Based in the Expertise France coordination office in Paris, with regular travel to the coordination offices in Arusha (Tanzania, EAC Headquarters) and Abuja (Nigeria, ECOWAS Headquarters), the Team Leader will be in charge of the overall supervision and coordination to achieve the project objectives in an efficient and effective manner.

The Team Leader will oversee the day-to-day management of the Project Management Unit (PMU), comprised of 4 staff in charge of providing financial, administrative and cross-cutting support to the project. This staff is comprised of the Administrative and Finance Manager (AFM), a Project Assistant, a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Coordinator and an Advocacy and Communication Officer.

Additionally, the Team Leader will work closely with a technical team working to provide technical assistance and operational support to the RECs who are at the core of the project implementation, particularly with the two long-term technical assistants (LTTA) who will be directly based within the RECs.

Finally, the Team leader will ensure effective collaboration and coordination between the Implementation Partners (IP) thanks to the liaison officers and project coordinator named by Expertise France, EDUFI and ADEA. The Team Leader with the PMU will be responsible for partnership coordination and will provide specific support regarding project accountability overseeing IPs grant, contract arrangements and partnership discussions regarding to project potential synergies with other projects including the Regional Teacher Initiative for Africa (RTIA). He/she will also be responsible for overseeing the project's budget, ensuring that financial resources are allocated efficiently and transparently; as well as for the overall monitoring and evaluation process.

Under the supervision of the Head of Education, Higher Education and Research Unit at Expertise France (Paris, France), the Team Leader will oversee the strategic direction, implementation, and coordination of the project. The responsibilities include setting objectives, leading the team, managing stakeholder relationships, and ensuring alignment with international and regional education strategies.

Key responsibilities:

Strategic management and oversight:

•  Define the strategic direction and objectives of the project, in close consultation with project stakeholders.
• Coordinate with EU Commission services and RECs to define project goals and plan activities.
•  Organize and facilitate the annual Project Steering Committee (PSC) and biannual Regional Steering Committee (RSC).
•  Align project activities with EU policies, the African Union's Continental Education Strategy, the SDGs, and other relevant frameworks for education policy development in Africa.
• Ensure that the three focus areas—equitable, gender-responsive, inclusive education; green education; and digital education—are effectively integrated and emphasized in strategic programming to align with overarching educational goals.
• Facilitate the definition and implementation of the phase-out strategy in alignment with the strategic vision of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the EU.
• Ensure effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are in place, with support from the M&E Coordinator.
• Ensure regular reporting to the partners and the EU on project progress, challenges, and key achievements.

Team management and coordination:

• Lead, manage, and guide the Project Management Unit (PMU), through a direct (EF) or a functional link (Implementing Partners).
• Foster team cohesion through regular and ad hoc meetings.
• Set goals, objectives, and deliverables for team members under his direct management.
• Oversee the recruitment of short- and long-term experts, in coordination with the Administrative and Finance Manager (AFM). 

Stakeholder engagement and accountability:

• Coordinate between different teams and stakeholders to ensure alignment.
• Facilitate dialogue and coordination with various teams primarily with liaison officers and project coordinator.
• Maintain effective communication with donors, partners, and beneficiaries.
• Addresses stakeholders feedback and integrates it into project strategies.

Planning and monitoring of project activities:

• Develop consolidated work plans and annual budgets.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the M&E, communication and Knowledge Management strategies, in coordination with the respective specialists.
• Ensure programming, financial, and administrative compliance with EU and Expertise France procedures.
• Identify potential risks and implements mitigation strategies.
• Develop contingency plans to address unforeseen challenges and ensure project continuity.
• Monitor compliance with regulatory and organizational policies.
• Manage the allocation of resources (personnel, finances, materials).
• Ensure the efficient use of project assets.
• Continuously update and refine project procedure.
•  Supervise implementation of the project information management system.
• Ensure that agreed measures for safety and security are in place and adhered to by all staff, in coordination with the Operations Security Department.

Management of SO1 of the project:

•  Oversee the development of dialogue spaces in pilot regions, facilitated by RECs, focusing on equitable and inclusive, green, digital and gender-responsive education policies.
• Strengthen REC contributions to continental and global dialogue and reporting mechanisms.
• Supervise and lead the development of a capacity strengthening plan to enhance the capabilities of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) for improved policymaking and coordination among Member States.
• Support ad hoc peer-to-peer exchanges between RECs and their working groups to share best practices and methods for educational policy coordination.
•  Contribute to the achievement of the SO1 outputs:

o   Output 1.1: Enhanced regional spaces for coordination, dialogue, peer learning, and knowledge sharing.

o   Output 1.2: Strengthened institutional capacity of ECOWAS and EAC to coordinate, support, monitor, and report on education policies.

o   Output 1.3: Improved capacity of ECOWAS and EAC Member States to design, implement, and monitor equitable, inclusive, gender-responsive, green, and digital education policies.

• Support the implementation of the phase-out strategy aimed at laying the groundwork for sustainability.