About this role
This role, reporting directly to the CEO, will involve oversight of the performance management and development of all staff in our Ghana-based delivery team. This will involve leadership of recruitment and induction processes, ensuring that our core values are embedded across the team, as well as management of key staff and creation of a clearer professional development strategy.
We are looking for a strong leader, with the ability to inspire, manage and coach our talented team, enabling them to truly thrive and grow within EduSpots as we develop. The individual will be able to ensure the team moves efficiently towards our goals with strong task management and strategic thinking, whilst also promoting a culture of creativity, teamwork and proactivity.
Location: Remote working (home-based in Ghana, with some travel within Ghana)
Reporting to: CEO
Hours: Part-time, 24 hours/week (full-time considered for the right candidate)
Salary: Competitive, in line with experience
About Us
EduSpots is an innovative, dynamic, and locally driven UK and Ghanaian registered charity which connects, trains, and equips voluntary community educators to create transformative literacy and STEM opportunities through education spaces named ‘Spots’, with a focus on female empowerment and environmental action. Together, we are creating a movement of community-based changemakers.
Since 2016, through collaborating extensively with over 250 local volunteers, we have supported 50 communities in creating and running community-led and owned education spaces named ‘Spots’, with a strategy to support them in moving towards our ‘Dream Spot Model’. We are developing a model for a community-led education space with accompanying network engagement that could have applications across the world.
Our 16-strong but entirely part-time and remote working Ghanaian team creates collaborative learning opportunities through our Ignite and Community Leadership in Development (CLEd) Programmes which include training to lead our EduLit, EduSTEM, EduKidz and Ignite Girls clubs, alongside locally designed education projects, reaching over 15,000 students of all ages annually. Read our 2022 Impact Report here.
We are in an exciting period of our development, and we are currently exploring different options to extend our impact. We were recently selected as a finalist for the Their World Scale-Up Innovation Prize and in 2021, our Founder was a Finalist in The Varkey Foundation’s $1 million Global Teacher Prize, supported by UNESCO, partly for her role in developing EduSpots.
We are excited by our future. Do visit www.eduspots.org for further information.
Key responsibilities and duties:
The responsibilities below are intended to convey a sense of what the role requires, but it is in no way exhaustive. In relation to the Ghana-based delivery team:
- Lead the recruitment process of staff, presenting a positive impression of the organisation, and attracting high quality candidates who are aligned with the values, pace and ways of working of EduSpots.
- Leading the induction process of staff, ensuring that staff understand our values, safeguarding policies, core ways of working, and their working responsibilities, alongside feeling supported within the team.
- Support, coach and develop line managers, managing some of our Ghana-based line managers.
- Develop and deliver (where appropriate) in-house learning programmes, to support the development of line managers, and upskilling of all staff, including in basic IT and task management skills.
- Working to embed EduSpots’ core competency and wider performance frameworks, ensuring alignment with our values and support to managers and staff to understand their obligations, how to perform in line with it, and how to identify gaps for training and development in connection with the framework.
- To have overview of the workflow of all Ghana-based delivery staff, ensuring that task management is efficient and working with all staff to advance ownership of their roles.
- Support the creation and embedding of the EduSpots wellbeing strategy and culture of care, alongside ensuring staff work in align with EduSpots’ values which are currently agreed as community-led, creativity, passion, impact-driven and well-being.
- Work with the Operations Manager (UK) to embed HR practices and policies across the organisation, to support our cultural and strategic ambitions.
Other
- To carry out all other duties as reasonably required under the job role, supporting the wider work of the organisation.
- Maintain and observe an appropriate level of confidentiality at all times.
- To act at all times in line with the expectations of staff as set out in the Staff & Volunteers Handbook, and other relevant policies and procedures.
Personal Specifications
Knowledge & Experience
- At least 7 years’ experience of managing and leading teams.
- Experience in supporting the professional development of staff, including leading sessions directly.
- Experience in developing performance development frameworks and wider HR policies.
- Experience in coaching techniques that enable people to perform at their best.
- Experience of home-based, online working
- Strong IT knowledge and skills
Personal Qualities & Skills
- A strong personal affinity with EduSpots’ mission, vision and values with a genuine passion for educational equity and community-led development, with an interest in working with a diverse range of grassroots volunteers.
- Excellent team management and leadership skills, with the ability to support and inspire staff to improve performance outcomes, with high levels of emotional intelligence and thoughtfulness.
- Strong operations skills, with the ability to design systems and policies to meet organisational needs.
- A strong training facilitator, with the ability to inspire volunteers and staff members.
- A team player with a belief in the value of collaborative approaches to learning.
- Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work to maintain a high standard of performance with minimum supervision in a fast-based environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Flexible with the ability to react to change and be adaptable.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a multicultural team
- Masters qualification in a related field
- Volunteer experience and commitment.
- Experience of working within an education focused charity or business
How to apply:
Please send a tailored covering letter and updated CV addressed to the Chair, Miss Catherine Davison, at info@eduspots.org by Monday 17th July with a hope to meet shortlisted candidates for a first-round interview shortly afterwards, for a start date ideally in August.
For further information please see www.eduspots.org or contact us at info@eduspots.org
Also follow us on social media – @eduspots on Twitter and Facebook
This job description will be reviewed annually and may be subject to amendment or modification at any time in consultation with the post holder. It is not a comprehensive statement of procedures and tasks but sets out the main expectations of the role.
EduSpots is committed to the safeguarding of children. Appointment will be subject to child protection screening appropriate to the post.
Download all information relating to this role here: Head of Staff and Professional Development 2023