Executive Associate

⚠️ Recruitment Fraud Alert:

TaRL Africa does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process. Be aware of fraudulent messages offering job opportunities in exchange for money or “codes.” All official communication will come from @tarlafrica.org email addresses. If in doubt, contact us at recruitment@tarlafrica.org.

Position: Executive Associate

Reports to: Director
Research, Learning & Evaluation & Director Programs Design & Pedagogy

Location: Kenya

Deadline: 19th December 2025

TaRL Africa Initiative

TaRL Africa initiative is hosted by Empower Learning Africa, a not-for-profit organization registered and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with teams in Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Zambia and locally registered offices in Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire. TaRL Africa began as a joint venture by Pratham and J-PAL in 2019, with the goal of supporting governments and organizations across Africa to accelerate children's foundational skill learning using the evidence-based "Teaching at the Right Level" (TaRL) approach. TaRL Africa's vision is for every child across Africa to have foundational skills so that they can have a better future. Our mission is to ensure education systems effectively equip children with these foundational skills.

We support governments and organizations in over 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to design, deliver and scale impactful TaRL program while learning and sharing how the approach can be improved for different contexts. Together with partners, TaRL Africa has reached over five million children with TaRL programming.

Summary of the role

Provide high-level administrative and operational support to the Directors of RLE and PDP, ensuring the smooth and efficient functioning of their offices. This role enables the Directors to focus on strategic leadership and decision-making by effectively managing their calendars, communications, and key operational priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Inbox Management & Communication Triage: Provide high-judgment inbox management for both Directors.
• Calendar & Scheduling: Manage and prioritize both Directors’ calendars, coordinating meetings, appointments, and internal discussions across multiple time zones.
• Travel Management: Coordinate with the Finance & Operations Team to lead travel arrangements, secure visas, and reconcile all post-trip expenses promptly for both Directors.
• Meeting & Event Coordination: Organize office meetings, prepare agendas, materials, minutes, and follow-up actions.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Prepare Directors for engagements with governments, NGOs, donors, and internal leaders.
• Communications Support: Draft, review, and proofread correspondence, reports, presentations, and internal documents for both Directors.
• Project & Task Support: Assist with ad hoc office projects or tasks as requested by either Director.
• Proactive Coordination: Anticipate the Directors’ needs and manage competing priorities efficiently.

Key Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years supporting senior leaders in an office environment.
• Strong organizational, time-management, and multitasking skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Professional discretion and ability to handle sensitive information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, office collaboration, and AI tools.
• Proactive, detail-oriented, and able to anticipate the needs of multiple leaders.

Desirable

• Experience supporting two senior leaders simultaneously.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities efficiently and independently.

TaRL Africa Values

1. We place children's learning first.
2. We are always learning, improving, and innovating.
3. We are locally rooted for high-quality delivery and sustainable impact.
4. We are kind, respectful and collaborative.
5. We are proactive, committed to integrity and doing our best each day.

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational needs.

TaRL Africa provides a nationally peer-benchmarked compensation package aligned with organizational salary scales, taking into account both qualifications and professional experience.

TaRL Africa is an equal-opportunity employer committed to having a diverse workforce