Manager, AI Adoption and Innovation at Evidence Action

Key responsibilities

AI Strategy and Leadership (20%)

• Develop and own the Africa region AI adoption roadmap, translating global AI strategy into contextually relevant plans across diverse country environments.
• In collaboration with technical partners, pressure-test AI/ML ideas and proposals, balancing technical feasibility with organizational ambition and operational constraints.
• Provide strategic counsel to regional and country leadership on AI adoption progress, risks, opportunities, and return on investment.
• Contribute to global AI strategy discussions and serve as the Africa voice in cross-regional AI communities of practice alongside sharing knowledge and coordinating enterprise-wide progress with peers in India and the US. 
• Ensure AI initiatives are governed responsibly, with attention to data privacy, ethical AI frameworks, and compliance with relevant regulations across country contexts.

Use Case Identification and Prototype Development (30%)

• Drive discovery and prioritization of high-impact AI use cases that address real workflow challenges across programs, MLE, finance, operations, and P&C functions.
• Coordinate the design of AI solutions in partnership with departmental teams/ functional experts, defining clear scope, success metrics, and realistic timelines for proof-of-concepts and minimum viable products. Coordinate prototyping efforts rather than building solutions independently. Ensure that functional teams remain owners of use cases while you provide structure, coordination, and support.
• Manage the full pilot lifecycle from ideation and testing through evaluation and scaling decisions, ensuring rigorous documentation and learning capture.
• Facilitate cross-team learning from pilot successes and failures, creating feedback loops that accelerate organizational learning and position solutions for broader adoption.
• Maintain awareness of the AI tool landscape and translate emerging developments into accessible, actionable insights for non-technical audiences.

End-to-End Delivery and Partner Management (20%)

• Oversee the delivery of AI projects end-to-end, coordinating the transition of validated prototypes into scalable solutions by working with internal technical teams and external partners
• Manage external technical partners and vendors, including selection, contracting, performance oversight, and risk mitigation, ensuring timely delivery to quality standards.

Change Management and Capability Building (20%)

• Design and execute a region-wide AI adoption strategy that drives sustained behavior change across diverse country contexts and functions.
• Build and steward a network of AI champions across countries and functions to amplify adoption efforts and sustain momentum.
• Design and facilitate engaging learning events, including workshops, show-and-tell sessions, and peer learning forums that encourage experimentation and knowledge sharing.
• Embed AI learning into onboarding and ongoing professional development for Africa region staff, curating and developing practical materials including guides, prompt libraries, and use case repositories.
• Develop communication campaigns that demonstrate AI value propositions, address adoption barriers, and build staff confidence in using AI tools effectively.
• Collaborate with IT teams on license optimization, monitoring usage patterns across the region and making evidence-based recommendations for reallocation.
• Build internal capability by enabling operations and program teams to sustain and scale AI products post-launch, reducing dependency on external support over time.
• This is a core pillar of success for the role.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (10%)

• Establish and maintain dashboards tracking license utilization, user engagement, pilot outcomes, and impact metrics against strategic OKRs.
• Conduct regular pulse checks and surveys to assess user satisfaction, adoption barriers, and workflow impact across the region.
• Provide monthly progress reports to regional leadership, highlighting trends, surfacing risks, and recommending interventions.
• Analyse usage data to identify patterns, bottlenecks, and opportunities for targeted support. This will inform prioritization and resource allocation decisions.

Requirements

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in technology, consulting, product development, international development, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience driving adoption of new tools, systems, or ways of working in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Proven ability to lead projects end-to-end, managing multiple workstreams simultaneously from conception through to delivery and evaluation.
• Proven ability to influence without formal authority and build collaborative relationships across organizational levels and geographies.
• Strong change management and stakeholder engagement skills, with demonstrated experience driving behaviour change initiatives in complex organizational environments.
• Be a quick learner about a range of domains and ability to understand what constitutes a string AI solution for each of the areas we work in. 
• Working knowledge of AI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Notebook LLM) with ability to identify practical applications and articulate their value to non-technical audiences. Comfort working with technical departments to translate user needs into implementable solutions.
• Proven ability to bridge technical and non-technical teams, translating complex technical concepts into accessible language and organizational requirements into technical specifications. 
• Demonstrated curiosity about AI/ML developments, with ability to assess emerging tools and techniques for organizational fit without requiring deep technical implementation skills.
• Excellent facilitation, presentation, and communication skills, with proven ability to make technical concepts accessible and engaging for non-technical audiences.
• Analytical mindset with comfort using data to track progress, identify patterns, and inform decisions.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional change initiatives, influencing diverse stakeholders, and driving adoption in complex organizational environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Legal authorization to work in Kenya or Nigeria without sponsorship.

Desirable

• Working knowledge of multiple AI domains beyond LLMs, such as automation tools, computer vision, NLP/text processing, predictive analytics, or geospatial analysis.
• Experience managing internal technical teams, including gathering scoping requirements, coordinating design and delivery, and ensuring outputs meet user needs.
• Background in change management, learning and development, or organizational transformation.
• Familiarity with ethical AI frameworks, data privacy regulations, and government compliance considerations in African contexts.
• Experience working in international development or non-profit sector, particularly in multi-country African contexts.
• Deeply committed to using technology for social good, with ambition about AI’s potential balanced by practical, grounded expectations.
• Ability to work within and embody Evidence Action core values - evidence first, iterate again, challenging convention, economise without compromise, passion throughout. 

Position location

• This role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya or Abuja, Nigeria, with travel within the Africa region expected up to 15%.
• Hybrid working arrangements apply.
• This is a 1-year fixed-term contract, renewable subject to performance review and organizational need.
• Shortlisting will be done on a rolling basis. Role will close by 2nd June 2026.