Head of Partnerships

Role Overview

About the role:

The Head of Partnerships, Ghana will play a central role in leading and growing Rising’s partnerships in Ghana. The role combines strategic relationship building with disciplined programme execution, working closely with government partners to deliver measurable improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy at scale. The Head of Partnerships will oversee the successful delivery of major partnership programmes, manage and develop a high performing Ghana based team, and work closely with Rising’s central teams to ensure strong implementation and impact. This is a leadership role for someone who is excited about solving complex challenges, working on the bleeding edge of edtech in Africa, building trusted partnerships, and helping transform education systems so that more children can learn and thrive.

The Head of Partnerships, Ghana will:

• Lead Rising’s portfolio of partnerships in Ghana, ensuring programmes deliver measurable improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy at scale.
• Build trusted relationships with senior government stakeholders, particularly within the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service, ensuring they understand our capabilities and long term commitment to the country.
• Oversee the successful delivery of major partnership programmes, ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget, and in line with agreed implementation and evaluation plans.
• Manage and develop a high performing Ghana based partnerships team, setting clear expectations, supporting team members to grow, and maintaining a culture of accountability and high standards.
• Coordinate closely with Rising’s central teams including programmes, research, finance, business development and partnerships to ensure programmes are well designed, well executed, well funded and aligned with organisational strategy.
• Identify and develop new partnership opportunities with government and philanthropic partners that allow Rising’s programmes to grow and reach more students.
• Ensure strong programme management systems are in place including clear reporting, milestone tracking, and communication with partners.
• Oversee programme budgets and financial performance, ensuring partnerships operate within budget and contribute to Rising’s long term sustainability.
• Represent Rising externally with professionalism and credibility, strengthening the organization's reputation as a trusted partner working to improve education systems.

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience:

• Several years of professional experience in roles involving partnerships, programme leadership, consulting, public sector reform, or organisational leadership.
• Proven experience managing complex programmes or partnerships involving multiple stakeholders, ideally including government partners.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and managing staff to deliver ambitious goals in fast moving environments.
• A track record of developing team members and future leaders, and fostering a strong culture of collaboration, accountability, and constant improvement.
• Experience managing budgets and ensuring programmes are delivered on time and within financial constraints.
• Strong experience building relationships with senior stakeholders including government officials, funders, or institutional partners.
• Experience working in education, international development, public policy, or social impact organisations is strongly preferred.
• A track record of helping organisations grow through new partnerships, programme expansion, or strategic initiatives.
• Bachelor’s degree required. An advanced degree in education, public policy, international development, business, or a related field is an advantage.
• Professional experience in Ghana is necessary and experience and networks within the education sector are highly advantageous.

About You:

• A mission driven leader who is motivated by improving learning outcomes for children and excited by the opportunity to strengthen education systems at scale.
• An excellent relationship builder who can establish trust with senior stakeholders, particularly government officials, while representing Rising with credibility and professionalism.
• An experienced operator who has successfully managed complex programmes or partnerships and delivered results in challenging and fast moving environments.
• Curious and comfortable with technology, able to engage with digital learning tools, data systems, and technology-enabled programmes that support improved learning outcomes.
• Highly organized and comfortable managing multiple priorities, ensuring that programmes are delivered on time, on budget, and to a high standard.
• A strong team leader who enjoys building teams, developing talent, and creating a culture of ownership and accountability.
• Comfortable working across different teams and functions, coordinating work between country teams and central teams in a rapidly growing international organisation.
• A practical and thoughtful problem solver who can navigate ambiguity, make sound decisions, and keep work moving forward.
• Someone who takes initiative, communicates clearly, and holds themselves and others to high standards.

Benefits

Why Join Us?

• Compensation: We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We regularly benchmark our compensation against comparable businesses, social ventures and non-profits. Rising’s goal is to be transparent about salaries at all levels of the organisation and have a standard, global pay scale for all positions that is non-negotiable.
• Continuous Development and Growth: Rising is a Certified B Corp and twice named in its “Best for the World” list. We are committed to continuous development, which is grounded in our values and a vital part of how we bring the ‘Rising Way’ to life. We provide a nurturing environment where our staff are supported with the right ongoing conversations with their managers, among teams and as an organization, to support their career growth and help us reach our goals.
• Impact: Our students achieve learning gains 2.4 times faster than their peers in comparable schools, positioning our impact in the top 10% of global education interventions. This role offers an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to this proven success.

Rising is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, national origin, family or parental status, veteran or disability status.

Rising is committed to creating a culture within the organisation, and its schools, that recognises the importance of safeguarding children and prioritising their rights and needs. We strive to uphold international safeguarding standards, and keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to have the same level of commitment to protect children from harm. Safeguarding questions are part of every interview process and all Rising employees undergo reference checks before joining the organisation.