Business Development and Entrepreneurship Officer at Aga Khan Foundation

Job Description

The position will be based in Nairobi with some in-country and overseas travel (20-30%). This position reports to the Program Manager for Economic Inclusion (Tanzania) and collaborates with core country staff, other AKF project teams, selected intermediaries, local government authorities, technical advisors, and consultants

Major Responsibilities

1. Coordinate and monitor the day-to-day implementation of AKF’s country specific AWCE pilot.
2. Manage contracts with selected intermediaries and other project service providers.
3. Identify and facilitate access to expert technical assistance (internal and external) by local intermediaries to pilot new incubation and acceleration programming initiatives for women climate entrepreneurs, with particular focus on gender-lens investing and climate financing.
4. Co-design key, context-specific improvements, and approaches into the selected intermediary’s programs for support to women climate entrepreneurs based on research and capacity strengthening plans.
5. Lead on data collection and dissemination of the results and learnings from this pilot initiatives with intermediaries, project partners, international development stakeholders, and stakeholders of local the innovation ecosystem at large.
6. Participate in the selection of women entrepreneurs from priority sectors as outlined by Kenya’s national climate adaptation plans and strategies. These include agriculture, water, and energy, among others.
7. Document the journey of selected women entrepreneurs to identify strengths and lessons to learn about the efficiency of the approaches and content provided, but also on persistent and emerging barriers in the ecosystem.
8. Support network building and identify potential for collaboration within the local entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem, including across AKF projects with similar initiatives and objectives.
9. Developing timely and quality progress reports, public information items and/or publications for the project.
10. Providing up-to-date information on the progress of the project implementation including successes, risks, and challenges with sound recommendations for response.
11. Promoting gender-sensitive, inclusive, and active community participation in the development and implementation of the project activities.

The requirements

1. A Degree in business management/development, entrepreneurship, innovation management, climate finance, social impact investing or any other relevant qualification.
2. Minimum 5 years’ experience working within the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kenya or Tanzania, especially in relation to climate change i.e., incubation/acceleration initiatives, supporting entrepreneurs, mobilizing investors, etc.
3. Experience working with and supporting women entrepreneurs/innovators, with demonstrated knowledge of their specific challenges and efforts to mitigate or eliminate said challenges.
4. Good knowledge of the local innovation/entrepreneurship ecosystem and its actors.
5. Excellent conceptual, research and analytic skills
6. Demonstrated ability to identify and manage successful business and project partnerships.
7. Competent in the use of MS Office software (Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint, etc).
8. Knowledge of digital data collection, information, and community of practice platforms is an advantage.
9. Excellent written and verbal communication skills – proficiency in English and Kiswahili is mandatory.
10. Self-motivated, good organization and management skills including a demonstrated ability to prioritize workloads.
11. Ability to work with multiple tasks, demands and deadlines, with a positive and constructive attitude under minimal supervision.
12. Able to learn from and adapt to complex situations.
13. Able to work both independently and within a team, in person and remotely.