Head of External Affairs & Government Relations Job at Teach For Nigeria (TFN)

Teach For Nigeria (TFN) is focused on developing a movement of leaders across the nation who are committed to ending educational inequity. Through a two-year Fellowship, TFN will recruit Nigeria’s most outstanding graduates and young professionals of all academic disciplines to teach as full time teachers in underserved schools in poor communities.
Through this experience, our Fellows gain exposure to the reality of Nigeria’s education system and begin to identify their role in building a wider movement for educational equity. As a start-up organization working in a complex environment, we are looking for exceptional individuals who are both self-directed and strong team players to make up our leadership team. 


Job Title: Head of External Affairs & Government Relations
Job Description 

• The Head of External Affairs & Government relations will lead public relations and management of stakeholders to support the growth of Teach For Nigeria. 
• The Head of External Affairs & Government relations will report directly to and work closely with the CEO on setting and executing a high level development strategy, managing a team of talented development professionals, and managing a portfolio of donors and prospects. 
• To be successful, the Head of External Affairs & Government relations must be a strategic thinker who is able to set a bold vision, develop strategies and an operating plan to achieve this vision, and then skillfully manage team execution to achieve results. 
• This individual must be comfortable in a start up environment and possess an exceptionally high level of personal responsibility for achieving ambitious results.

Educational/ Professional Qualifications (in order of preference)
Experience and Training

• A minimum of a first degree/HND in a reputable institution or a Master’s degree in any field
• · 6+ years of relevant work experience;
• · previous experience managing large projects and teams to successful outcomes
• · previous experience working in development/education sector (preferred)

Key Responsibilities/Duties 

• · Develop, maintain and drive strategies to ensure beneficial relationships with the key officials of government and stakeholders with a view to deriving business benefits for the Foundation.
• · Build and maintain a broad and diverse network of relevant Government bodies/officials.
• · Maintain the relationship between the Foundation and the public as well as identified stakeholders.
• · Provide advice and recommendations to the foundation on internal processes and policies that will ensure consistent compliance to government policies, regulations and laws.
• · Proactively develop engagement strategies that will enable the foundation to access benefits in the government policies and laws.
• · Advise the foundation on smart compliance with existing legislation to improving competitiveness, profitability and cost of running the Foundation.
• · Implement and maintain international standards relevant to the Foundation.
• · Define roles and service levels for relevant functions that are needed to ensure compliance to laws and regulations at the state, federal and local government levels.
• · Develop and coordinate initiatives that will engender a beneficial relationship with host communities, especially as regards the impact on the Foundation’s operation.
• · Creating an annual strategic and operating plan to ensure that the TFN team maximize opportunities, meet their goals, and significantly grow funding while building long-term sustainability. Specifically: Set ambitious yet feasible revenue, donor quantity and retention benchmarks to achieve both immediate (current FY) and mid-term (next 3-5 years) development goals.
• · Develop and implement strategies and tactical plans to achieve goals for different donor segments. Regularly assess team-wide progress to goals, identifying what is driving and impeding progress, developing solutions to address gaps, and adjusting course as necessary.
• · Leading and managing development at TFN to build and execute strong strategic plans for donor portfolio thereby building strong donor relationships, increasing donor renewal and upgrade rates, and expanding the donor base.
• · Prioritize the right actions for CEO to take in order to cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects.
• · Conduct excellent donor interactions and communications (i.e., events, meetings, newsletters, grants)
• · Develop and maintain strong operations (i.e., donor tracking systems, data management, meeting prep and download systems, gift processing)
• Cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of donors through meetings, events, and correspondence. The funding sources include Foundations, Corporate, High Net-worth Individuals, Events, Public Sector Units, Events, Online, and Retail etc.
• · Develop relevant strategies with various stakeholders and partners to ensure successful attraction, placement and matriculation of Fellows in relevant schools.
• · Manage relationships with placement partners
• · Establish monitoring processes to evaluate and manage school placements.
• · Identify and work with relevant agencies and organizations to plan and coordinate school placements.

Compensation 
Salary is competitive at Teach For Nigeria and depends on prior experiences. Benefits include opportunities for training and travel. Additionally, there is ample opportunity for professional development and mobility within the organization, as well as access to professional development through the global network Teach For All.


How to Apply 
Please email your resume and a one page cover letter to info@teachfornigeria.org. Please indicate the position applied for in the subject line of your email. Your cover letter should include why you are interested in Teach For Nigeria and in this position. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.