Senior Partnerships Manager, South Africa (Independent Contractor)

Job Title: Senior Partnerships Manager, South Africa (Independent Contractor)
Location: South Africa (remote) with travel locally, and internationally to Kenya and the UK
Salary: 736,000 - 874,000 ZAR p.a. full-time equivalent, dependent on experience
Basis: Consultant (12 months with possible extension)
Eligibility: You must be eligible to work in South Africa

The role

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is seeking a Senior Partnerships Manager to develop our reach and impact in South Africa. This is an exciting time for our work in the region where we have a growing portfolio of computing education partnerships and programmes. This includes:

• Code Clubs: We have a network of over 50 mission-aligned non-profit partners in 43 countries that set up and run free coding clubs to inspire young people to get hands-on creating with technology. In South Africa, we have a network of Code Clubs in 4 provinces, and are looking to grow our reach and impact.
• The Computing Curriculum and educator professional development and training: We have developed a 500-hour computing curriculum based on leading research on teaching and learning computing. With the new Coding and Robotics Curriculum in South Africa there’s opportunity to collaborate with education departments and educators to support the development and roll out of the computing curriculum.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced partnerships manager with a successful track record in partnership development, delivery and management. You will be comfortable working with a range of senior external and internal stakeholders, including government, education sector representatives and industry. You will have in-depth knowledge of how school and education systems work in South Africa, including the processes through which they adopt new programmes and resources, and of the education policy environment.  You will have a strong network of relevant contacts to help deliver our mission.

You don’t need to be an expert in computing or digital making, but you do need to bring a passion for our mission and a willingness to learn. 

We strive to make the Foundation a place where talented people who care about our mission can do the best work of their careers. We have a flexible and collaborative approach to all aspects of our work. If you’re the right person for the job, we’ll make it work for you, and you can be confident that you’ll be working with an exceptional team.

Main responsibilities

• Identify and develop opportunities for growth and to extend the impact of our existing education products in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly South Africa. 
• Manage the delivery of new and existing partnerships and programmes of work in the region, including grant management when appropriate.
• Collaborate with the Foundation’s Impact team to improve and implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E), using the results to identify and drive partnership and programmatic improvement and ensure outcomes are consistently achieved.
• Build the volunteer, educator, and partner communities, facilitating connections and opportunities to learn from each other.
• Report on progress across the partnership and programme lifecycle, identifying and actioning opportunities, challenges, and risks, and making renewal recommendations.
• Build the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s network and brand presence in South Africa, independently and in collaboration with our partners, representing the Foundation regionally at local and international events where appropriate.
• Enhance the visibility of the impact we have created with our partners by contributing content for our newsletters, social and digital media channels

Experience and personal attributes

We recognise that everyone has the potential for growth, and we welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they have some, but not all, of the experience and personal attributes listed here.

• Good commercial skills and a demonstrable record of success in partnership and business development, including the ability to identify and progress opportunities, create proposals, and build productive partnerships.
• In-depth knowledge of the workings of education systems in South Africa, and the wider Sub Saharan Africa region, including the processes through which schools and non-formal learning settings adopt new programmes and products, and the market landscape for computing education.
• Substantial education programme management experience, including managing successful delivery of large-scale, complex initiatives.
• Understanding of computing and digital making preferred, with a demonstrable ability to develop new skills.
• A track record of implementing strategies to scale volunteer-led, community, or government programmes in educational settings, ideally with a focus on South Africa.
• The ability to engage and manage senior external stakeholders from government, the broader educational community, and industry, and a strong network of relevant contacts.
• Experience and understanding of grant management processes.
• Experience with online learning experiences and products, with an understanding of how technology is changing learning.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• A collaborative, flexible, and solution-oriented approach, with the ability to manage conflicting priorities and complexity.
• Good data and analytical skills, and the ability to use data effectively to improve what we do. 
• Willingness to travel within South Africa, with overnight stays when necessary. Potential travel to Kenya and the UK.

About us

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK-based educational charity with the mission to enable young people to realise their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies. You can read more about us on our website.

Established in 2008 and first known for our product — the wildly successful Raspberry Pi computer — the Foundation has developed education programmes, learning experiences, and products that are helping millions of young people learn vital new knowledge and skills.

Through Code Club, we support the world’s largest network of free informal computing clubs for young people. Tens of thousands of educators have taken our online courses, and millions of people use our free online learning resources. To deepen our understanding of how young people learn about computing and how to create with digital technologies, we conduct academic research, and we use that knowledge to increase the impact of our work and advance the field of computing education.

Across all of our work, we work hard to engage young people who come from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in the field of computing or who experience educational disadvantage. We work all over the world, with teams based in the UK, Ireland, North America, and India, and partnerships with mission-aligned organisations in over 40 countries.

We are at the forefront of the global movement to help young people learn about computing and digital making. You can read more about our mission, values, and goals in our Annual Review 2022 and our Strategy 2022-2025.

Timetable for applications

Closing date: 14th February 2025  
Phone screen: Week commencing 17th February 2025
First-round interview: Week commencing 24th February 2025
Second-round interview: Week commencing 3rd March 2025

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. If successful in the selection process, you will be required to undergo a background check to confirm that you are a suitable person to work with children. Further background checks will be made at regular intervals thereafter.