Head of Growth and Expansion

Head of Expansion and Growth – Pharo Schools

Overview

Pharo Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a pioneering, mission-driven organisation working to build a vibrant, productive, and self-reliant Africa. Founded and fully funded by Pharo Management, emerging markets hedge fund, the Foundation represents a new model of philanthropic capitalism: a private endowment using its own capital to design, fund, and operate development programmes with private-sector discipline and long-term commitment.

Over the next decade, the Foundation’s ambition is to deliver lasting impact across three interdependent missions:
• Empowering the next generation through affordable, high-quality education.
• Solving water scarcity by building and operating sustainable water infrastructure.
• Driving economic productivity by unlocking jobs, investment, and innovation through both non-profit and for-profit ventures.

The Foundation operates in Ethiopia, Somaliland, Kenya, and Rwanda, employing more than 750 people. It combines a not-for-profit engine: Pharo Development, with a for-profit engine, Pharo Ventures, which builds and operates sustainable businesses to create jobs and advance economic self-reliance.

About Pharo Schools

Pharo Schools is a pan African network of Schools that, exists to expand opportunity through high quality affordable and equitable education across Africa. We are building a network of high-impact, future-focused schools that deliver excellent learning outcomes, nurture character and wellbeing, and empower young people to shape prosperous futures for themselves and their communities. Rooted in the Foundation’s mission to “enable Africa to thrive”, Pharo Schools operates with a deep commitment to equity, dignity, and access. Our schools prioritise strong teaching, enriched learning environments, and holistic development, ensuring that every child regardless of background can succeed at school, thrive in life, and transition confidently to further education and meaningful livelihoods. Pharo Schools currently serves +- 5000 students across Kenya, Somaliland, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Role Purpose

The Head of Expansions & Growth will lead the growth of Pharo Schools through acquisitions, new school developments, and expansions across East Africa. This role is responsible for originating, evaluating, and executing investment opportunities while ensuring each school is educationally sound, operationally efficient, and financially sustainable and aligned to the Pharo School strategy. The role requires a strong investment mindset, with deep involvement in financial modelling, profitability analysis, capital planning, and return optimisation for low- to mid-fee independent schools. The successful candidate will work closely with Pharo’s investment analysts and take strategic direction from the Managing Director to scale the Pharo Schools platform responsibly and effectively.

Key relationships

Role: Head of Expansion and Growth – Pharo Schools

Location: Kenya, Somaliland, Ethiopia and Rwanda with regional travel required

Reporting to: Managing Director – Pharo Schools

Functional relationship: Investment Team, Business Intelligence, Finance, Operations, Country Directors, Heads of Education, School Leadership

Key Responsibilities

Expansion Strategy & Execution
• Lead the identification and assessment of new school acquisition opportunities, greenfield developments, and campus expansions in collaboration with Country Directors and Heads of Education
• Translate the MD of Pharo Schools’ growth and expansion vision into execution and creation the long-term growth strategy for the Pharo Schools network.
• Co-manage expansion projects in collaboration with Central School Teams from initial feasibility through to launch and early operations.
• Ensure all expansion initiatives align with educational quality, financial sustainability, and brand standards.

Financial Modelling & Investment Analysis
• Collaborate with Business Intelligence and Research Teams to build integrated financial models for:
• School acquisitions
• New school builds/Greenfields
• School expansions
• Collaborate with Business Intelligence to model profitability, cash flows, capital requirements, and return on investment for low- to mid-fee independent schools.
• Work closely with investment analysts to stress-test assumptions and support investment decision-making.

Due Diligence & Transaction Support
• Lead commercial, operational, and educational due diligence for acquisitions.
• Assess cost structures, and regulatory risk.
• Support transaction structuring, valuation, and post-acquisition integration planning.
• Identify value-creation levers post-investment.

Stakeholder Management & Leadership
• Support negotiations with sellers, landlords, contractors, and other partners.
• Represent Pharo Schools with professionalism and credibility in external engagements.
• Provide leadership and guidance on expansion-related initiatives across the organisation.

Expansion Execution & Oversight
• Oversee implementation of expansion projects from approval to launch.
• Track performance against investment cases post-launch.
• Identify and address risks impacting enrolment, cost control, or profitability.
• Ensure consistent application of Pharo Schools’ brand and quality standards.

Launch & Commissioning
• Create a launch playbook for new schools
• Coordinate commissioning readiness activities
• Align construction, HR, procurement and academic preparations.

Required Qualifications & Experience
• Master's degree in economics, Finance, Business Administration, Development Studies, Education Management
• A postgraduate qualification such as an MBA or a Master’s in Strategy, Finance, Development Economics, or Education Leadership is strongly preferred.
• 5–8+ years’ professional experience in school network expansion, education systems growth, social-sector or infrastructure expansion, or strategy/consulting roles with a clear growth mandate.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-site expansion initiatives, including market and feasibility studies, site selection and due diligence, financial modelling for new schools or campuses, and the successful launch and commissioning of new institutions.

Essential skills and experience
• Experience in low- to mid-fee independent schools or education-focused social enterprises.
• Background in private equity, infrastructure, education management, or strategy consulting.
• Familiarity with school regulatory environments in East Africa.
• Experience scaling an education brand across multiple locations.
• Proven experience in school expansions, education investments, real estate development, or multi-site education operations.
• Strong capability in financial modelling, including profitability, scenario analysis, and investment appraisal.
• Solid understanding of educational delivery models and how they link to operational and financial performance.
• Experience working with or alongside investment teams or analysts.
• Ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on execution levels.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively across East Africa.

Key Competencies
• Strong understanding of school operating models, cost drivers, enrolment demand, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience expanding schools in emerging or low- to middle-income contexts is an advantage.
• Strategic, commercially astute leader able to translate vision into execution and communicate clearly with Boards and senior stakeholders.
• Strong financial modelling and forecasting skills, including CAPEX/OPEX, break-even, sustainability, and tuition affordability analysis.
• Proven expertise in school expansion and portfolio strategy, including growth sequencing, prioritisation, and differentiated school models (ECE–A Level; day vs boarding).
• Demonstrated ability in project and launch management, coordinating construction, HR, academics, operations, and procurement against clear timelines.
• Solid experience in risk assessment and mitigation across financial, operational, and regulatory dimensions.

Personal Attributes and Mindset
• Commercially minded with a strong mission-driven orientation.
• Analytical, structured, and detail-oriented, with the ability to see the bigger picture.
• Strong communicator able to engage Pharo stakeholders
• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable operating in emerging market contexts.
• High integrity and alignment with Pharo Schools’ values and vision.

How to apply

Applicants are required to attach a detailed CV and a cover letter.

We will review applications on a rolling basis, and in the event that an exceptional candidate is identified early in the process, Pharo Foundation reserves the right to make an appointment before the advertised deadline. We therefore encourage interested applicants to apply as early as possible.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted due to the high volume of applications received.

Pharo Foundation is an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, and gender equality in all its practices. We encourage applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, gender, religion, or background