Education Specialist at Suyana Foundation: (Deadline 02-08-2026)j

 Description

Education Specialist at Suyana Foundation: (Deadline 02-08-2026)

Position Details

• Duty station: Kigali, Rwanda.
• Contract type: Full-time employment contract.
• Reports to: International Project Manager Africa, with day-to-day coordination with the Rwanda Country Coordinator, the MEL Officer and other technical experts.
• Travel: Regular travel to project locations in Rwanda and occasional travel within East Africa, especially Uganda.
• Candidate eligibility: Applicants should have the right to work in Rwanda, unless otherwise agreed by Suyana.

About Suyana Foundation

The Suyana Foundation is a Swiss non-profit organization founded in 2003. We design and implement long-term, integrated development programmes in Bolivia and Peru and collaborate with trusted local partners in Africa. Suyana began its engagement in Africa in 2021 and currently supports several partner-led initiatives, primarily in Rwanda and Uganda.

In Rwanda, Suyana currently supports projects implemented by local partners, promoting community empowerment through a holistic approach across health, livelihoods and education. Education-related work includes access, attendance and retention, inclusive education, basic literacy and numeracy, school-community linkages, and youth skills or TVET pathways where relevant. As part of our ambition to strengthen Suyana’s work, we are progressively expanding our technical support, partner accompaniment and programme development capacity in both countries.

This approach allows Suyana to deepen its long-term impact by combining strong local partnerships with high-quality technical accompaniment and, where appropriate in the future, the implementation of Suyana-led initiatives that respond to local priorities and needs.

Position Summary

The Education Specialist strengthens the quality, relevance and development of Suyana’s education work in Rwanda, while contributing to regional learning and collaboration where relevant. Working closely with the International Project Manager Africa, the Rwanda Country Coordinator, the MEL Officer, other technical experts and implementing partners, the role supports partners to design, implement and continuously improve high quality education programmes aligned with national priorities and Suyana’s integrated development approach.

The role combines programme design, field support, capacity strengthening, monitoring and learning, proposal development and stakeholder engagement. It requires a practical professional who is comfortable working with partners, schools, communities and education stakeholders. Frequent field presence in rural communities and schools is expected so that recommendations are grounded in local realities and contribute to quality, inclusion, sustainability and impact.

Key Responsibilities

Partner Support and Capacity Strengthening

• Work closely with implementing partners throughout the project cycle and provide practical advice that strengthens delivery and results in the Rwandan education context.
• Assess partners’ technical capacity and provide coaching, training and practical support to strengthen education systems, teaching practices and programme quality.
• Facilitate workshops and learning sessions for partner staff, teachers, facilitators, school leaders and community stakeholders.
• Support partners to adapt education approaches to local contexts while maintaining clear standards for quality, inclusion, child protection and safeguarding.
• Help partners identify and solve implementation challenges in a timely and constructive way.

Programme Quality and Design

• Lead the design and improvement of education initiatives through needs assessments, contextual analysis, programme design workshops and stakeholder consultations, with particular attention to rural education realities in Rwanda.
• Develop or review theories of change, logical frameworks, indicators, implementation strategies and education budgets.
• Provide guidance on early childhood development and school readiness, foundational learning, teacher development, learning assessment, learner wellbeing, gender responsive education, inclusive education for children with disabilities, safeguarding and community engagement.
• Promote equitable access to quality education for all learners, with particular attention to girls, children with disabilities, out-of-school children and other vulnerable or marginalised groups.
• Ensure that education programmes integrate gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) principles across design, implementation and monitoring.
• Work closely with Suyana’s Health, Livelihoods and other technical specialists to ensure that education activities are well integrated with Suyana’s broader work on health, livelihoods, WASH and community development.
• Contribute to concept notes, proposals, donor reports and learning products, drawing on Rwanda education sector analysis and field learning where relevant.
• Maintain regular exchange with Suyana’s Education Specialist in Uganda to promote practical collaboration, shared learning and coherence across the Uganda and Rwanda education portfolios.

Monitoring, Learning and Evidence Use

• Work with the MEL Officer to ensure education programmes have relevant indicators, monitoring tools and learning processes.
• Support the use of education data, assessments, school attendance and retention information, and feedback to improve programme quality and decision making.
• Review monitoring reports, assessment findings and evaluations, identifying lessons, risks and options for adaptation.
• Contribute to baseline studies, evaluations, reviews and research activities where required.
• Document and share lessons across projects, partners and countries.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

• Build and maintain constructive relationships with schools, district and sector education authorities, teacher training institutions, TVET providers, local government and relevant networks.
• Represent Suyana in technical meetings, coordination forums and learning events.
• Support partners to strengthen their own stakeholder engagement.
• Monitor Rwanda education sector priorities and trends, and share relevant information with Suyana teams.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration, partnership and future programme development in line with Rwanda’s education priorities and rural community needs.

Safeguarding

• Promote a strong safeguarding culture across all education activities.
• Apply child safeguarding and child protection standards in school and community-based education settings.
• Support partners to apply safeguarding standards and report concerns through the appropriate channels.
• Ensure education activities prioritise the safety, dignity and wellbeing of children, young people and other participants.

Profile and Qualifications

We are looking for an experienced education professional who combines strong technical expertise with a collaborative and practical working style.

Personal attributes

• Hands-on attitude and willingness to work closely with partners, schools and communities.
• Strong initiative and ability to identify opportunities and solve problems proactively.
• Empathy, cultural sensitivity and respect for diverse communities.
• Excellent teamwork and ability to build trusting relationships.
• Strong communication, facilitation and listening skills.
• Adaptability and ability to work in changing environments.
• Commitment to continuous learning, quality improvement, inclusion and safeguarding.
• Strong organizational and planning skills, with the ability to manage several priorities.

Technical qualifications

• University degree in Education, Educational Planning, Pedagogy, Development Studies or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in education programming, including programme design, advisory support or implementation oversight.
• Strong knowledge of Rwanda’s education context, including early childhood development, school-based education, foundational learning, teacher development, learning assessment, learner wellbeing, educational inclusion and community engagement.
• Experience supporting education programmes in partnership with local organisations, schools and rural communities.
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality, social inclusion and safeguarding in education programming.
• Experience applying child safeguarding and child protection standards in school or community-based education settings.
• Experience contributing to proposal development, quality assurance, project cycle management and results-based programme design.
• Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation systems and using evidence to improve programme quality.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda.
• Strong digital literacy, including Microsoft Office and relevant education data or reporting tools.

Desirable

• Master’s degree in Education or a related field.
• Familiarity with Rwanda’s education system, including ECD, primary and secondary education, district and sector coordination, relevant policy frameworks and post-primary pathways such as TVET.
• Experience supporting integrated, multi-sectoral education programmes, preferably in holistic community development contexts.
• Experience working in diverse cultural contexts within Rwanda.
• Experience supporting local partner organisations and strengthening their technical systems.

What Suyana Offers

• Opportunity to join a growing organization investing in East Africa and strengthening its education portfolio in Rwanda.
• Meaningful role where your expertise contributes to better education opportunities and outcomes in rural and underserved communities.
• Supportive working culture that values initiative, learning, collaboration and long-term engagement.
• Opportunities to contribute to partner led initiatives and to the development of future Suyana led programmes in Rwanda.
• Fair and competitive compensation package reflecting experience, responsibility and local conditions.

Application process

This recruitment process is being managed by KaizenMind, an HR firm based in Rwanda, on behalf of Suyana.

If you are interested in joining Suyana, please submit your application through the following form: https://forms.gle/NT9axHTjdFWpAsV18.

Note: As part of the application, you will be asked to provide written responses (maximum two pages in total) to the following questions directly in the application form:

1. What are the main factors influencing learning outcomes, attendance and retention in rural and underserved communities in Rwanda, and why?
2. Describe an education programme or initiative you helped strengthen. What challenges did you identify, and what changes did you introduce?
3. How would you support a partner organisation that is implementing education activities as planned but not achieving the expected learning, attendance or retention outcomes?
4. What attracts you to a role where education is integrated with health, livelihoods, WASH and child wellbeing, rather than implemented as a standalone education project? What opportunities and challenges do you see in this integrated approach in Rwanda?

 Application deadline: 2nd August 2026, 10PM (CAT).

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