Accreditation + University Partnerships Officer

What is Alsama Project?  
Alsama is an ambitious and innovative NGO which runs education centres for out-of-school refugee teenagers in Lebanon’s refugee camps. Students join us illiterate and innumerate; we develop programmes that allow them to catch up with 12 years of high school education within 6 years, getting them ready to enter mainstream school, university and skilled employment.  

What is the role? 

As Accreditation and University Partnerships Officer, you will lead two critical pillars of Alsama’s mission: 1. ensuring our education centres remain internationally accredited, and 2. building strategic university partnerships that unlock higher education opportunities for our students. You will drive this as part of a professional, community-oriented and ambitious team in Shatila Refugee Camp, Beirut.

Responsibilities:

1. Drive Accreditation strategy + execution (50%): Sustain accreditation for all current education centres + secure accreditation for future education centres, building internal capacity to keep our programs globally recognised and unlock pathways to university and employment for refugee learners.

i. Project manage internal initiatives to address growth areas + strengthen organisational capacity as defined by Alsama’s accreditation partner

ii. Facilitate internal focus groups + workshops to build ‘buy-in’ for development initiatives + drive continuous improvement across Alsama to advance student outcomes

iii. Prepare + submit high-quality reports required to sustain accreditation for all current education centres

iv. Coordinate closely with our accreditation partner to facilitate site visits (in person or remote) required to sustain accreditation

v. Support Directors to secure accreditation for future education centres, including self evaluation against accreditation criteria, preparing reports + hosting site visits

2. Drive University partnerships strategy + execution (50%): Build partnerships to maximise the number of international universities that will accept Alsama students as part of a pipeline of refugee talent. You will identify and engage high-potential universities, especially those committed to refugee inclusion and offering full-ride scholarships + convert that engagement into meaningful, long-term partnerships.

i. Define concrete strategic targets for university partnerships that scale with Alsama’s expanding student body + develop strategy to diversity partnerships (esp. non-US/UK, online universities)

ii. Identify high-potential university partners by leveraging Influential connections to universities, eg. through Alsama ‘champions’ Universities with public commitments to refugee education; Universities capable of offering/facilitating full-ride scholarships

iii. Build relationships with target universities, generating enthusiasm and ‘buy-in’ for Alsama students as a unique pipeline of refugee talent

iv. Convert enthusiasm into formal partnerships/commitments, eg. MOUs

v. Facilitate direct engagement between university representatives and Alsama students through information sessions to ensure student preparedness

vi. Support university partner-led fundraising efforts for scholarships for Alsama students

Who will you report to and work with? 

CEO, COO Education, Head of G12++, Directors, Strategy & Development, Monitoring & Evaluation, Strategic Leads.

What core skills will you need? 

Commitment Energetic and detail-orientated commitment to your work. Persisting through challenges by adapting to changing needs and context, in an environment that may be outside your comfort zone.

Collaboration Alsama owes its success to its diverse team and we expect you to have a fully integrated mindset. You will mobilise and interact with a wide range of stakeholders (seniority, sectors, cultures/nationalities) with ultimate respect.

Ambition Alsama is building for the future: your work at Alsama will outlast you. You will need a ‘goal orientated mindset’ to develop and implement plans to hit targets and deadlines.

What proficiencies will you need?

• Project management and organisation - driving forward complex initiatives across accreditation and university partnerships, from delivering on our growth action plan to managing a number of internal + external stakeholders (eg. running workshops, focus groups)
• Ownership and initiative - taking full responsibility for projects from start to finish, driving work forward independently, and seeking input or alignment only when necessary (no hand holding required)
• Proactivity and creativity - building or refining systems, policies and processes that strengthen Alsama’s educational offering- whether its accreditation-related improvements or supporting the development of partnership pathways
• Attention to detail – managing accreditation documentation, partnership agreements, and internal policies + processes, ensuring they are accurate and up-to-date
• Ability to build relationships - driving forward our partnership with our external accreditation partner, building partnerships with universities from scratch, and gaining “buy-in” from key internal stakeholders
• Language skills - fluent in English; competency in Arabic is beneficial

Experience:

• Bachelor's degree (minimum) and proven record of academic excellence
• 3+ years professional experience, including long-term project management (minimum)

What’s in it for you?

• Your work will have direct impact on thousands of out of school teenagers, providing them with tools to shape a better future for themselves and their communities.
• You will help revolutionise refugee education in the Middle East and beyond.
• You will join a dynamic and highly experienced international team that is solving for sustainability and scale.

Safeguarding:

Alsama is committed to safeguarding our students and cricketers. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and adhere to our safeguarding policies and procedures. Awareness of child safeguarding practices and suitability to work with young people is essential for all roles at Alsama.