Position Description

Building Tomorrow (BT), an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting literacy and numeracy for all children, is seeking an External Relations Coordinator. This role will support BT’s Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships teams in enhancing government support for the adoption of its Foundational Learning Program, Roots to Rise (R2R).

The Organization

Started in 2006, Building Tomorrow supports community-powered learning in rural areas. Through over 700 Building Tomorrow Fellows and over 26,000 Community Education Volunteers, Building Tomorrow has enrolled over 272,000 out-of-school children and reached over 1,200,000 learners with our signature Roots to Rise (R2R) literacy and numeracy camps.

Between offices in Uganda, Rwanda, and a global office in the US, Building Tomorrow has a full-time staff of over 340, just eight of whom work outside East Africa. Building Tomorrow has received funding and recognition for its innovative work from Clinton Global Initiative, Echoing Green, Big Bang Philanthropy, Forbes Magazine, the U.S. Library of Congress, and the Klaus J. Jacobs Awards.

Position Highlights

The External Relations Coordinator (ERC) will support Building Tomorrow in strengthening government support for the adoption of Roots to Rise, as well as ensure that strategic partnerships, including donor and government visits and events, are well planned and supported. The position reports to the Director of External Relations.

We are looking for a strong critical thinker and collaborator with excellent interpersonal and communication skills who can support organizational and government partnerships and relationships. The ideal candidate is a professional who produces high-quality written materials, correspondence, and presentations.

This is a full-time position at Building Tomorrow Uganda, located in Kampala, Uganda, with approximately 25% of the time spent traveling to project sites in rural Uganda and meetings within Kampala.

Key Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Director of External Relations, the External Relations Coordinator will hold the following responsibilities.

Support to the Strategic Partnerships Team (50%)

• Support the coordination of donor/partner field visits by working closely with BT internal teams to plan for visitors, with excellence and intention.
• Prepare donor briefs, coordinate donor site visit agendas, and hold preparatory calls with field staff.
• Synthesize meeting and/or visit outcomes and key action items from meetings and/or visits through written readouts and materials.
• Deliver prompt and accurate reporting to colleagues to enable continued momentum on BT strategic priorities.
• Support preparation for meetings with donors/partners. This will involve the ERC, as delegated, leading on the development of decks and meeting briefers.
• Draft reports and donor notes.

Support to the Government Relations Team (50%)

• Coordinate government field visits by participating in the development of government field visit briefers and visit agendas.
• Participate in selected government meetings and serve as note taker.
• Draft correspondence to government officials.
• Work with BT internal teams to support the timely preparation of follow-up documents requested by government and other partners.
• Participate in selected education forums and events, increasing BT’s visibility and forging new partnership opportunities.
• Draft meeting agendas.
• Coordinate logistics for events organized by Building Tomorrow, such as roundtables, conferences, and receptions.

Must Haves

Education: Bachelor's degree in Education, Public Policy, Public Administration, International Development, International Relations, Political Science, or a related field.

Experience: A minimum of 2-4 years of progressive experience in donor relations, government engagement, public policy, systems strengthening, education reform, or public sector transformation, with a strong preference for experience within Uganda.

Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to synthesize complex information for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple complex priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Must have experience working with Google Suite - Google Documents, Google Sheets, etc.
• Experience scheduling meetings using Google Calendar.
• Lastly, experience creating well-thought-through meeting agendas is required.

Preferred:

• An understanding of Uganda's education sector, governance structures, political economy, and the dynamics of NGO-government partnerships.

• Support the coordination of donor/partner field visits by working closely with BT internal teams to plan for visitors, with excellence and intention.
• Prepare donor briefs, coordinate donor site visit agendas, and hold preparatory calls with field staff.
• Synthesize meeting and/or visit outcomes and key action items from meetings and/or visits through written readouts and materials.
• Deliver prompt and accurate reporting to colleagues to enable continued momentum on BT strategic priorities.
• Support preparation for meetings with donors/partners. This will involve the ERC, as delegated, leading on the development of decks and meeting briefers.
• Draft reports and donor notes.
• Coordinate government field visits by participating in the development of government field visit briefers and visit agendas.
• Participate in selected government meetings and serve as note taker.
• Draft correspondence to government officials.
• Work with BT internal teams to support the timely preparation of follow-up documents requested by government and other partners.
• Participate in selected education forums and events, increasing BT’s visibility and forging new partnership opportunities.
• Draft meeting agendas.
• Coordinate logistics for events organized by Building Tomorrow, such as roundtables, conferences, and receptions.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to synthesize complex information for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple complex priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Must have experience working with Google Suite - Google Documents, Google Sheets, etc.
• Experience scheduling meetings using Google Calendar.
• Experience creating well-thought-through meeting agendas is required.

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Public Policy, Public Administration, International Development, International Relations, Political Science, or a related field.
• An understanding of Uganda's education sector, governance structures, political economy, and the dynamics of NGO-government partnerships.