Introduction
The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a pan-African body and forum for policy dialogue on education. We are a critical voice of education in Africa. ADEA is hosted by the African Development Bank Group in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and works closely with African governments, regional economic communities (RECs), and development partners to support policies and practices that promote quality, relevant, and equitable education.
The vision of ADEA is “a high-quality education and training system for accelerated sustainable development of Africa.” ADEA’s mission therefore is to “serve as an open and flexible pan-African organization that informs and facilitates the transformation of education and training systems for resilience, human capital development, and youth empowerment in Africa.” Acting as a catalyst in promoting innovative policies and practices through the pooling of ideas, experiences, learning and knowledge, ADEA’s overall goal is to contribute to empowering African countries to transform schooling to meaningful learning by leveraging its globally connected partnerships, a well-equipped and skilled Secretariat, and country led Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs).
ADEA is implementing a multi-country initiative tagged: “Tackling Education and Skills Data Challenge (ESDC)”. The ESDC initiative aims to strengthen data systems to inform education and training policies that are aligned with labor market needs. The initiative will enhance the availability, quality, and use of data in areas such as Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and Labor Market Information Systems (LMIS) to support evidence-based decision-making and improve educational outcomes across the continent.
Purpose of the Role
In pursuit of the above objective, ADEA is seeking an experienced Director to lead the multi-country ESDC Initiative. The flagship initiative will support 30 African countries to strengthen Education and skills data systems. The role will provide continental strategic leadership, political engagement, and technical oversight to ensure countries generate, govern, and use quality data for planning, budgeting, and policy decision-making aligned with the African Union (AU), REC, and SDG 4 priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Vision
- Drive a continent-wide vision for strengthening education and skills data systems.
- Ensure alignment with ADEA’s 2024–2028 Strategic Plan and AU education frameworks.
- Translate continental priorities into actionable strategies for 30 countries.
High-Level Political & Stakeholder Engagement
- Lead political engagement with Ministers of Education, senior officials, and RECs.
- Strengthen the commitment to harmonized education data standards (AU, UIS, CESA, SDG 4).
- Represent ADEA at regional and global events, championing Africa’s data agenda.
Technical Oversight of EMIS/LMIS Reforms
- Provide expert guidance on EMIS modernization, LMIS strengthening, interoperability, foundational learning data, and data governance.
- Ensure coherence and quality of all technical deliverables across countries.
- Approve analytical briefs, scorecards, and regional dashboards.
Results, Monitoring, and Evidence Leadership
- Oversee MEL strategy, annual results cycle, and country progress assessments.
- Lead production of continental dashboards, synthesis reports, and evidence products.
- Promote data use for planning, budgeting, teacher deployment, and skills alignment.
Project and Team Management
- Supervise the ESDC Manager and cross-functional teams (Technical, MEL, Comms, Operations).
- Ensure timely delivery, risk management, and compliance with funder requirements.
- Drive team performance and continuous learning.
Partnerships & Resource Mobilization
- Cultivate partnerships with AU, RECs, UN agencies, development partners, and EdTech actors.
- Support resource mobilization and long-term sustainability of the initiative.
Capacity Development and Country Support
- Champion institutionalized capacity development through national training entities, peer-learning networks, and country-led reforms.
- Support ministries to embed data use in planning and policy dialogue.
Candidate’s Profile
The Director will be employed for a period of one-year renewable depending on satisfactory performance and results. He or She is expected to possess the following competencies and qualifications:
Required Qualifications & Experience:
- Master’s degree or higher in Education, Economics, Public Policy, Data Science, or related field.
- Minimum 12 years of senior leadership experience in education policy, data systems, or multi-country programs in Africa.
- Proven expertise in EMIS/LMIS reform, data governance, and continental/global education frameworks.
- Demonstrated ability to engage Ministers and senior political actors.
- Experience managing large, complex, multi-country initiatives.
- Fluent in English or French, with functional proficiency in the other.
Preferred:
- Experience working with AU, RECs, or major international organizations.
- Experience in ICT in education, interoperability frameworks, and data-driven reform.
- Experience in funder relations and resource mobilization.
Success Indicators (first 12 months):
- Secured political commitment from priority countries.
- Approved country data strengthening plans for initial cohorts.
- Operational ESDC continental dashboard prototype released.
- Strengthened peer-learning platforms across at least two RECs.
- Demonstrated improvements in data quality, governance, or use in participating countries.
Submission of applications
Interested candidates are invited to submit a detailed CV, a cover letter outlining suitability for the role and relevant experience and contact information for three professional references. Applications must be sent to adea-applications@afdb.org no later than midnight (12:00 am) GMT on Monday January 5th, 2026. The subject of the e-mail should be “Director – Education and Skills Data Challenge (ESDC) Initiative”.
ADEA is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. Due to the high volume of applications, only selected candidates will be contacted through a formal email correspondence. Do not contact ADEA or its staff members about the status of your application.
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