About the Organisation
MAMAS Alliance is part of Kinderfonds MAMAS—a reputable Dutch NGO founded 25 years ago at the personal request of Nelson Mandela. Kinderfonds MAMAS funds 34 grassroots NGOs across South Africa, each dedicated to empowering vulnerable children, youth, and families to reach their full potential. These organizations support children throughout their journey, from birth to their first job. MAMAS Alliance serves as the network through which these NGOs share knowledge, initiate programs, and, importantly, raise additional funds from South African corporates
About the Job
The Learning Lead will shape the design and direction of all learning programmes within the MAMAS Academy, translating the needs of partner organisations into practical and culturally relevant learning experiences. The role involves developing curricula, setting annual learning goals, and ensuring that all training content reflects the strengths and wisdom of the MAMAS community. Working closely with the M&E and project teams, the Learning Lead integrates strong pedagogical standards and impact assessments to ensure learning outcomes drive meaningful, community-led development.
Key Responsibilities
1. Learning Architecture & Strategy (The Architect Role)
Baseline Establishment: Work with the Kinderfonds MAMAS team and MAMA partners to establish clear baselines for what it means to be a skilled MAMA and an effective organization, using these as the starting point for all institutional learning design.
Elevate skills present in the MAMAS network - Engage with the MAMA community to identify strengths and gaps. You will support MAMAs in sharing/facilitating learning across the network to elevate the skills of all MAMAS.
Needs Translation: Collaborate closely with Project and Programme Managers to further assess strengths and development needs, translating these field-identified gaps into strategic and actionable learning priorities for the Academy.
Annual Goal Setting: In partnership with the Managing Director and M&E Lead contribute to the development of a learning agenda for Kinderfonds MAMAS.
2. Instructional Design & Co-Creation (The Designer Role)
Curriculum Development: Serve as the lead instructional designer to co-develop the comprehensive curriculum of the MAMAS Academy, ensuring all content highlights and builds on the strengths and experience of the MAMAs community.
Facilitation support: Supporting MAMAS to facilitate learning experiences.
Module Design & Production: We believe MAMAS know best, as Learning Lead you support them in the translation of their skills and experience into participative learning trajectories and learning materials.
Pedagogical Standards: Integrate and uphold best practices in adult learning principles, blended learning methods (combining in-person and digital), and participatory facilitation techniques to ensure all learning is practical, action-oriented, and accessible.
3. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Impact Assessment
Assessment Design: Together with M&E lead, design and embed effective monitoring and evaluation methods within the learning experiences themselves to accurately measure and meet defined learning objectives.
Outcome Assessment: Collaborate with the M&E Lead to assess both the individual learning outcomes and the subsequent impact on organizational development and network knowledge-sharing resulting from Academy participation.
Requirements
Education: Degree in Learning Design, Instructional Design, Organizational Development, Development Studies, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
Experience: At least 5 years’ experience in learning design, including curriculum development, creation of training materials, and adult learning methodologies—combining in-person and digital approaches.
Skills: Proven ability to co-create baselines, indicators, and assessment tools with community-based organizations. Strong facilitation skills, with experience in designing culturally sensitive, participatory learning processes.
Language: Proficiency in English (spoken and written); knowledge of local South African languages is an advantage.
Personal Attributes:
Vision: Passion for child rights and belief in the power of community-led change.
Innovation: Creative and innovative, with the ability to translate complex community concepts into accessible, engaging learning experiences.
Work Ethic: Highly organized, adaptable, and able to work independently while building strong collaborative relationships across all stakeholder levels.
Logistics Note: Ability to work from the office in Johannesburg and willingness to travel within South Africa for co-creation and design validation.
To apply
This is a one-year contract with the intention of extension to a permanent role.
In order to apply, email your application by Wednesday 19th November 2025 to melissa@actionappointments.co.za - send your completed AA bio form, letter of motivation and updated CV (all in MS Word format).
