Project Director – Zero Out-of-School Children Project at Save the Children Rwanda | Apply by 3 november 2026

Save the Children Rwanda is seeking a qualified and experienced Project Director for the Zero Out-of-School Children (ZOOSC) Project. This leadership position focuses on improving access to primary education and ensuring that children across Rwanda enrol in and remain in school.

The Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), signed a framework agreement with Educate A Child (EAC) to achieve zero out-of-school children at primary level. MINEDUC selected Save the Children as the implementing partner, working in consortium with Humanity & Inclusion (HI) and the National Union of Disability Organisations in Rwanda (NUDOR).

The five-year project, covering 2023–2028, aims to enrol and retain 177,119 children in primary education by strengthening school-level identification and enrolment, empowering families and communities, and improving policies and data systems.

Main Responsibilities

The Project Director will provide overall technical leadership and strategic and operational management of the ZOOSC Project. The role also involves coordinating consortium partners, maintaining donor compliance, and ensuring that project activities achieve their intended results on time and within budget.

1. Strategic Leadership and Project Delivery

The successful candidate will:

• Lead project planning, implementation, monitoring, learning, and reporting.
• Develop and submit work plans, detailed implementation plans, performance monitoring plans, and financial and progress reports.
• Oversee project activities and budget utilisation, identifying and addressing implementation risks.
• Lead monthly project award reviews with relevant budget holders and finance teams.
• Ensure appropriate separation of financial and administrative responsibilities.
• Respond to requests from Save the Children Rwanda, Save the Children US, Educate A Child, and MINEDUC.

2. Consortium and Donor Management

Responsibilities include:

• Organising consortium meetings and coordinating partner performance.
• Reviewing and approving partner work plans, budgets, and reports.
• Ensuring timely donor reporting and compliance with funding requirements.
• Coordinating and documenting matching-fund commitments.
• Overseeing sub-award management, partner capacity assessments, and monitoring of sub-recipients.

3. Government Relations and External Representation

The Project Director will work closely with MINEDUC and other government institutions throughout project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.

The role also requires representing the project in government, donor, education, and partner forums; maintaining strong working relationships; promoting government ownership and sustainability; and ensuring that consortium steering committee meetings take place at least quarterly.

4. Technical Quality and Innovation

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership in areas such as:

• Identifying and enrolling out-of-school children.
• Improving school attendance and retention.
• Inclusive education.
• Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC).
• Teaching and learning quality.
• Supporting improvements to the School Data Management System (SDMS) to track individual attendance and identify children who are out of school.

5. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning

The Project Director will ensure that monitoring and evaluation findings inform project decisions and improvements. Responsibilities include tracking performance indicators, supporting enrolment and attendance monitoring systems, coordinating with MINEDUC, and documenting and sharing project learning and case studies.

6. Financial, Risk and Compliance Management

The role includes overseeing budgets, financial forecasts, expenditure rates, and matching-fund compliance. The Project Director must also ensure compliance with donor rules and Save the Children requirements relating to procurement, finance, anti-fraud controls, audits, and reporting.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants must meet the essential requirements outlined in the job description.

• A Master’s degree in Education or a related discipline.
• At least eight years of technical and management experience in education programmes.
• Expertise in at least two areas among teacher training, inclusive education, SBCC, dropout prevention, and teaching and learning materials.
• Demonstrated technical leadership of basic education programmes in Rwanda or the region, including support to ministries of education.
• Experience managing large national projects involving at least two implementing partners, a budget of at least USD 10 million, and a team of at least 30 staff.
• Strong experience in donor and consortium management, including financial oversight, compliance, and reporting.
• Commitment to inclusive programming regardless of gender, disability, or other marginalised status.
• Proven ability to coordinate organisations and maintain effective communication.
• Experience working with children, communities, local leaders, and school leaders.

Desirable Qualifications

Experience working with senior officials from MINEDUC and its agencies, MINALOC, and MIGEPROF is desirable. Knowledge of Save the Children systems such as AMS, Agresso, and PPM/PRIME, as well as Educate A Child or similar foundation donor requirements, is also an advantage.

Required Skills and Personal Attributes

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Excellent relationship-building, planning, coordination, and organisational skills.
• Strong written and spoken English and Kinyarwanda.
• Effective public speaking and communication skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and financial management abilities.
• Attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Advanced computer literacy.
• Initiative, self-motivation, accountability, confidentiality, and integrity.
• Commitment to Save the Children’s mission and vaes.

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