Job Description
Digital Education Program Lead
Project Location: Colombo
Please send your CV and expression of interest to [email protected]
About us and the role
Palmera (www.palmera.org) works at the grassroots in Sri Lanka, in partnership with local organisations and in direct delivery, to support vulnerable rural communities, and is registered in both Australia and Sri Lanka.
Palmera is not a school institution but a grassroots NGO working in the rural areas of Sri Lanka with local partners. Palmera is a lean support facilitator who has developed the platform and will be working with local partners in Batticoloa, Jaffna and Monaragala to deliver this programme.
Through WAY. (way.palmera.org) an AI-powered digital platform that works fully offline, we are creating a way to learn, wherever you are: bringing structured, syllabus-aligned lessons in children’s own language to the children that distance, connectivity and cost have left behind. In 2027 Palmera will bring WAY to children across three provinces through local partnerships, to show that it works, that schools can own it, and that it can be replicated across the country and beyond.
We are seeking a WAY Schools Programme Lead to turn this vision into results and own the programme's success: someone who believes in this mission, not someone looking for just another job. This is a hands-on role with a small team, a Curriculum Coordinator and partner staff. The role is full time and based in Colombo, reporting to the Palmera CEO, with regular travel to delivery locations. Trilingual candidates (English, Tamil and Sinhala) highly considered. The successful candidate will need to pass safeguarding checks, including a police clearance.
Responsibilities
Effective delivery through partners
This part of the role makes sure the program is delivered well in every school.
- Support with engagement, approvals and buy in through relevant government officials and school principals/teachers.
- Contract and manage three NGO delivery partners across 30 schools, holding all three to one standard of quality delivery and evidence.
- Undertake the training needed to support partners and schools in effective delivery.
- Visit schools and partners regularly to monitor, solve problems on the ground, and act early when delivery falls short.
- Bring partners together to share what works and lift performance across the programme.
Curriculum management
This part of the role makes sure lessons are accurate, improving and ready when schools need them.
- Line-manage the Curriculum Coordinator and set curriculum priorities and timelines.
- Make sure expert review, initial teacher feedback and ongoing improvement in the classroom happen on time and to a high standard.
- Support to turn classroom feedback into better lessons and better facilitator training.
Operational management, evidence and replication
This part of the role keeps the programme well run and builds the evidence for it to grow.
- Own the programme plan, budget, contracts and compliance, and report to the Palmera CEO.
- Ensure effective management of the third party IT support so every tablet is ready, tracked and repaired quickly.
- Manage and support independent research on learning outcomes, school ownership and cost to support replication.
- Build relationships with partners, stakeholders and education authorities, and use the evidence to make the case for wider adoption.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Education, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policy or a related field. Additional training in programme management or monitoring and evaluation is desirable.
Experience, skills and attributes
- At least five years managing education or development programmes, ideally including work with schools in Sri Lanka.
- Experience managing partners, contractors, budgets and contracts to a high standard of accountability.
- Practical experience of monitoring and evaluation, and of using data to make decisions.
- Confidence building relationships with schools, communities and government officials.
- Excellent English and working Tamil or Sinhala; trilingual strongly preferred.
- A hands-on approach, a strong commitment to child safeguarding, and the drive to own the programme's success.
- Experience with education technology or digital learning is an advantage.
