About Imagine Worldwide

All children have immense potential, but hundreds of millions don’t have access to the learning they need. Imagine Worldwide believes that every child should be empowered with the basic right to literacy and numeracy. We provide an innovative education technology solution and implementation model to the global literacy/numeracy learning crisis using the onebillion application and various toolkits and systems to support implementation. Our model is massively scalable, evidence-based, and can deliver foundational learning to millions of the most marginalized children.

Imagine Worldwide partners with governments, organizations, and communities to provide child-directed, tablet-based learning that is accessible, effective, and affordable. We are incorporated in California (United States) as a nonprofit organization, but operate in Sub-Saharan Africa through locally-registered entities in Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. Learn more on our website.

About the Role

The Senior Program Manager will report to the Director of Programs at Imagine Worldwide Malawi. Their role is to manage their assigned implementation service providers (ISPs) to ensure timely execution of all program activities in Malawi, to support Program Managers to conduct data-driven program management, and to support the Director of Programs as required with leadership of the Programs Team and coordination with the other country departments. 

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Program Manager’s responsibilities will include - but will not be limited to - the  following: 

Program planning and coordination

• Under the direction and guidance of the Director of Programs, draft and review program plans, budgets, and schedules across all existing sites, and support the expansion to new sites. 
• Review, summarize key insights, and investigate issues arising from program reports such as ISP termly progress reports, ISP financial reports, and others. 
• Support the sourcing, vetting, selection, and contracting of implementation service providers as guided by the Director of Programs.
• Under the supervision of the Director of Programs, manage school feasibility assessments and school selection to collect accurate data and ensure successful selection of schools. 
• Facilitate regular coordination meetings with Program Managers and ISPs to monitor implementation progress, address operational challenges, and ensure consistent delivery of program activities across districts.
• Provide leadership support to the Director of Programs by representing the program in internal coordination meetings and stakeholder engagements when delegated, to ensure continuity in program oversight, decision-making, and coordination.

Data-driven program implementation:

• Engage regularly with implementation partners to track progress and oversee implementation, including check-in meetings, progress reports, site-visits, and any other relevant activities. 
• Collaborate with colleagues from MEAL, Analytics, Logistics, and other relevant teams to improve tools, systems, processes, and methodologies to support implementation and monitoring.
• Review and analyse monitoring data and share actionable insights with relevant stakeholders, i.e. identify successes, flag challenges, and make recommendations about adapting activities and approaches to achieve results.
• Work with the program and research teams to support program assessments, surveys, and impact evaluations.

Data-driven accountability and learning:

• Lead efforts to maintain and improve data-driven practices for measuring program effectiveness and continuous improvement of all program operations.
• Facilitate cross-partner learning and own the process capturing key lessons and findings to inform evidence-based program design and implementation.
• Oversee implementation of strong accountability and beneficiary / community feedback mechanisms, including quality assurance of established processes.
• Coordinate learning processes and documents, including periodically organizing learning summits for reflections on program performance, dissemination of M&E findings, and  driving partnerships and donor engagement.
• Collaborate with communications teams to collect, document, and disseminate impact stories. 

Stakeholder management:

• Coordinate and manage relationships with local community leaders, schools, parents, local education authorities, and other project stakeholders and partners.
• Support dissemination of project processes and outcomes with local and government stakeholders and share any feedback with Imagine’s team.
• Ensure effective communications between Imagine, the ISPs and the Ministry, by detailing key activities, challenges, and programmatic needs to achieve program success.
• Represent the work in local meetings and forums relevant to the progress of the project in various sites.

Capacity building:

• Support the Director of Programs in strengthening program quality by reviewing Program Managers’ implementation reports, monitoring key performance indicators, and identifying trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement. Provide constructive feedback to Program Managers to enhance learning and continuous improvement.
• Provide Program Managers, ISPs, and other colleagues who support program delivery with guidance on Imagine’s standard processes, norms, and standards to ensure consistent, high-quality program implementation across all sites.
• Provide Program Managers with thought-partnership and coaching in technical and program management skills, including data use and operational problem-solving.
• Train team members, implementation partners, ministry staff, district officials on adopting and using the standardised systems that enable us to manage programs efficiently and effectively at scale.
• Support the Director of Programs in the documentation of program implementation lessons, best practices, and innovations emerging from ISP implementation.
• Support the design and facilitation of training sessions, reflection workshops, and performance review meetings to enhance program effectiveness and scalability.

Requirements

Education and Work Experience

The successful candidate will possess the following competencies, experiences, and qualities: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field (development or social studies).
• Minimum of 7-10 years of proven work experience in program management of development programs, with at least 3-5 years in a senior or leadership role managing teams and implementation partners
• Proven track record in managing multi-site, multi-partner program implementation in complex environments

Ideal Candidate Profile

Exceptional project management skills and proven experience that includes: 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Chichewa 
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills 
• Ability to work effectively in multicultural environments and teams 
• Strong organization skills and superior attention to detail 
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines 
• Ability to proactively manage and resolve conflicts
• Good knowledge of computer hardware and software 
• Experience in managing multi-site and multi partner projects 
• Ability to positively influence partners decisions and actions 
• Proven facilitation and training skills with diverse audiences 
• Ability to prioritize and display a high level of adaptability/flexibility while handling job responsibility
• Ability to design and coordinate implementation of MEAL systems
• Excellent skills in MS Excel and other tools for organizing, performing calculations, analyzing and presenting data
• Proven understanding of systematic knowledge management within development organizations and a capacity to promote organizational learning
• Proven understanding of evaluation methodologies, analysis, and presentation of key findings to inform decision making and facilitate adaptive programming
• Strong communication skills and ability to write clear and concise reports

Additional Skills 

• Passion for Imagine’s mission and vision
• Demonstrated commitment to equity in educational access and outcomes
• Strong writing and communications skills
• Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to ‘manage by influence’
• Team-oriented, collaborative, flexible, adaptable, and comfortable working in an inclusive, low-ego, matrix-management environment
• Self-starter, able to work independently, and enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives.
• Collaborative team player; clear and proactive communicator
• High integrity, conscientious and willing to take responsibility

Qualities

•  Passion for Imagine’s mission and vision 
•  Demonstrated commitment to equity in educational access and outcomes
• Passion for project management
• Demonstrated ability to think independently and solve problems
• Collaborative team player; clear and proactive communicator
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to work in a fast-paced, changing environment

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

Location

The Senior Program Manager must be based in Lilongwe, Malawi.

* * *

Imagine Worldwide is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

About Imagine Worldwide 

All children have immense potential, but hundreds of millions don’t have access to the learning they need. Imagine Worldwide’s mission is to empower millions of children across Sub-Saharan Africa with the literacy and numeracy skills they need to reach their full potential. We provide a tablet-based, personalized learning solution designed for the most challenging environments. Nine Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) across multiple countries and settings have shown dramatic learning gains, increased school attendance, and gender parity, all for less than $7 per child per year.

Imagine Worldwide partners with governments, organizations, and communities to provide child-directed, tablet-based learning that is accessible, effective, and affordable. We are a California-based (United States) nonprofit organization operating across seven Sub-Saharan African countries. 

In Malawi, under the BEFIT program, Imagine works with the Malawi Ministry of Education and partners onebillion and VSO, among others, to eventually serve 3.8 million children per year in Standards 1-4 across all 6,000 public primary schools in Malawi. The BEFIT program began rolling out in September 2023 and served 500 schools in Year 1 across 18 districts. Year 2 will serve an additional 460 schools across the remaining 16 education districts in Malawi.

About the Role

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Project Manager will play an instrumental role in coordinating and delivering key projects that enable Imagine's mission to test and scale tablet-based learning solutions. This role manages project implementation across multiple locations, ensures alignment with organizational priorities, and coordinates with government agencies, implementing partners, and internal teams to drive results.

Key Responsibilities

The Project Manager will work closely with Imagine Malawi’s Executive Director and the management team to provide project and operational support. The Project Managers responsibilities will include - but will not be limited to the  following: 

Strategic Project Management

• Support planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities across assigned districts and partners, ensuring alignment with Imagine’s strategy and government priorities.
• Develop detailed project implementation plans with clear timelines, deliverables, budgets, and M&E indicators.
• Track progress against work plans, budgets, and performance targets, proactively identifying risks and bottlenecks and proposing mitigation actions.
• Coordinate with government education offices, implementing partners, and internal teams to ensure smooth execution of activities at both central and district levels.

Operational Support

• Lead in the development of tools, manuals and training resources needed to ensure successful project implementation. 
• Coordinate and supervise the implementation of all program activities to achieve their outputs
• Conduct relevant research to inform program implementation and disseminate relevant information to relevant stakeholders. 
• Convene, document and follow-up on the outcome of monthly project accountability meetings.

Executive Director Support

• Manage the flow of information for the Executive Director in a timely and accurate manner to support coordination and productivity across the country team.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external stakeholders on behalf of the Executive Director to ensure alignment on priorities and follow-through on key actions.
• Schedule and coordinate meetings for the Executive Director with country teams and partners; assist in the preparation and distribution of meeting agendas and materials.
  Support the Executive Director in coordinating priority initiatives, including tracking actions, timelines, and follow-ups across teams.
• Support the Executive Director in promoting the effective use of collaboration and productivity tools to enable asynchronous work and maximize team efficiency.
• Perform a variety of administrative, coordination, and document preparation tasks to support the Executive Director in managing country operations.

Donor Support

• Prepare comprehensive quarterly reports for management information and decisions. 
• Actively participate in donor review and reflection meetings, and highlight project successes, challenges, and mitigating measures to overcome challenges. 
• Track and monitor compliance with donor requirements and reporting deadlines
• Support board meeting preparation, including agenda development, materials preparation, and follow-up on action items

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

The successful candidate will possess the following competencies, experiences, and qualities: 

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Development Studies, Public Policy, or related field. Project Management Certification  is an added advantage.
• Minimum of 6-8 years of progressive experience in project management, program coordination, operations, or strategy roles within education, international development, or nonprofit sectors
• Strong digital literacy and proficiency with project management tools and methodologies

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Proven track record of managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects from initiation through completion
• Experience working in Malawi or similar contexts, with deep understanding of the education sector and government systems
• A track record of managing large, multi-stakeholder initiatives across community, district, and national levels.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills 
• Results-oriented with strong execution capabilities
• Strategic thinker with ability to translate vision into actionable plans
• Natural coordinator who thrives managing multiple priorities
• Excellent working knowledge of MS Office
• Ability to prioritize and display a high level of adaptability/flexibility while handling job responsibility

Qualities

•  Passion for Imagine’s mission and vision 
•  Demonstrated commitment to equity in educational access and outcomes
• Passion for project management
• Demonstrated ability to think independently and solve problems
• Collaborative team player; clear and proactive communicator
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to work in a fast-paced, changing environment

Location

The Project Manager must be based in Lilongwe, Malawi, with travel to field sites as required. The Project Manager will frequently collaborate and coordinate with the local team and Imagine Global. 

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

* * *

Imagine Worldwide is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.