Jobs at Bridge International Academies

Bridge International Academies is the world’s largest and fastest-growing chain of primary and pre-primary schools with more than 400 academies and 120,000 pupils in Kenya and Uganda. We democratize the right to succeed by giving families living in poverty access to the high-quality education that will allow their children to live a very different life. We leverage experts, data, and technology in order to standardize and scale every aspect of quality education delivery, from how and where academies are built to how teachers are selected and trained, and how lessons are delivered and monitored for improvement. We are vertically-integrated, tech-enabled, and on our way to profitability. Bridge expects to continue rapid expansion in East Africa, and will be launching operations in Nigeria in September 2015, with India to follow in 2016.

PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE, REAL ESTATE


Our Development group (real estate, legal, physical planning, construction) owns the life cycle of academy expansion, from identifying potential land deals in our communities through to constructing academies, sometimes several dozen at a time. The real estate team begins the development cycle by engaging in a central part of our operations which includes the identification, verification and acquisition of plots of land for our schools inside the informal settlements. The development (and real estate team) is one of the first groups introducing a community to Bridge.

OVERVIEW OF POSITION
The Real Estate team identifies potential land deals in target communities and executes on leases. The Programme Associate, Real Estate is the “glue” that keeps everything together – managing interdependencies and working with managers and individual contributors alike to ensure that targets are met and processes are followed.

This is a position that requires extreme attention to detail/speed and the organizational/strategic savvy to manage stakeholders effectively. You will be in a highly visible position in a high-pressure environment where targets and deadlines matter, and where you will need to understand the intricate details of how a physical planning permit is obtained, and the general framework/milestones for academy construction. You will need to be extremely responsive and systems-minded. Ultimately, you will be a part of every single academy that launches at Bridge through your work in Real Estate

WHAT YOU WILL DO
Manage the real estate lifecycle across all active plots; you should know every detail there is to know, and be able to report on the statuses/issues with every plot
Monitor new plots submitted through the GIS system; coordinating with legal for validation of deals
Manage of daily work plans for field staff including validating schedules and work output
Organise Real Estate files and ensure all documentation and process are in order
Provide general administrative support to your supervisor and the rest of the team as needed

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE
BA/BS degree with at least 2 years of work experience
Project management experience in fast-paced environments with clear cut targets
Experience coordinating projects within Real Estate, Physical Planning, or Construction preferred
Experience working in startups/fast-growth companies a HUGE plus
Tech/systems savvy; great with Microsoft Office and learning new tech products


Above all else, we’re looking for ambition, organization, drive, intellect, problem solving, and respect for others. You will report to the Supply Chain Director.

ABOUT THE ROLE
As our Procurement Manager, you are responsible for leading the team that sources and obtains strong pricing across the various areas that we need items for – chiefly our academies, as well as for HQ functions. You uphold the highest standard of conduct, and you expect the same from your team.
This is a key position within the company’s Supply Chain team with important linkages to many other department.

WHAT YOU WILL DO
Develop and implement policies, procedures, tools and guidelines to ensure effective and efficient procurement processes in the company and to assure seamless procurement services
Seek, evaluate and recommend reliable vendors or suppliers to provide quality goods or services at reasonable prices
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with suppliers, contractors and other partners within the procurement services chain to create partnerships that add value
Negotiate prices, lead times and other contractual terms with suppliers in Nigeria and other parts of the world as may be required
Review and embed with user departments the technical specifications for all materials required for school operations, equipment or construction requirements
Closely oversee the acquisition of materials needed for production of learning and training requirements, general supplies for offices and facilities, equipment, and construction contracts while ensuring visibility of the process at each stage.
Work with department managers and other staff to forecast demand of procurement services and to ascertain that goods are received as ordered and payments processed only for certified confirmations of deliveries or service.
Budget, report and analyse procurement costs to ensure high visibility and control of procurement related expenses.

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE
Degree/professional qualifications in purchasing and supplies management
Expert level of knowledge in procurement including, but not limited to sourcing, pricing, contracts, relationship management and due diligence on suppliers and contractors
Ability to quickly learn and improve systems; technical competence in MS Office
Experience working with an ERP (Experience working with Dynamics NAV will be an added advantage)

PHYSICAL PLANNING MANAGER

JOB DESCRIPTION
Guiding team and taking a deeply hands-on approach on drafting and compiling Planning briefs, public notices, site location plans, and other necessary documentation
Tracking deliverables, documenting, reporting progress and making sure the planning approval processes proceed as planned
Ensuring that team executes on targets within stated timeframes – working as hard as needed to make this happen

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE
Degree(s) in planning from university
Minimum of 5 years’ experience working in physical planning/change of use; very experienced at preparing planning briefs
Strong understand of building/planning codes in Lagos and elsewhere in Nigeria and the people involved in decision making
Appropriately registered with the relevant professional bodies
Very detail-oriented, organised, and hands-on; willing to travel frequently at short notice to get things done
Experience motivating a field-based team to achieve targets
Strong computing skills (e.g. Microsoft Office)

TO APPLY
Click on Job Title below:

PROCUREMENT MANAGER

PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE, REAL ESTATE