Implementation Lead: ECD Digital Registration Readiness Tools

PurposePhil Career; Gauteng; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Ilifa Labantwana seeks an Implementation Lead to drive development, rollout and adoption of digital registration tools, including readiness checklists, for ELP registration with DBE and Bana Pele PMU. Hybrid role in Gauteng or Cape Town, 1-year renewable consultancy, reporting to Director: Systems Design and Development.

You will coordinate across government, NGOs, and partners to ensure tools are practical, integrated, and widely adopted.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in project management, information systems, public policy, development studies, education, or related field.
• 5-8 years' experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder programmes or projects.
• Experience implementing digital tools from design, testing to scale.
• Experience working with government, NGOs, technical teams and implementation partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead project planning, milestones, risks and governance.
• Coordinate activities across government, NGOs, implementation partners and technical teams.
• Oversee the transition of registration tools from design to implementation readiness.
• Coordinate tool refinement, testing, piloting and UAT.
• Ensure alignment with regulatory requirements and user needs.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Training & capacity building

Data analysis

Digital literacy

Communication skills

Governance

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Information Systems, Public Policy, Development Studies, Education, Social Sciences or related field

Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile) advantageous

Job description

Contract Type: 1-Year Full-Time Consultancy (renewable)

Work Model: Hybrid | Gauteng or Cape Town

Reports To: Director: Systems Design and Development

About Ilifa Labantwana

Ilifa Labantwana is committed to quality early childhood development (ECD) for all children, supporting caregivers, creating sustainable livelihoods for women, and building an equitable and prosperous South Africa for all. We work towards a South Africa where everyone recognises their contribution to children reaching their full potential. We use our deep understanding of Government and technical expertise, alongside evidence, collaboration, and advocacy, to strengthen the early childhood development ecosystem.

As a key partner to the Department of Basic Education (DBE), Ilifa supports the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive, a national initiative aimed at increasing the number of Early Learning Programme (ELP) registrations. A core component of this work is improving and digitising registration processes to make them more accessible, efficient and data-driven. At the same time, given the resource-constraint contexts ECD programmes operate in, a second critical component of our work is ensuring that practitioners have the information, tools and practical support they need to understand and meet registration requirements and progress through the registration pathway.

Purpose of the Role

The Implementation Lead will drive the development, rollout and adoption of digital registration tools, including the Readiness Checklists, which help identify, prioritise and support ELPs on their path to registration. Working closely with DBE, the Bana Pele Project Management Unit (PMU), implementation partners, service providers, and Ilifa's Systems Design and Development team, the role will ensure that these tools are practical, integrated into government processes, widely adopted, and effectively used to improve registration outcomes at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Project management
• Lead the project planning, implementation schedules, milestones, risks and governance.
• Coordinate activities across government, NGOs, implementation partners and technical teams.
• Monitor progress against deliverables and provide regular updates to stakeholders.
• Manage project decisions, approvals, risks and provide resolutions.
• Digital Tool Delivery
• Oversee the transition of registration tools from design to implementation readiness.
• Coordinate tool refinement, testing, piloting and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
• Ensure alignment with regulatory requirements, registration processes and user needs.
• Manage tool iterations, release readiness and continuous improvement processes.
• Capture and apply lessons learned to strengthen both the tool and implementation model.
• Government Integration and Sector Adoption
• Lead rollout and integration of tools within the registration processes.
• Build stakeholder buy-in across DBE, provincial departments, NGOs and sector partners.
• Support approvals, communications and implementation readiness.
• Strengthen collaboration across government, technical and implementation stakeholders.
• Promote adoption of a standardised, sector-wide registration support tool.
• Training and Capacity Building
• Develop training materials, user guides and standard operating procedures.
• Design and deliver sustainable training and onboarding approaches.
• Support government officials, NGOs and implementation partners with ongoing technical and operational assistance.
• Continuously improve training resources based on implementation feedback.
• Operational Management
• Ensure effective day-to-day operation of the tools, processes and reporting.
• Oversee onboarding, data-sharing processes, user access and support arrangements.
• Ensure registration support referrals are actioned and tracked.
• Maintain documentation, version control and implementation records.
• Monitor adoption, effectiveness and ongoing relevance of the implementation model.
• Data, Reporting and Insights
• Monitor data quality, referral completion and implementation performance.
• Develop dashboards, reports and insights to support decision-making.
• Ensure data informs targeted registration support and resource allocation.
• Establish appropriate data access, reporting and information-sharing arrangements.

Qualifications And Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Information Systems, Public Policy, Development Studies, Education, Social Sciences or a related field.
• A Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile) is advantageous.
• 5-8 years' experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder programmes or projects.
• Experience in implementing digital tools from design, testing and piloting through to scale.
• Strong understanding of business processes, implementation planning and operational delivery.
• Experience working with government, NGOs, technical teams and implementation partners.
• Proven capability in governance, stakeholder engagement, training, change management and user adoption.
• Experience using data, dashboards and reporting to monitor performance and drive decisions.
• Exposure to ECD, education, social development or public sector programmes is advantageous.

Core Competencies

• Project and implementation management
• Stakeholder engagement and influence
• Change management
• Facilitation and training
• Systems thinking
• Risk management
• Problem-solving
• Data-driven decision-making
• Digital literacy
• Strong written communication
• Attention to detail