TANZA EDUCATION • SENIOR LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY
About Tanza Education
Tanza Education implements proven education programmes in public schools, focusing on excellent and sustainable delivery at scale. The organisation believes that effective implementation starts with great people and invests in its team while strengthening ownership by schools, communities and government.
Learn more about the organisation at tanzapartners.com.
Position Details
Organisation: Tanza Education
Position: Interim Deputy Country Director
Contract Duration: 1 Year
Reports To: Country Director / Tanza Managing Director
Location: Morogoro or Songea, Tanzania
Travel: Monthly travel to the region outside the employee's primary base
Eligibility: Tanzanian nationals only
About You
You are a people-focused leader who helps others perform at their best. You take time to understand your team, recognise individual strengths and support professional development. You combine empathy with high expectations, provide clear direction, give honest feedback and address challenges promptly.
You enjoy working close to programme delivery, including visiting schools, coaching managers and helping teams resolve practical implementation challenges.
You can assess priorities, step back to see the wider picture and ensure colleagues have the support and resources they need to succeed. You use data and field observations to guide decisions and strengthen performance.
You bring passion, humility, sound judgement and a strong sense of responsibility. You are willing to roll up your sleeves and help others develop the confidence and capability to lead independently.
About the Role
This is a one-year interim Deputy Country Director contract. The organisation's stated intention is to explore other opportunities within Tanza for a successful candidate who wishes to stay, although continued employment is not guaranteed.
The Interim Deputy Country Director will primarily lead, support and develop the team responsible for delivering Tanza Education's programmes.
The role directly manages Program Managers, helping them become effective leaders of their district teams and strong partners to schools and government.
A central objective is to develop future leaders who can take on increasing responsibility. Through coaching, constructive feedback, the Tanza Accelerator and meaningful leadership opportunities, the successful candidate will strengthen managers' judgement, confidence and ability to operate independently.
Key Responsibilities
1. Lead & Develop Program Managers
- Give Program Managers clear goals, regular coaching and constructive feedback.
- Strengthen their planning, judgement, management and government engagement skills.
- Support them to develop Field Coaches and identify future leaders within their teams.
- Address performance concerns promptly and fairly, with clear expectations and follow-through.
2. Build a Strong, Supportive Team Culture
- Create an environment where colleagues feel respected, take responsibility and raise challenges early.
- Encourage collaboration and practical learning across districts.
- Lead recruitment and onboarding for the team, ensuring new colleagues receive the support they need.
- Pay attention to workload and wellbeing, helping teams sustain high standards during busy periods.
3. Ensure Excellent Programme Delivery
- Support teams to plan ahead and deliver all aspects of programmes with high fidelity.
- Spend time in schools and with field teams to understand what is working and what needs improvement.
- Use data and field observations to guide improvement and hold teams accountable for results.
- Ensure safeguarding expectations are understood and consistently upheld.
4. Strengthen School & Government Ownership
- Coach teams to build productive relationships with schools and government counterparts.
- Ensure field support strengthens local confidence, capability and responsibility over time.
- Help teams identify barriers to sustained implementation and work with partners to address them.
- Oversee critical activities, including government termly reporting and quarterly field visits.
5. Manage Field Budgets, Reporting & Operational Support
- Work closely with finance, administration, IT and logistics colleagues to ensure field teams have the resources they need.
- Collaborate with Program Managers, Partners and Finance to develop realistic budgets and identify cost-effective approaches without compromising quality.
- Review monthly budget-versus-actual reports and track expenditure against programme delivery.
- Lead quarterly and termly reporting to partners, working with programme and finance teams to submit accurate, timely reports on progress, results, expenditure and risks.
- Review and approve payment requests in accordance with budget availability, documentation requirements, financial compliance and procurement procedures.
6. Contribute to Organisational Leadership
- Act as a thought partner to the Country Director, Partners and senior leaders, bringing field realities and team needs into organisational decisions and programme design.
- Anticipate staffing and delivery requirements, identify risks early and recommend practical responses.
- Translate strategic priorities into achievable plans and take decisive action when required.
Qualifications & Experience
- Education: A relevant degree or equivalent professional experience.
- Experience: Approximately 10 years of relevant professional experience, including substantial responsibility for leading managers and geographically dispersed or large teams.
- Experience building constructive relationships with government and other partners.
- Experience leading field-based programme operations, budgeting, logistics and compliance.
- Experience with technology-enabled programmes or primary education programmes is an advantage.
Required Leadership Skills
- People Management: Ability to develop, motivate and empower diverse teams while fostering growth, accountability and high performance.
- Communication: Ability to share and receive information with clarity, care and humility, using timely feedback and compelling narratives.
- Collaboration: Ability to work inclusively, listen openly, value diverse perspectives and build genuine understanding.
- Business Strategy: Ability to translate vision into action through data-driven decisions and continuous improvement.
- Execution Excellence: Ability to deliver high-quality work by tracking progress, adjusting priorities and staying focused on what matters most.
Personal Attributes
- Relentless Passion: Bring energy and commitment to making a positive difference every day.
- High Standards: Strive for excellence and maintain a strong commitment to quality.
- Integrity in Action: Do what is right, even when difficult, and earn trust through consistent actions.
- Leading with Humility: Listen to others, value their contributions and remain willing to learn.
- Growth Mindset: Believe in continuous learning, development and improvement.
- Better, Together: Believe that shared strengths and effective teamwork produce stronger results.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified Tanzanian candidates should email their updated CV to Tanza Education before the application deadline.
Email: careers@tanzaeducation.com
Suggested Email Subject: Interim Deputy Country Director – Application
Application Deadline: 30 November 2026
APPLY BY EMAIL
Eligibility: This position is open to Tanzanian nationals only. The employer's advertisement requests a CV; no additional application documents were specified.
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Does Your CV Demonstrate Your Senior Leadership Impact?
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