Provincial Partnership Manager

Job Purposes:

The Provincial Partnership Manager is responsible for supporting the SmartStart network to build and manage strategic relationships with provincial and district government, municipalities, and key ecosystem partners to enable SmartStart’s mission of expanding access to quality early learning.

The role acts as a systems enabler, ensuring alignment between national policy intentions, provincial implementation realities, and community-level delivery. It works closely with SmartStart Branches, Franchisors, Programme Leads, and the Network Support Team to create coherent, joined-up approaches to provincial, district and community partnership building.

Key Responsibilities

1. Provincial Government Partnerships (PEDs)

Work closely with Franchisors and branches to support and capacitate them to:

• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with Provincial Education Departments (PEDs).
  
• Support joint planning processes by sharing spatial data, mapping analysis, and community insights to guide provincial prioritisation of underserved areas.
  
• Strengthen collaboration on the Bana Pele Blueprint, mass registration, compliance pathways, and red-tape reduction.
  
• Develop and maintain provincial partnership agreements, MoUs, and implementation frameworks.
  
• Represent SmartStart at provincial intersectoral forums, ensuring early learning is recognised as a provincial priority and that SmartStart’s model is understood and valued.
  
• Surface systemic barriers (registration, subsidy access, infrastructure constraints) and co-develop solutions with PEDs.
  

2. Education District-Level Collaboration

Support Franchisors and Branches to work with District DBE officials to embed SmartStart’s value proposition at district level, including support for informal ELPs and the registration and subsidy pipeline.

• Collaborate closely with Branches, Programme Leads, and the Network Support Team to ensure consistent and effective approaches to district and municipal engagement
  

3. Municipal Engagement

• Support the role out of SmartStart’s community engagement protocol as a norms shifting tool to enable Franchisors and branches to build structured and long-term partnerships with municipalities which expand access to early learning programmes and address regulatory barriers
  

Build capacity of the network (Branches, Franchisors, Programme Leads) to engage municipalities effectively and present unified, contextually relevant proposals.

4. Ecosystem Engagement & Local Partnerships

• Support ongoing ecosystem mapping to ensure we can build the right partnerships with RTOs, NGOs, CBOs, local ECD Forums, faith-based structures, and community stakeholders to strengthen local Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) ecosystems.
  
• Support the development of infrastructure, nutrition and other strategic partnerships aligned to SmartStart’s orchestrator/enabler model.
  
• Position SmartStart as a trusted partner in community-level ECCE planning and problem-solving.
  

5. Internal Coordination & Support

• Collaborate closely with SmartStart Branches, Franchisors, Programme Leads, and the Network Support Team to ensure partnership engagements translate into operational improvements and local system change.
  
• Provide guidance, tools, templates, and messaging to support Branches/Franchisors in navigating provincial and municipal relationships.
  
• Feed provincial insights into national-level strategy, including advocacy priorities and policy opportunities.
  
• Support MEL processes by documenting partnership performance, systemic changes, and lessons learned.
  

Qualifications and Experience

·        Essential experience

·        7+ years in partnerships, public sector engagement, ECCE/ECD, education systems, or development sectors.

·        A track-record of success working with government (provincial, district, municipal).

·        Experience managing complex, multi-sectoral partnerships with NGOs, RTOs, CBOs, and community-level actors.

·        Desirable: Understanding of ECCE/ECD policy frameworks and provincial implementation dynamics.

·        Bachelor’s degree in Education, Public Policy, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or related field (postgraduate preferred).

·        Driver’s licence and willingness to travel extensively across the country.