Project Manager - Digital and AI Skilling at UNDP

UNDP Kenya is seeking an experienced and results-driven Project Manager to lead the development, implementation, and scale-up of the Regional Centre of Competence for Digital and AI Skilling. The Project Manager will be responsible for end-to-end project delivery, including strategic planning, curriculum development oversight, stakeholder engagement, and regional rollout. The role will also ensure alignment with national training standards, career progression frameworks, and broader digital transformation goals. This is a unique opportunity to drive systemic change in public service across Kenya and Africa.

Lead and Manage Project Planning Implementation

• Oversee and drive the overall implementation of the RCOC workplan in alignment with national priorities and strategies, working closely with the Government of Kenya and key development partners;
• Provide strategic direction and daily operational oversight to ensure timely and quality delivery of project outputs;
• Supervise the continued development and refinement of digital and AI skilling programs across all public servant cohorts, ensuring relevance, inclusivity, and responsiveness to government needs;
• Design and implement mechanisms to align training programs with public service career progression frameworks and national competency standards;
• Manage administrative, procurement, and financial tasks, ensuring compliance with all UNDP procedures.

Strengthen Partnerships and Mobilize Resources 

• Cultivate and manage partnerships across government, private sector, academia, and development partners to support the Centre’s mission and expand its reach;
• Coordinate partner onboarding and contributions (both financial and in-kind), ensuring strong engagement and collaboration across the ecosystem;
• Identify and pursue opportunities for resource mobilization to sustain and scale the initiative, including support for regional replication.

Oversee Learning Management System (LMS) Integration and Scale-up

• Oversee the integration of the RCOC curriculum into the government’s existing Learning Management System (LMS), ensuring it is accessible, interoperable, and user-friendly. Continuously incorporate new content and resources from ecosystem partners to enrich the learning experience;
• Collaborate with relevant partner teams to strengthen LMS functionality and enhance the overall user experience, ensuring the platform remains responsive to the evolving needs of public servants;
• Promote adoption and drive the scale-up of the LMS to support national training rollouts, while positioning it for future regional expansion across Africa.  

Develop and Implement National and Regional Rollout Strategies

• Lead the development of national and regional rollout strategies, including phased implementation plans, and capacity-building roadmaps;
• Coordinate cascading training models to reach a large number of public servants, including Train-the-Trainer initiatives to institutionalize digital capacity building for public service;
• Provide adaptive and agile management to address emerging implementation challenges and ensure long-term impact and sustainability.

Ensure Alignment with Public Service Career and Training Standards

• Ensure that training programs are recognized and integrated into Kenya’s national public service career progression systems;
• Facilitate consultations with key stakeholders, including the Public Service Commission, Ministry of Public Service, and Kenya School of Government, to harmonize skilling efforts with public sector norms and standards;
• Coordinate alignment with international frameworks where relevant, ensuring global best practices are embedded in the training model.

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Education Requirement:

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Data Engineering, Data Science, Digital Transformation, ICT, or related field is required, or;
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of master's degree.

Minimum years of relevant work experience

• Minimum 2 years (with master´s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor´s degree) of progressively responsible experience in project management, digital transformation initiatives and technology-enabled capacity development, preferably in the public or development sector.