Location: Flying Kites Campus – Njabini, South Kinangop Sub-County, Kenya Department: Flying Kites Academy Office Hours: Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Position Status: Management-level, exempt from overtime Organisational Relationship: Reports to the Executive Director* (*pending hire of ED, reports to COO)
About us:
At Flying Kites, we partner with teachers in rural Kenya to transform schools so that girls can thrive. By introducing programs and resources across our School Network, we are supporting girls to realize their human rights by making informed decisions about their bodies, their education, and their future. 2024 is a pivotal year for Flying Kites. With a multimillion-dollar, multi-year grant to scale our work and multiply our impact, we are building the capacity of our 42-person (and growing!) Kenya team, establishing our Academy as a model school for gender equity, and expanding our School Network to reach all 46 public primary schools in the South Kinangop Sub-County, benefiting more than 20,000 students – 10,000 girls and 10,000 boys – and 1,000 teachers over the next five years.
Driven by a vision for all girls to live healthy, self-determined futures, our Theory of Change is underpinned by a set of inputs delivered at our private Academy and across our growing Network of co-ed public primary schools in South Kinangop. While many excellent organizations deliver interventions that benefit girls throughout Kenya and beyond, at Flying Kites we:
are centered in our community (in Njabini, Kenya since 2007) – the school communities we partner with are also our neighbors, positioning us to learn together as we contextualize, ideate, and iterate our programs
support girls in very young adolescence, (ages 10-14), a vulnerable and critical time for their bodily and cognitive development.
partner with public primary school teachers and local government officials to design and implement interventions that empower girls and support systems change across the larger community.
We need a motivated and experienced Director of Education to lead our high-performing teachers and transform our Academy (Grades PP1-9) into a model school for Gender Transformative Education. Our ideal candidate is a strategic leader with a deep understanding of Kenya’s competency-based curriculum, expertise in gender equity, and experience designing and implementing programs that address barriers to education for girls.
Position Summary: The Director of Education is responsible for developing, leading, and executing the mission and strategic goals of our primary school, Flying Kites Academy (“FKA”), and positioning FKA as a model school for Gender Transformative Education from which we design, pilot, and scale interventions that address barriers to learning across our network of public primary schools in South Kinangop Sub-County (“School Network”). In this role, he/she is responsible for designing and managing programs that achieve measurable improvements in literacy, gender equitable teaching practices, and differentiated instruction strategies. In addition, the Director of Education provides leadership and guidance to the Head of School to ensure alignment and mission-centeredness in the management, practices, and day-to-day operations of FKA. Finally, the Director of Education collaborates closely with the Director of Programs to develop and facilitate training programs for teachers across our School Network.
Duties are fulfilled using his/her expertise and experience developing and managing education programs in a school and/or education-focused NGO environment using program planning and management strategies, curriculum development and teacher training skills, program evaluation and impact metrics underpinned by logical frameworks, and learning methodologies that promote gender equity. The role requires exceptional written and oral communication skills, superior responsiveness, ethics, and professional integrity, and an ability to engage colleagues, partners, and stakeholders at all levels to ensure clarity and alignment with the organisation’s vision and mission.
Essential duties and responsibilities:
Develop, implement, and execute a program for Gender Transformative Education at FKA, including a clearly-articulated logical framework, timeline, and tools for measuring impact toward target outcomes.
Establish and introduce key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and measure teacher capacity aligned with target impact goals, particularly in areas of literacy, gender equitable classrooms, and differentiated learning.
Develop, implement, and execute a professional development strategy for teachers aligned with identified needs, Ministry of Education requirements, and organizational goals, including the design and facilitation of in-house workshops, coaching/mentoring practices, digital resources, and engagement with outside experts.
Oversee the performance management process of teachers based on achievement of established KPIs and quantifiable professional development goals.
Establish KPIs and provide guidance and direction to the Head of School in support of the effective day-to-day management of FKA, ensuring that all programs (curricular and extracurricular) achieve clearly-stated objectives, are implemented on time, and comply with organizational policies, procedures, and priorities.
Establish, communicate and institutionalize FKA policies, practices, and procedures to ensure compliance with Ministry of Education standards and alignment with core organizational mission, priorities, and objectives.
Collaborate with the Finance Department and Head of School to develop and manage the FKA operating budget while identifying strategies to optimize costs aligned with goals to enrich the quality of programs and resources.
Serve as a member of the Global Leadership Team by upholding and modeling the value-driven culture of the organization, participating in calls and meetings with the larger Leadership Team, and sharing/cascading information to teachers and the FKA community.
Prepare and communicate termly and annual impact reports for circulation to the wider leadership team, including quantitative and qualitative data aligned with target outcomes for identified priority areas.
Support fundraising and development initiatives as directed by the COO.
Continually assess, identify, and address gaps and weaknesses to improve programmatic and operational performance, efficiency, and effectiveness
We are looking for:
An inspiring and creative thinker who is deeply passionate and knowledgeable about gender equity
A results-oriented and community-centered leader with a commitment to working and living in rural Kenya.
Familiarity and experience with the objectives and target outcomes associated with Kenya’s competency-based curriculum (CBC) at the primary and junior school levels
Knowledge and understanding of Gender Transformative Education concepts and implementation strategies, particularly for students in very young adolescence
Highly developed program/project management skills, including design and application of logical frameworks and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) methodologies.
Ability to develop and deliver professional development training to teachers and other adult learners
Mature and professional interpersonal skills; ability to interact effectively in a multicultural environment with stakeholders and colleagues at all organizational levels
Exceptional written, oral, and presentation skills in English and Kiswahili
Knowledge and high proficiency in computer applications
Self-reliant and results-oriented with the flexibility to live and work in a rural community
Excellent judgment, integrity, and problem solving skills
Strong mentoring experience to inspire and develop teams with diverse levels of expertise
Entrepreneurial team player who can multitask, prioritize effectively, and adhere to deadlines
Exceptional analytical skills to effectively assess, monitor, and communicate data
Education and work experience:
Master’s degree (or higher) in Education
5+ years leadership experience at a school or non-governmental organization in Kenya
Advanced education, certified skills, and/or professional experience in the area of gender equity, including knowledge of Gender Transformative Education goals and practices
Additional requirements:
Ability to manage and be accountable for the handling of confidential and sensitive informations
Ability to respond quickly and maintain composure in situations that impact the safety and security of children
An incident-free Children’s Check and National Police Check (Certificate of Good Conduct) is a strict condition of employment and must be provided at time of hire and updated on request
Consistent with the leadership level of this position and the need to effectively communicate with US-based colleagues, periodic weekend and after-hours work is expected and required to meet organizational priorities
Occasional travel based on organizational priorities
Additional responsibilities may be assigned to support coverage for management-level and other colleagues who are absent, on holiday or personal leave
Our unique culture and workplace:
While we operate as a global team, including colleagues in the US and UAE, the heart and soul of our work is developed and achieved from the gorgeous surroundings of our Flying Kites Campus, located in the foothills of the Aberdares mountains in Njabini, Kenya.
Winning Moves
We accompany our community – we give preference to their needs.
We are accountable — we use data and evidence to make decisions.
We start at home — we develop interventions at our own Academy, then adapt and share them across our School Network.
Transparent - we are committed to open, honest, and immediate communication.
Engaged - we prioritize high levels of engagement with colleagues, responsibilities, and objectives.
Ambassadors -we act as role models and representatives of our organization.
Mission-centered - we remain mindful of both the task at hand and the larger “big picture” goals of our organization.
Flexible - we nurture a growth mindset that embraces feedback and serves the changing needs of our organization.
Kind - we approach each interaction with a commitment to kindness, respect, and the presumption of good intent.
Other Information
The Director of Education collaborates as a member of the Flying Kites Global Leadership Team alongside the Kenya-based Director of Operations & Administration and the Director of Programs
The Director of Education reports to the Executive Director (or the Chief Operating Officer as the Executive Director position is currently vacant)
The position is based in the Flying Kites Campus in Njabini, South Kinangop Sub-County, Kenya.
Expected work hours are from Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., or as otherwise needed to successfully fulfill responsibilities. A significant (8 hour) time difference is acknowledged and generally accommodated for scheduled and unscheduled communications with the Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors, and colleagues in the United States.
The Kenya office is subject to occasional interruptions in power and/or Internet access.
All of our programs and objectives serve children from preschool through young adults. Our workplace is thus regularly accessed and impacted by children.
The statements contained in this job description are not necessarily all-inclusive; additionalduties may be assigned and requirements may vary at the discretion of the organizational leadership.
