IDB2581 - Lead Scholarship Program Specialist

Programs’ Operational Guidelines and Policy Development:

• Participates in the development of annual work plan and budget of the Scholarship Division.
• 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 Division’s programs and community development 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 Platform”.
• Develops Brochures and Manuals for the Programs.
• Ensures the staff comply with the policies and procedures of the program 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 Programmes.
• 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 and the community development programs to ensure their effectiveness
• Benchmarks, reviews and proposes adjustments and enhancements to 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 Programmes.
• Oversees the evaluation and review process to ensure that the online selection process on Scholarship platform is concluded successfully. 
• Prepares final recommendation report to the two Selection Committees and support the convening of the final selection meetings.
• Supports the Division Manager in the development and implementation of Scholarship Plan and Operational Frameworks, achieving the 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 programs.
• 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 Division 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 he promotion of joint scholarship programs on cost sharing basis with reputable universities/ 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 report on activities of Programs to Senior Management.
• Oversees the development of key results targets and performance indicators (KPIs) related to the strategy and operational plans of the 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 programs and activities and monitors its proper implementation and performance.

Academic qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Business Administration, or any other related field. Master’s degree would be preferred.

Languages

• English (Mandatory)
• Arabic (Preferred)
• French (Preferred)

Minimum number of years and nature of experience

• 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.