Education Portfolio Manager

Old Mutual; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Old Mutual seeks a results-driven leader to head the Foundation’s Education portfolio, translating strategy into measurable school-level impact. You will oversee program design, delivery, partnerships and governance, ensuring literacy, numeracy and teacher-support interventions align with local needs.

The role requires multi-site program management, stakeholder engagement with government structures, rigorous monitoring and learning, and strong leadership to drive budgets, risk and performance.

Qualifications

• Must have a relevant degree in Education, Development Studies, Social Science, Community Development or related field.
• Strong analytical capability including interpretation of programme data, needs assessments and education evidence.
• Proven ability to translate strategy into practical delivery plans and measurable outcomes.
• Experience managing partners, stakeholders and service providers; people-management experience is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Education portfolio strategy, design and implementation roadmap with annual plans, milestones and measurable outcomes.
• Oversee end-to-end programme design and delivery from needs assessment to contract, implementation and close-out.
• Coordinate school-level implementation with partner activity and employee volunteerism to avoid disrupting teaching and learning.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with schools, implementation partners and government structures.

Skills

Analytical ability

Stakeholder engagement

Written & verbal communication

Facilitation skills

Strategic thinking

Team leadership

Education

Education

Development studies

Job description

Description

Lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of the Foundation’s Education portfolio, translating the strategy into measurable school-level impact. The role connects needs-led school support, high-quality implementation partnerships and supports employee volunteerism so that interventions are practical, evidence-informed, scalable and responsive to local context.

Key Result Areas

Strategy and portfolio leadership

• Own the Education portfolio implementation roadmap and translate strategic objectives into annual plans, priorities, milestones and measurable outcomes.
• Guide the phased three-year rollout, ensuring implementation choices reflect provincial context, school need, feasibility, additionality and available resources.
• Use clear selection and intervention criteria to prioritise support that addresses evidenced school and learner needs rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model.
• Continuously review the portfolio against emerging evidence, implementation learning and the Foundation’s strategic intent, and recommend course corrections where required.

• Programme design and delivery
• Lead end-to-end programme design and delivery, from needs assessment and solution design through contracting, implementation, handover and close-out.
• Oversee education interventions that strengthen learning conditions and outcomes, including appropriate literacy, numeracy, teacher-support and enabling school interventions where these align to assessed need.
• Coordinate school-level implementation so that partner activity, employee volunteerism opportunities and learner-facing engagements are sequenced effectively and do not disrupt teaching and learning.

Partnerships and stakeholder management

• Build and manage strategic relationships with schools, implementation partners, education stakeholders and relevant government structures, including the Department of Basic Education and provincial education authorities where appropriate.
• Identify partnership opportunities that strengthen reach, quality, sustainability or system alignment.
• Lead partner scoping and onboarding from a programme perspective, defining deliverables, roles, safeguards, reporting requirements and escalation pathways.
• Represent the Education portfolio credibly in senior stakeholder engagements, sector forums and internal governance processes.

Measurement, learning and reporting

• Define programme-level outputs, outcomes and indicators aligned to the strategy and ensure reliable baseline, implementation and outcome data are available for decision-making.
• Monitor delivery quality, learner and school reach, partner performance, implementation risks and progress against agreed milestones and budgets.
• Turn monitoring insights into practical improvements and clearly communicate performance, lessons, risks and decisions required to leadership and governance forums.
• Maintain a credible evidence base showing what was funded, who was reached, what changed and where the Foundation’s contribution added value.
• Governance, risk and financial management
• Manage the Education portfolio within approved budgets, delegations, procurement requirements and finance and risk governance.
• Ensure programme and partner decisions are supported by appropriate due diligence, contracting, safeguarding, evidence and approval processes.
• Maintain oversight of delivery dependencies, reputational and implementation risks, and elevate material issues early with recommended mitigation actions.
• People and cross-functional leadership
• Contribute to functional resource planning and coordinate internal and external resources required for successful delivery.
• Provide clear direction, prioritisation and quality assurance to assigned staff and service providers, with accountability for performance and outputs.
• Collaborate across Foundation, GSI and relevant business teams to align implementation, stakeholder engagement, communications and employee participation.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Relevant degree in Education, Development Studies, Social Science, Community Development or a related field.
• At least 5 years’ relevant experience managing education or social investment programmes, preferably within the South African education system.
• Demonstrated programme and project management capability, including multi-site or multi-partner implementation.
• Strategic planning experience with the ability to translate strategy into practical delivery plans and measurable outcomes.
• Experience managing partners, senior stakeholders and service providers; people-management experience is advantageous as the role has direct reports.
• Strong analytical capability, including interpretation of programme data, needs assessments, education evidence and policy.
• Working knowledge of monitoring, evaluation and learning, budgeting, risk management, due diligence and governance in a social-investment environment.
• Strong written, presentation and facilitation skills, with confidence engaging senior decisionmakers and public-sector stakeholders.
• Experience in literacy, numeracy, teacher development or whole-school support is advantageous.
• Proficiency in one or more South African languages in addition to English is advantageous.
• Additional Requirements:
• Regular travel to schools and partner sites, including rural and peri-urban locations.
• Valid driver’s licence and access to reliable transport, in line with organisational travel requirements.

Skills

Competencies

Builds Effective TeamsBusiness InsightCollaboratesCommunicates EffectivelyDevelops TalentDrives EngagementDrives ResultsEnsures Accountability

Education

NQF Level 7 - Degree, Advance Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate or equivalent (Required)

Closing Date

12 November 2026 , 23:59