Post-School Success and Partnerships Manager

Overview

Pharo Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a pioneering, mission-driven organisation working to build a vibrant, productive, and self-reliant Africa. Founded and fully funded by Pharo Management, emerging markets hedge fund, the Foundation represents a new model of philanthropic capitalism: a private endowment using its own capital to design, fund, and operate development programmes with private-sector discipline and long-term commitment.

Over the next decade, the Foundation’s ambition is to deliver lasting impact across three interdependent missions:

Empowering the next generation through affordable, high-quality education. Solving water scarcity by building and operating sustainable water infrastructure. Driving economic productivity by unlocking jobs, investment, and innovation through both non-profit and for-profit ventures.

The Foundation operates in Ethiopia, Somaliland, Kenya, and Rwanda, employing more than 750 people. It combines a not-for-profit engine: Pharo Development, with a for-profit engine, Pharo Ventures, which builds and operates sustainable businesses to create jobs and advance economic self-reliance.

About Pharo Schools

Pharo Schools is a pan African network of Schools that, exists to expand opportunity through high quality affordable and equitable education across Africa. We are building a network of high-impact, future-focused schools that deliver excellent learning outcomes, nurture character and wellbeing, and empower young people to shape prosperous futures for themselves and their communities. Rooted in the Foundation’s mission to “enable Africa to thrive”, Pharo Schools operates with a deep commitment to equity, dignity, and access. Our schools prioritise strong teaching, enriched learning environments, and holistic development, ensuring that every child regardless of background can succeed at school, thrive in life, and transition confidently to further education and meaningful livelihoods. Pharo Schools currently serves over 6000 students across Kenya, Somaliland, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Role Purpose

The Post-School Success and Partnerships Manager will lead the strategic development and implementation of Pharo Foundation's post-school success agenda, ensuring that students successfully transition from secondary school into higher education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, and employment pathways. The role is responsible for increasing university placements, expanding scholarship and financial aid opportunities, securing third-party funding for student support, and building strong partnerships with universities, donors, employers, and funding institutions. The Manager will work closely with Scholarship Coordinators, school leadership teams, and external partners to remove financial and systemic barriers that prevent students from accessing and succeeding in post-secondary opportunities.

This role extends beyond university admissions to include ongoing student success, retention, and graduation support, ensuring that students thrive throughout their post-secondary journey and contribute meaningfully to their communities and countries.

Key relationships

Role: Post-School Success and Partnerships Manager – Pharo Schools

Location: Kenya, Somaliland, Ethiopia and Rwanda with regional travel required

Reporting to: Managing Director, Pharo Schools

Functional relationship: Country Directors, Heads of Education, School Leadership, Scholarship Coordinators

Key Responsibilities

Post-School Success Strategy and Programme Leadership

Develop and implement a comprehensive Post-School Success Strategy across the Pharo Schools network. Design and strengthen pathways into university, TVET, entrepreneurship, employment, apprenticeships, and other post-secondary opportunities. Establish systems, processes, and support structures that improve students' transition beyond secondary school. Monitor post-school outcomes, analyse trends, and implement interventions to improve student success. Develop a robust data collection, monitoring, and reporting framework.

University Partnerships and Student Placement

Build and manage strategic partnerships with universities across Africa and internationally. Increase the number and quality of university placements secured annually. Negotiate scholarships, tuition support, fee waivers, accommodation assistance, priority admissions, and other partnership benefits. Develop strong relationships with admissions, financial aid, and university leadership. Coordinate university visits, partnership agreements, recruitment events, university fairs, and application support initiatives.

Scholarship Development and External Funding

Develop and implement a diversified scholarship funding strategy. Secure external funding through scholarships, grants, corporate sponsorships, donor programmes, foundations, and innovative education financing. Build strategic relationships with philanthropic organisations, development partners, corporate sponsors, alumni, and high-net-worth donors. Lead funding proposals and establish sustainable scholarship funding models that reduce reliance on internal resources.

Student Success and University Retention

Monitor student progress, wellbeing, retention, and graduation outcomes. Build systems for ongoing engagement with students and partner institutions. Identify risks affecting student success and coordinate timely support interventions. Develop mentoring, alumni engagement, and student support programmes while maintaining accurate student records.

Scholarship Management and Sustainability

Strengthen scholarship management, compliance, and monitoring systems in collaboration with Scholarship Coordinators. Oversee scholarship agreements and develop sustainable graduate contribution or repayment models where appropriate. Track graduate engagement and repayment commitments while ensuring scholarship programmes remain equitable, transparent, and financially sustainable.

Stakeholder and Partnership Management

Serve as the primary relationship manager for strategic post-school success partners. Represent Pharo Foundation at universities, conferences, donor engagements, and education forums. Build partnerships with governments, scholarship agencies, employers, and international education networks to expand internship, mentorship, and employment opportunities.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

Develop KPIs and monitor university placements, scholarships secured, funding raised, student retention, graduation, employment outcomes, and scholarship sustainability. Produce reports for senior leadership and donors and use insights to continuously improve programme performance.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential

Bachelor's degree in Education, International Development, Public Policy, Business, Higher Education Administration, or a related field. At least five years' experience in university admissions, scholarship management, higher education partnerships, fundraising, donor engagement, or student success programmes. Demonstrated success in building strategic partnerships and securing grants, scholarships, sponsorships, or donor funding. Experience working with universities or higher education institutions. Strong project management, stakeholder engagement, communication, and relationship management skills.

Desirable

Master's degree in a relevant discipline. Experience working across Africa or within international education systems. Knowledge of global scholarship programmes and higher education financing models. Experience managing alumni engagement initiatives.

Key Competencies

Strategic thinking and programme design Partnership development and stakeholder management Fundraising and resource mobilisation Negotiation and influencing Data analysis and reporting Student-centred problem solving Financial and commercial acumen Cross-cultural communication Project and programme management Results orientation and accountability

Success Measures (First 2–3 Years)

The successful candidate will:

Increase university placements across the Pharo Schools network. Secure strategic university partnerships that expand scholarships and financial aid opportunities. Establish a diversified external scholarship funding portfolio. Increase third-party funding for scholarships and post-school success programmes. Improve student retention and graduation rates. Develop a sustainable scholarship contribution or repayment framework. Build a strong alumni engagement ecosystem. Position the Post-School Success Programme as a leading model for educational access and social mobility across Pharo Schools.

Personal Attributes

Passionate about equitable, high-quality education and student success. Strategic, innovative, and forward-thinking with a commitment to continuous improvement. Collaborative and able to build trusted partnerships across diverse stakeholders. Adaptable, resilient, and comfortable leading change in complex environments. Student-centred, evidence-driven, and results-oriented. Entrepreneurial with strong commercial awareness and a focus on scalable impact. Demonstrates integrity, professionalism, and sound judgement. Committed to advancing African education and expanding opportunities for young people.

How to apply

Applicants are required to attach a detailed CV and a cover letter.

We will review applications on a rolling basis, and in the event that an exceptional candidate is identified early in the process, Pharo Foundation reserves the right to make an appointment before the advertised deadline. We therefore encourage interested applicants to apply as early as possible.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted due to the high volume of applications received.

Pharo Foundation is an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, and gender equality in all its practices. We encourage applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, gender, religion, or background

Must have skills Fundraising skills Strategic Partnership Negotiation and influencing skills Qualifications - Let's take the first step towards joining our team Apply