Academic Advisor

Academic · Kigali, kigali

Position: Academic Advisor  (External Candidates only)

About Kepler

The challenge: All across sub-Saharan Africa, millions of young people struggle every day with access to education and employment – and the kinds of livelihoods that lead to economic security and mobility for themselves and their families. Every young person deserves the chance to be educated; every young person deserves the opportunity to have a meaningful job.

Who we are: Kepler is a nonprofit university program that is building a transformative model of education-to-employment services for these young people across the region. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to the economic mobility of thousands of individuals, families, and communities in all of our countries of operation. We want to reimagine what higher education can look like in sub-Saharan Africa.

What we do: Through a rigorous curriculum of in-person, online and on-the-job learning, Kepler students graduate with the relevant skills and the right attitude to meet the needs of the changing global economy. We partner closely with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) – a global leader in higher education – which allows our students to attain affordable, internationally recognized degrees while studying in East Africa.

Our history: Kepler launched in Rwanda in 2013. Our 50+ staff currently serve 550 students across two campuses in Rwanda – our flagship campus in Kigali, as well as a second campus in the Kiziba refugee camp in Western Rwanda, where we serve refugee learners.

The future: Kepler has an ambitious new strategy for the next five years, which will include launching in two new countries; expanding our academic offerings; partnering with other public and private sector universities; and reaching a new level of organizational sustainability.

About the Role:

The Academic Advisor position is one of the most essential positions in the organization, other than the student, to help Kepler fulfill its vision to innovate higher education through a dynamic blended-learning model. The Academic Advisor is the first point of contact to support students’ learning and growth connecting the SNHU curriculum with the East African context as well as helping students understand their path through the degree.

The role includes supporting students to make adequate progress on their degrees through structured coaching and advising, facilitating various online and in-person support mechanisms, developing structured lessons that facilitate remediation, understanding, and extension of the SNHU degree projects, and collaborating with colleagues to aggregate data and make relevant recommendations and adaptations to the Kepler approach.

This position has non-traditional work hours that may require academic advisors to start work late, finish work late, and/or work on weekends. The position is equivalent to 45 work hours/week.

Job Responsibilities: 

• Support student success in both the Kepler-based curriculum and SNHU degree work
• Coordinate small group student-led sessions to support student-centered learning through SNHU projects
• Conduct optional and mandatory office hours through a variety of formats: workshop, 1:1 conferences, group supported work time, etc.
• Schedule and facilitate study hall both online and offline
• Utilize student data to make informed decisions to guarantee all students’ progress through the curriculum
• Create and facilitate collaborative “co-labs” learning experiences
• Facilitate learning sessions and study groups in a variety of content areas with students
• Help non-native English speakers to rapidly improve English fluency through a competency-based, blended learning curriculum
• Create content for online Learning Management System.
• Grade competency-based work and provide student feedback in a timely manner (48-hour turnaround max)
• Generate scope and sequences, lesson plans, and other curriculum that supports diverse learners to acquire necessary skills
• Modify curriculum for applicability to the context and to best support students
• Engage in team meetings to collaborate and build high quality resources for students
• Provide feedback on the program, curriculum, and students to various stakeholders within the organization in a timely manner
• Learn and utilize effective online, in-person and blended learning teaching techniques
• Collaborate with peers to share best-practices and innovations from the classroom
• Share and train other educators in implementation of online education in a blended learning environment
• Participate in the Marshall observation process as outlined by administration
• Work in collaboration with the academic team to achieve annual academic goals
• Collaborate with the Managers of Academic Advising as well as the Careers team to identify and address gaps in the program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher
• Highly motivated with a passion for education
• Demonstrates a strong desire to implement education through a model of learning, implementing, reflecting, revising and re-implementing
• Has high expectations of him/herself and believes in high expectations for students
• Has the ability to be creative and innovative in the way that education can be created and delivered to students
• Is open and willing to give and receive feedback from all stakeholders within the organization including students, colleagues and supervisors.
• Excellent writing and language skills in English.
• Displays ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal formats
• Excels at building and maintaining relationships, online and offline.
• Able to use or quickly learn: Microsoft Suite, Google Apps, Google Chrome
• Thrives in a dynamic environment and believes that change leads to progress
• Comfortable with not having or providing answers to students through an inquiry-based model where the facilitator of the class is not the “keeper” of all knowledge

The role reports to the Associate Director of Academic Advising. The application deadline is March 09th, 2021.

Kepler is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promoting equality and enhancing our organizational capability. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, ethnicity, gender, religion, or other category protected by law.