About GrowthAfrica
GrowthAfrica is one of Africa’s leading entrepreneur support organizations, dedicated to helping promising startups and growth-stage SMEs become market-ready, growth-ready, and investment-ready.
Since 2002, GrowthAfrica has supported more than 5,000 businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa through entrepreneurship programmes, tailored business support, ecosystem strengthening initiatives, and access to capital, markets, technology, and expertise.
Headquartered in Nairobi, the organization operates across the continent through a diverse and passionate international team working to create quality jobs, foster economic growth, and drive social transformation.
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Role Overview
GrowthAfrica is seeking an exceptional senior programme leader to serve as Head of Programme for a flagship multi-country entrepreneurship initiative supporting young women entrepreneurs across Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Job Title: Head of Programme
Organization: GrowthAfrica
Location: Africa (Multi-country Programme covering Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Rwanda)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Application Deadline: 25 June 2026
This strategic leadership position offers the opportunity to oversee one of the organization’s most ambitious entrepreneurship support programmes, designed to strengthen innovation, business growth, and economic inclusion across multiple African markets.
The successful candidate will lead programme delivery, manage high-performing cross-border teams, oversee grants and partnerships, ensure donor compliance, and drive measurable impact for more than 1,600 aspiring entrepreneurs, 200 innovation teams, and 80 early-stage businesses.
Key Responsibilities
Programme Leadership and Delivery
- Lead end-to-end implementation of programme activities across four countries.
- Oversee innovation and ideation programmes, incubation initiatives, acceleration activities, and ecosystem engagement efforts.
- Ensure delivery excellence across all programme components.
- Drive programme quality, effectiveness, and impact.
Team Leadership and Management
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of approximately 24 programme professionals across headquarters and country offices.
- Foster a culture of high performance, collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.
- Strengthen country-level leadership and autonomy while maintaining programme consistency and quality.
Grants and Financial Oversight
- Provide strategic oversight of the programme’s grants facility.
- Work closely with the Grants Coordinator to ensure:
- Effective grant administration
- Due diligence processes
- Compliance requirements
- Appropriate utilization of grant funding
- Ensure accountability and transparency in grant management.
Donor and Stakeholder Management
- Serve as the primary point of contact for institutional donors and strategic partners.
- Manage donor relationships and contractual obligations.
- Ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality reporting.
- Oversee visibility and compliance commitments.
Ecosystem Development and Partnerships
- Build and strengthen partnerships with:
- Entrepreneur support organizations
- Investors
- Technical assistance providers
- Co-working spaces
- Government institutions
- Mentors and ecosystem actors
- Foster collaboration across entrepreneurship ecosystems in all programme countries.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
- Work closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator to:
- Track programme performance
- Measure impact
- Generate evidence-based insights
- Develop learning products and case studies
- Promote adaptive programme management informed by data and lessons learned.
Inclusion and Social Impact
- Champion gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
- Promote inclusion of:
- Young women entrepreneurs
- Persons with disabilities
- Forcibly displaced persons
- Underserved and marginalized communities
- Ensure inclusion commitments are reflected in programme implementation and outcomes.
Budget and Compliance Management
- Manage complex multi-country programme budgets.
- Ensure value-for-money principles across programme activities.
- Monitor expenditure and financial performance.
- Maintain compliance with donor requirements and organizational policies.
Organizational Leadership
- Contribute as a senior leader within GrowthAfrica.
- Share expertise and best practices across programmes.
- Support organizational learning and institutional growth.
- Help position GrowthAfrica as a leader in African entrepreneurship support.
Required Qualifications
Education
Applicants must possess:
- A Master’s Degree in:
- Business Administration
- Development Studies
- Economics
- Social Sciences
- Entrepreneurship
- Or a related field
Experience Requirements
Candidates must have:
- A minimum of 8–10 years of progressively responsible professional experience.
- At least 5 years in senior programme leadership roles.
- Demonstrated experience managing entrepreneurship, innovation, SME development, or private-sector development programmes.
- Proven experience leading multi-country programmes within Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Experience working across East and West African markets is highly desirable.
- Strong experience managing donor-funded programmes and compliance frameworks.
- Direct experience administering grant facilities and beneficiary funding programmes.
Required Skills and Competencies
Programme Leadership
- Strong strategic planning and execution capabilities.
- Ability to manage complex, large-scale programmes across multiple countries.
- Experience delivering measurable impact through entrepreneurship support initiatives.
Team Management
- Proven success leading geographically dispersed teams.
- Strong coaching, mentoring, and people management skills.
- Ability to build high-performing multicultural teams.
Financial Management
- Strong financial and budget management expertise.
- Experience managing large grants portfolios and multi-year budgets.
- Excellent understanding of financial accountability and compliance.
Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Expertise
- Deep understanding of entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems.
- Knowledge of startup incubation and acceleration methodologies.
- Familiarity with early-stage investment and entrepreneurial finance.
Communication Skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Strong report-writing and presentation abilities.
- Working knowledge of French is considered a significant advantage.
Inclusion and Gender Equity
- Demonstrated commitment to:
- Gender equality
- Women’s economic empowerment
- Inclusive development
- Experience integrating inclusion principles into programme design and implementation.
Preferred Qualifications
The following will be considered an advantage:
- Membership in relevant professional associations.
- Experience applying Human-Centred Design methodologies.
- Extensive networks within African entrepreneurship ecosystems.
- Experience producing knowledge products and thought leadership content.
Why Join GrowthAfrica?
GrowthAfrica offers an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of entrepreneurship and innovation across Africa.
Benefits include:
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Opportunity to shape one of Africa’s flagship entrepreneurship programmes.
- Meaningful contribution to women’s economic empowerment.
- Exposure to innovation ecosystems across multiple African countries.
- Collaboration with an international and highly motivated team.
- Opportunity to influence entrepreneurship support models across the continent.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit their applications before the closing date.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE OFFICIAL JOB ADVERT PDF
Application Deadline: 25 June 2026
GrowthAfrica is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of background.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted regarding the next stage of the recruitment process.
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