IDB3389 – Lead Scholarship Program Specialist

Job Purpose:

To lead the planning and the implementation of the development and administration of the IsDB Scholarship Programs. This role advises and supports the Division manager in the execution of programs, activities and initiatives related to Scholarship Programs and provides technical and professional guidance to the staff to enable achieving its strategic objectives.

Key Accountabilities:

Programs’ Operational Guidelines and Policy Development:

• Participates in the development of annual work plan and budget related to the Scholarship Programs.
• Lead the development of detailed and structured plans for the missions.
• Puts in place mechanisms, like audit and / or stakeholder’s feedback, to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of the Scholarship Programs and proposes measures to make continuous improvements.
• Develops and enhances the Application Forms and the screening & shortlisting criteria and supervises the processing of selection of students on the online “Scholarship Programs Platform”.
• Develops Brochures and Manuals for the Scholarship Programs.
• Ensures the staff comply with the policies and procedures of the Scholarship Programs and takes necessary corrective action, if needed.
• Ensures that the Counterpart Organizations (CPO’s) and IsDB Education Trusts (IETs) are advised and guided properly for implementing the Scholarship Programs.
• Ensures timely provision of advice, explanation and interpretation to internal and external stakeholders for the implementation of policies.
• Leads the team in conducting regular impact studies and consolidates lessons learned and incorporates learning’s through update of policies and guidelines to maintain continuous improvement of the operational process of the Scholarships Programs.
• Presents results to Division Manager for decision making.
• Leads the team in the design and enhancement of Alumni Platform and facilitates the networking between the graduates for the promotion of the knowledge-based economies in member countries and Muslim communities worldwide.
• Manages periodic evaluation of the Scholarship Programs to ensure their effectiveness.
• Benchmarks, reviews and proposes adjustments and enhancements to the Scholarship Programs’ benefit packages.

Management of Scholarship Portfolio:

• Manages the day-to-day Scholarship activities by monitoring calls for applications, ensuring enquiries raised by students and candidates are responded and preliminary screening processes are conducted properly.
• Supervises the identification and selection of students and activities under the Scholarship Programs.
• Oversees the evaluation and review process to ensure that the online selection process on the Scholarship Programs Platforms is concluded successfully.
• Prepares final recommendation report to the two Selection Committees and supports the convening of the final selection meetings.
• Supports the Division Manager in the development and implementation of Scholarship Plan and Operational Frameworks, achieving the Scholarship Programs’ objectives and deliverables in line with the Department as well as Bank-wide strategy and objectives.
• Leads the team in the creation, management and enhancement of the IsDB Education Trusts activities i.e. collection of refund of scholarship loans from the graduates, recycling of funds to provide additional scholarships in each community as well as organization of community services activities
• Periodically assesses and reports on the performance of partners/ IETs/IGAs.
• Supports the Division Manager in the development of KPI’s and performance criteria for the Scholarship Function staff, managing and evaluating the performance.

Outreach & Marketing:

• Supports the Manager in the promotion of the Scholarship Programs among beneficiary countries to reach talented candidates for societal impact.
• Coordinates with the Communication & External Relations Unit to develop outreach programs to promote Scholarship Programs branding, its development objective and value proposition for creating visibility and mobilizing resources to scale-up the programs and ensure its financial sustainability
• Lead the development of joint scholarship programs on cost sharing basis with reputable universities and institutions.
• Disseminate knowledge and technical information where and when needed.

Program’s Financial & Administrative Reporting:

• Prepares and submit regular progress reports and annual performance evaluation reports on activities of Scholarship Programs to Senior Management.
• Oversees the development of key results targets and performance indicators (KPIs) related to the strategy and operational plans of the Scholarship Programs to ensure the achievement of the Programs objectives.
• Establishes and maintains business relationships with various external stakeholders (e.g. other MDBs, Universities, Ministries of Higher Education, other scholarship providers, etc.) and participates in relevant forums, conferences, etc., as to better serve and promote IsDB’s interests.
• Prepares, in coordination with the concerned units, the annual administrative budget of the Scholarship Programs and activities and monitors its proper implementation and performance.

Academic and professional qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Education, Business Administration, or any other related field.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in scholarship programs management or education related institutions, ideally in similar type multilateral institutions.
• Minimum 3 years of managerial/supervisory experience.

Skills & Necessary Knowledge:

• Analytical thinking
• Problem solving
• Responsiveness
• Project management
• Attention to detail
• Business acumen
• Strategic planning
• MS Office skills
• SAP ERP experience.

Languages:

• English – Mandatory
• Arabic – Preferred
• French – Preferred