Provincial Consultant

OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

New Leaders Foundation (NLF) is a mission driven advisory and implementation organisation specialising in education. It focuses on insights and systemic interventions that leverage data, tech enabled solutions and capability building to unlock excellence in education. It is a dynamic organisation that attracts and develops leaders who are committed to the transformation of education. Its clients include government, not for profit organisations, funders, and corporate social investors. The Data Driven Districts (DDD) Programme is currently NLF's flagship programme. The programme has been led by the Michael Susan Dell Foundation in partnership with the Department of Basic Education. The aim of the programme is to improve learner outcomes by improving the way key educational data is collected and used by officials in the education system to support schools and teachers more effectively NLF seeks a driven problem solver who is passionate about education to join its National Delivery Team. The candidate should have a strong project management skill set and should at minimum have a relevant undergraduate degree or any other relevant qualification or experience. The core purpose of this role is to train, coach and empower the provincial, district, circuit and school officials with tools, processes, and skills for collecting and using quality data to make decisions that improve efficiencies and ultimately learner outcomes. Substantial travel should be expected for operational purposes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive sustainable implementation of the DDD Programme

Liaise with provincial education department role players to develop a clear set of provincial implementation objectives according to consulting and project management best practices. Support in driving DDD activities to ensure sustainable running of the programme in the province and ensure targets are achieved. Maintain data submissions maturity and problem solve where issues arise. Iidentify opportunities for the programme and highlight risks and issues to the provincial Project Manager.

• Provide programme management for the province

Deliver on targets, outcomes and objectives of the DDD Programme, with quality execution, critical thinking, and strategic focus. Participate and contribute to provincial and district meetings, providing relevant reporting. Identify, resolve, and escalate risks and issues to the provincial project manager. Develop solutions to problems/constraints encountered. Deliver weekly programme reports and support additional programme information needs (e.g., Provincial Lead, PMO). Contribute to various reporting requirements of the Programme including Provincial Delivery, Workstream Integration, Funders reporting etc.

• Support provincial stakeholder engagement

Play a lead role in provincial advocacy amongst key provincial education department stakeholders - HOD, EMIS, Curriculum, DMT's, present at provincial education department meetings. Catalyse data-driven districts through training and sharing insights linked to provincial and district priorities. Provide data management and analytics advisory support to provincial officials. Build a network of district DDD champions who role-model DDD usage and offer peer support.

• Integration

Effectively integrate with internal workstreams and support areas as well as external stakeholders to optimise DDD delivery, drawing on lessons & failures in the field. Maintain an ongoing presence in the field to identify constraints and opportunities. Provide input and feedback to other stream leads.

• Innovation

Continuously support the processes that will enhance the Dashboard functionality, features, specs, and reports to ensure it remains user-centric and relevant. Through networking and engagement, identify opportunities linked to the DDD and provincial strategy. Remove DDD team member dependencies related to user access; manage and transfer risks to provincial department.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree
• Project Management qualification
• Minimum 2 years working experience
• Working understanding of the education system in South Africa
• Consulting and or training experience will be an advantage

CORE COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Proficient at Designing PowerPoint Presentations.
• Developed Organising and Planning Skills.
• Collating data into composite reporting templates.
• Research skills to find information when a source is not readily available or defined.
• Process management support experience, especially within a government environment.
• Developed People Skills (includes - coaching and relationship management).
• Understanding and supporting company objectives.
• Training and facilitation skills.
• Proven ability to influence others positively to achieve company objectives.
• Stakeholder management.
• Highly passionate about bringing about social change
• Ability to relate easily to the cultural setting and role players in the territory
• Strong advocacy skills in an ambiguous (government) environment
• Ability to identify what is required from provincial plans and translate into operational actions on the ground
• Able to write reports and articulate outcomes easily
• Familiarity with the Education environment would be an advantage

KEY DELIVERABLES

• Training and facilitation

Training of district officials from basic to advanced dashboard and data usage as well as providing clear and timeously feedback to queries regarding all the products (i.e. Valistractor, SA SAMS and the DDD Dashboard)

• Coaching

Coach and guide the stakeholders in their application and use of the DDD product suite.

• Computer Literacy

Comfortable working with computer hardware, software, networking, and information delivery systems

• Stakeholder Engagement

Ensure stakeholders are appropriately engaged to achieve the desired levels of ownership and buy-in especially at regional level

• Data Analysis

Analysis and interpretation of information drawn from the DDD Dashboard and related data sources

• Goal Orientation

Facilitate activities to achieve the targets and objectives of the project in the province

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• NLF is committed to diversity and inclusion. Preference will be given to South African citizens.

• If you meet the abovementioned requirements, please email your full CV to by 12 January 2026

• Please specify the role you are applying for in the subject line of your email.

• If you do not hear from us by 26 January 2026, please consider your application as unsuccessful

• Salary bracket: R25 000 to R35 000 per month based on experience.