Innovations for Poverty-Action (IPA)

Job Description

Job Title: STARS Scale-up Advisor

Division/Department: Education projects

Work Location: Kigali

Length of contract: 1 year with the possibility of extension

Reports to: Senior Research and Policy Manager 

Background

IPA is a research and policy Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA designs, rigorously evaluates and refines these solutions and their applications together with researchers and local decision makers, ensuring evidence is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. Since being founded in 2002, IPA has worked with over 400 leading academics to conduct over 500 evaluations in 51 countries.

IPA Rwanda was established in 2013 and has multiple active projects spanning Education, Agriculture, Finance, and Health. IPA Rwanda predominantly implements randomized evaluations in collaboration with the academics, the Government of Rwanda and other development NGOs to evaluate the impact of new development concepts to help inform future government policy and development projects.

Supporting Teacher Achievements in Rwanda Schools”STARS” is one of the projects being implemented by IPA in collaboration with the Ministry of Education(MINEDUC).

It is a collaborative project led by Georgetown University, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), MINEDUC, National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA), and the Rwanda Examination Board (REB) to develop, evaluate and scale an evidence-based approach to incorporating learning outcomes in teachers’ performance contracts, or imihigo, in Rwanda.

Through STARS, since the school year 2022/2023, the research team has been studying and testing different approaches to incorporate learning outcomes in teachers’ imihigo and currently, is being implemented in sampled schools selected from 10 Districts.

A Task Force chaired by the Director General of the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA) and co-chaired by the STARS team is charged with designing this reform to teachers’ imihigo. The established NESA task force will oversee the adoption of the model recommended by STARS to be scaled as the revised national imihigo in the 2025-26 school year.

With the above background, IPA-Rwanda in collaboration with the MINEDUC and its affiliated agencies, is seeking a STARS Scale-up Advisor to help the Ministry of Education and all affiliated stakeholders to advance the revised national imihigo scale-up plans and strategies. This position will require the job holder to work effectively with a range of stakeholders, to work independently and to have strong problem solving skills towards the successful STARS Scale up implementation. 

The STARS Scale-up Advisor will be embedded in RWANDA Basic Education Board- working closely with NESA and MINEDUC.

Responsibilities include:

Policy implementation

• Build a good understanding of the research behind STARS, becoming a reference for policymakers and ensuring that the key principles of the programme are maintained in the scale up process.
• Work with MINEDUC and affiliated agencies and research team to put in place legal framework accompanying the implementation.
• Coordinate the planning for the scale up, including working closely with the research team and other partners to fine tune the scale up plan of STARS.
• Support MINEDUC during STARS scale-up implementation, for example by overseeing logistics for training events or troubleshooting during implementation.
• Work with MINEDUC and all other relevant stakeholders to ensure the alignment of the scale up plan with the policy and regulatory framework 
• Build and manage relationships with policymakers and other stakeholders at the central and local levels, helping them learn from the pilot and refine the programme so that it is effective, supports the implementation of the revised curriculum, and is sustainable at scale.

Project management

• Develop a plan for the revised imihigo in the targeted 20 districts, identify potential risks and oversee the overall implementation of the plan to ensure adherence to timelines, budget, and objectives.
• Develop and execute the plan to allocate resources and manage the budget for scale-up activities
• Coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and its Agencies, Districts, Schools, teacher unions and development partners involved in the scale up of the STARS program.
• Help identify gaps in the STARS scale up plan and work with the research team, relevant officials/policymakers to find sustainable ways of addressing identified gaps.
• Ensure that Sector Education Inspectors, Head teachers, teachers are properly trained and equipped. This could include designing or facilitating workshops, professional development sessions, or online training.
• Prepare regular reports for stakeholders, including funders, government bodies, and educational authorities, detailing progress, outcomes, and challenges faced.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Work closely with Ministry of Education officials, IPA Embedded Lab, Research team and other programme partners to oversee timely collection and reporting of data, including data on teacher performance, program adherence, and effectiveness.
• Coordinate plans to strengthen the capacity of the implementing teams so that they in turn are able to support the monitoring and analyzing of the data accurately and take appropriate action to support schools.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• A Master’s degree in education, public policy, public management, economics, or a related field.
• At least four years’ work experience demonstrating capacity to create and maintain high-level relationships with policymakers and implementers. Experience in education would be an asset.
• Proven experience in policy implementation and project delivery at scale, including at least 1 year of experience working closely with large NGOs or governments, preferably in a developing country context.
• Experience in the on-the-ground adaptation and implementation of evidence-based programs at scale is strongly preferred.
• Capacity to build monitoring and evaluation processes, and leverage them to inform and revise delivery processes
• Willingness to travel in-country to coordinate implementation activities as required by the project
• Proven ability to multitask and successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage cross-organizational partnerships within evolving circumstances.
• Attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
• Excellent communication skills, including clear, precise, non-technical written and presentation skills; as well as effective spoken communication and presentation style.
• Strong skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Skills in other statistical tools would be an asset.

IF YOU MEET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION,

PLEASE APPLY BY SUBMITTING YOUR CV AND ACADEMIC CERTIFICATES. COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION AT THIS LINK: https://poverty-action.formstack.com/forms/iparw_stars_scale_up_advisor_job_application_may_2025

APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED ON A ROLLING BASIS, ALL APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED PRIOR TO 5 PM RWANDA TIME on 10^th June 2025 WILL BE CONSIDERED. APPLICATIONS AFTER THIS TIME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. DUE TO THE VOLUME OF APPLICATIONS ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE NOTIFIED.