Manager, Land Accelerator Africa at World Resources Institute (WRI)

Job Summary

In this role, you will foster entrepreneurship and innovation in support of landscape restoration in Africa. You will have the ability to take on the challenge of a new, fast-growing, and innovative body of work. You will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, or Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will be comfortable with working in a global organization with geographically dispersed teams.

Job Responsibilities

Development of the Land Accelerator network

• Grow the Land Accelerator program in Africa. Entering its third year in 2021, the Land Accelerator provides training, mentoring, and networking to entrepreneurs focused on restoring degraded farmland and forests. For more details, see thelandaccelerator.com
• Build and cultivate a pipeline of entrepreneurs for the Land Accelerator
• Initiate and lead on new ideas to boost entrepreneurship. Outreach partners may include country-level incubators, local academic institutions, and government bodies to educate youth around the restoration economy
• Screen and evaluate online applications, interview shortlisted entrepreneurs, conduct reference and other checks regarding each cohort
• Engage investors around restoration and support entrepreneurs to connect with investors
• Design and launch a Land Accelerator alumni support program Knowledge creation and management
• Develop and implement a world-class curriculum to be delivered in-person or virtually (depending on the pandemic). Recruit and vet speakers and mentors for the Land Accelerator, organize panels and event logistics, etc.
• Design and implement a new Land Incubator pilot program for Malawi, which may serve as the model for implementation in other African countries as the opportunity arises. The incubators are short programs held at the national level, as opposed to the continent level
• Manage the 4-6 month virtual mentorship component of the Land Accelerator Africa to help entrepreneurs identify and achieve key milestones
• Plan interactive cross-regional virtual events between the three Land Accelerator geographies: South Asia, Africa, and Latin America 
• Design and implement monitoring & evaluation (M&E) surveys in order to capture the impact of the Land Accelerator

Other activities

• Collaborate with WRI communications team to translate the business case into compelling storylines. This may include writing and editing material including blog posts, op-eds, e-blasts and other communications that translate technical material for various audiences
• Support on fundraising, which may include drafting and refining proposals, responding to questions from donors, and completing impact assessments
• Liaise with the AFR100 initiative (afr100.org) and TerraMatch (terramatch.org) to ensure entrepreneurs from the Land Accelerator network can benefit from these initiatives
• Support with implementation of the upcoming Rural Prosperity Bond pilot in Africa. The Bond will help selected Land Accelerator alumni to access financing with incentives to benefit smallholder farmers (https://www.climatefinancelab.org/project/rural-prosperity-bond) 

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience in the environment, agriculture, or development sectors
• Passion for and experience in supporting early-stage entrepreneurs in Africa
• Extremely strong project management skills with an ability to stay organized and pay attention to detail
• Strong verbal and written communication skills