintained and monitored.
• From time to time as required to work with the local IHE, E&S and client offices in the various countries on all alumni activities
• Complete all project administration tasks with regards to correspondence and reports for Tullow Oil

Special Requirements For The Job

The remit includes coordinating delivery across a number of countries with key events taking place across the region for which visits may be required for preparation and attendance. Training may be required for certain aspects of the job such as using SAP and impact reporting etc. The post can be based anywhere in the network. Some travel will be necessary on occasions.

Skills And Qualifications

• Experience of setting up new processes and start up.
• Proven ability to identify, develop, and manage relationships with major partners and stakeholders
• Planning and delivery of events to specific groups of people.
• Personal and professional technical and managerial experience in social media
• Expert technical knowledge of a range of the most popular social media channels and applications including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and WordPress
• A first degree or equivalent (substantial work experience in a related field may be considered in lieu of a first degree).