Academic Director Job at Bridge International Academies


Bridge International Academies is the world’s largest chain of primary and pre-primary schools bringing world-class education to the poorest of the poor, democratizing the right to succeed.
Bridge leverages research, technology, and data analysis in order to standardize and scale the entire lifecycle of high-quality education delivery and to drive continuous improvement across all aspects of operations. This includes how academies are built, teachers are selected and trained, lessons are delivered and monitored for improvement, and more. Bridge pupils gain an additional .34 standard deviation on core reading skills and an additional .51 standard deviation on maths compared to their peers in neighboring schools, based on USAID-designed exams administered by an independent monitoring and evaluation company – this translated into over 250 additional days of learning. Thanks to economies of scale, Bridge is able to charge just $6 a month per pupil on average with academies reaching operational sustainability after just one year.


Job Position: Academic Director, Nigeria
Job Location: Lagos
About the Role
Responsibilities of the Academic Director, Nigeria, include:

  • Advocating for learning outcomes and serving as an in-country academic consultant for other departments
  • Leading execution and interdepartmental coordination of the core academic program
  • Providing feedback to the Curriculum team, in order to improve learning outcomes and culturally contextualize what is taught
  • Representing Bridge with key national stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and other government education officials
  • Conducting necessary market and regulatory research to inform instructional systems and policies (timetable, teacher specialty configurations, retention policies, exam policy, placement policy)
  • Managing the Academics team based in Nigeria: Curriculum, Field Work, Measurement and Evaluation (M&E), Instructional Leadership, Innovation

The Academic Director, Nigeria, will report the Country Director and Global Academic Director.
What You Should Have:
The Academic Director, Nigeria must be a data-driven individual with experience developing and managing cultures of high performance and high expectations. You must be a great academic leader who understands exceptional instruction and can motivate and support others in realizing a vision of academic excellence. Ideal candidates have worked in organizations with a proven track record of generating large learning gains.
In addition, the Academic Director, Nigeria must:

  • Be an effective, articulate communicator who can represent Bridge to external audiences
  • Be a self-starter and problem-solver, who thinks three and four steps ahead.
  • Be hard working and collaborative, with the tenacity to plow through challenges and an appreciation for teamwork toward achieving a shared vision.
  • Be both detailed and results-oriented, driven by the data that will allow us to know what is working and what isn’t working for kids.
  • Be humble, ready to “roll up your sleeves” to get things done

Education and Qualification:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Education or related field, graduate degrees preferred
  • 10 years’ experience working in education. 2 or more years of teaching experience with evidence of outsized student learning gains is an added advantage.
  • Experience working in the education sector in Nigeria

The Academic Director, Nigeria will be based in Lagos, Nigeria
You’re also

  • A detailed doer – You have a track record of getting things done, with at least 5 years of post-graduate school experience. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
  • A networking mastermind– You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates. You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network in Nigeria from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
  • A creative problem-solver– Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, Bridge works in volatile, low-resource communities and runs on fees averaging just $6 a month per pupil. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand. Every dollar you spend is a dollar our customers, who live on less than $2 a day, will have to pay for.
  • A customer advocate– Our customers – these families living on less than $2 a day per person – never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like. Every decision you make considers their customer benefit, experience, and value.
  • A life-long learner – You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed


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