Provisional 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.
  

Requirements

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.

Benefits