Organization
Description
Description
The
Akilah Institute for Women is the only Higher Education Institute dedicated
exclusively to women in Rwanda and Burundi. Akilah is a college that offers a
unique model of market-relevant education empowering graduates for success in
careers and leadership roles.
Akilah Institute for Women is the only Higher Education Institute dedicated
exclusively to women in Rwanda and Burundi. Akilah is a college that offers a
unique model of market-relevant education empowering graduates for success in
careers and leadership roles.
The
future peace and stability in East Africa lies in the hands of young women who
have the leadership skills and wisdom to create jobs and build businesses that
will lift their communities out of poverty. At Akilah, we bring together the
most promising female leaders from Rwanda and Burundi for an innovative
three-year program that prepares them
for professional careers and leadership roles. Ninety-seven percent of our
current students are the first in their family to go to college. One-third of
our current students are the hea
future peace and stability in East Africa lies in the hands of young women who
have the leadership skills and wisdom to create jobs and build businesses that
will lift their communities out of poverty. At Akilah, we bring together the
most promising female leaders from Rwanda and Burundi for an innovative
three-year program that prepares them
for professional careers and leadership roles. Ninety-seven percent of our
current students are the first in their family to go to college. One-third of
our current students are the hea
Akilah
aims to build future generations of women leaders and professionals in East
Africa through the development of a network of campuses. Akilah will graduate
1,200 students by the year 2020.
aims to build future generations of women leaders and professionals in East
Africa through the development of a network of campuses. Akilah will graduate
1,200 students by the year 2020.
The Position
The
Akilah Institute’s Chief Academic Officer (CAO) will have a unique opportunity
to reimagine higher education for women in Rwanda. In a post-genocide era in
which women have assumed significant leadership roles in both Parliament and a
booming business community, Akilah is poised to develop the next set of Rwandan
leaders. The CAO will play a critical role in shaping the educational
experience of these aspiring women leaders by overseeing and implementing the
academic vision of Akilah. More specifically, the COA will oversee any
outstanding coursework that needs curriculum design, facilitate an effective
roll out of newly designed curriculum to faculty, manage a team of 5-6 staff
who support academics on campus, manage a teaching staff of 12-15, and help to
create a suite of metrics that will track our overall success. The DoA will
supervise and support growing faculty who are using a hands-on, project-based
approach to teaching and learning.
Akilah Institute’s Chief Academic Officer (CAO) will have a unique opportunity
to reimagine higher education for women in Rwanda. In a post-genocide era in
which women have assumed significant leadership roles in both Parliament and a
booming business community, Akilah is poised to develop the next set of Rwandan
leaders. The CAO will play a critical role in shaping the educational
experience of these aspiring women leaders by overseeing and implementing the
academic vision of Akilah. More specifically, the COA will oversee any
outstanding coursework that needs curriculum design, facilitate an effective
roll out of newly designed curriculum to faculty, manage a team of 5-6 staff
who support academics on campus, manage a teaching staff of 12-15, and help to
create a suite of metrics that will track our overall success. The DoA will
supervise and support growing faculty who are using a hands-on, project-based
approach to teaching and learning.
Reporting
- Report
directly to the national Country Director of the Rwanda campus.
Managing
and Coaching Faculty
and Coaching Faculty
- Manage
a full time instructional coach and work with h/she to determine a
coaching plan for faculty to get ongoing feedback on their teaching. - Develop
ambitious goals for student performance. Assess faculty against student
goals on weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. - Support
instructors in building their capacity to design rigorous assessments and
track academic progress for each student on a weekly basis. - Ensure
that all faculty members are reporting student grades each week for each
marking period. - Collaborate
with an Academic Director in Burundi on training, coaching, and student
outcomes on both campuses.
Staff
Management
Management
- The
CAO will manage a team of 5-6 people who will support in all matters
related to academics and the overall student experience on campus. The
positions that will report to the CAO include: Instructional Coach,
Guidance Counselor, Director of Careers and Partnerships, Database Coordinator,
Operations Coordinator, and Assistant. - The
CAO will manage these key staff members and streamline all of the support
that students receive on campus from beginning to end.
Academic
Operations
Operations
- Manage
an operations associate to help oversee all academic calendars, class
schedules, and course outlines. - Work
with the relevant ministries of the Rwandan government regarding the
accreditation process to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and
regulations. - Oversee
faculty in reporting of student grades and attendance in Akilah’s student
management system - Oversee
implementation of all Student Handbook policies
Admissions
- Oversee
the process of grading all incoming student candidate exams and oversee
the process of interviewing all candidates through our admissions process
Culture
- Create
a collaborative work environment among staff members. Lead and inspire
Akilah faculty by championing and modeling organizational values. - Ensure
that the Akilah campus is a learning friendly environment for students:
clean, visually engaging, and organized
Capacity
Building and Professional Development
Building and Professional Development
- Work
with instructional coach to develop and lead rigorous professional
development on effective teaching strategies for all instructors on the
Rwanda campus in collaboration with the Burundi site. - Help
identify areas for growth for each instructor and design personal learning
plans to help instructors improve their practice. - Conduct
regular performance reviews of faculty - Coordinate
peer learning among faculty through regular meetings and opportunities for
knowledge exchange - Support
and manage the three department heads for the entrepreneurship,
Information Systems, and Hospitality Management tracks.
Curriculum
Development
Development
- Ensure
successful implementation of the newly designed curriculum. - Oversee
the department heads for the newer diploma tracks at Akilah – Information
Systems and Entrepreneurship. Manage these department heads as they work
on the curriculum build out. - Analyze
feedback from students, instructors, and hiring partners on curriculum and
instruction. Modify curriculum based on data and outcomes
Student
Management
Management
- For
students on academic probation, work with faculty to develop a student
support plan. - Manage
and resolve student behavior, discipline, or attendance challenges that
may arise. - Serve
as a role model for students: dressing professionally, demonstrating the
importance and relevance of learning, assuming responsibility, and
demonstrating pride in the Akilah mission. - Organize
and supervise after school tutoring program with volunteer tutors.
External
Relations
Relations
- Support
school visits with donors or private sector partners.
- Serve
as point-person in the education community at relevant meetings and
conferences.
Desired
Skills and Characteristics:
Skills and Characteristics:
- Exemplary
instructional and classroom management skills. - Proven
track record of meeting extremely high standards for student achievement. - High
level of personal organization and planning. - Proven
track record for managing small to mid size teams. - Excellent
communication skills with diverse constituents (teachers, parents,
students, board members); clear writer, facilitator and public speaker. - Proven
ability to proactively lead by example, effectively manage faculty, and
seek out feedback. - Team
player; maturity, humility, strong work ethic, follow-through, sense of
humor, and “roll-up-my-sleeves” attitude. - Intellectual
interest in curriculum development, assessment and models of instruction. - Strong
belief in the Akilah mission and educational model.
Qualifications
- A
bachelor’s degree from a competitive college or university; master’s
degree preferred. - At
least 3 years of teaching experience with a record of high student achievement. - Experience
leading teacher training/coaching programs – both design and
implementation. - At
least 3 years of management experience.
Benefits
Competitive
compensation, health insurance, campus crèche, gym membership, generous PTO, 1
annual round-trip flight to home country
compensation, health insurance, campus crèche, gym membership, generous PTO, 1
annual round-trip flight to home country