Program Manager Job in Kenya

Program Manager


Ongoza (www.ongozayouth.org/) is a young, dynamic organization working to empower youth as catalysts for social change through economic empowerment and community leadership.

Working in four counties across Kenya, we identify promising grassroots youth leaders with an existing micro-enterprise and social mission and provide two years of high-touch (weekly), needbased business coaching and training to scale their employment and social impact. Ongoza also hosts an annual summit that unites youth leaders from every county in Kenya as a platform to amplify youth voices in national policy dialogues around peace. We believe in a “business plus” approach, recognizing that holistic solutions to peace and community development require economic empowerment, strong leadership, and community cohesion.

As Ongoza’s most senior program team member, the Program Manager will work closely with the Executive Director and be primarily responsible for leading a team to implement and continuously improve Ongoza’s service delivery. The Program Manager will play a key role in streamlining existing processes, developing new tools to improve implementation, and overseeing growth.
The Program Manager will draw on internal successes and failures as well as field-wide lessons to be a key mentor and guide for Ongoza’s County Business Advisors and program staff. As a core member of Ongoza’s leadership team, the Program Manager will also be responsible for contributing to strategy around organizational development, representing Ongoza to high-level stakeholders, and building innovative partnerships.

Program Manager Job Responsibilities

·         Lead the growth of Ongoza’s current cohort of partner youth businesses by coaching a team of private sector development professionals through the development and delivery of business growth strategies
·         Spearhead Ongoza’s growth by guiding the recruitment of new youth-led social businesses and designing new program directions in response to organizational goals and field-wide trends
·         Mentor and coach Ongoza’s current team of County Business Advisors, our program assistant, and various short-term consultants and interns to deliver targeted results
·         Actively test and experiment with new ideas, innovations and best practices to improve program delivery and refine Ongoza’s model, drawing on trends and best practices in the development and social enterprise fields
·         Advise the Executive Director, Boards, and rest of senior leadership team on organizational growth strategies, processes, and procedures
·         Collaborate closely with Ongoza’s monitoring and evaluation team, leading Ongoza’s program development in response to experience and measured results
·         Lead the consolidation, implementation, and iteration of Ongoza’s training toolkit, customizing and enhancing the quality of trainings being delivered
·         Manage, optimize, and build Ongoza’s program structures and systems
·         Build relationships and partnerships with government authorities, private sector actors, donors, and members of civil society, elevating Ongoza’s presence at the county, national, and international levels
·         Contribute to Ongoza’s fundraising and resource mobilization efforts to support the growth of Ongoza’s programs
·         Design and write detailed concept notes, proposals, budgets, and work plans for new programmatic work
·         Foster a culture of openness, learning, collaboration and innovation across the organization
·         Support Ongoza’s consultancy efforts as needed


Qualifications for the Program Manager Job

·         5-8 years of experience in a similar role is a must, with demonstrated team leadership and business development experience in a similar environment. Private sector experience desirable, and preference to graduate study in business, finance, or related field.
·         An excellent understanding of general business principles a must, including product development, value chains, market analysis, investment readiness and design thinking principles. Understanding of the informal sector essential.
·         Demonstrated results-oriented management skills a must, with experience building systems in a changing environment.
·         Strong mentorship, coaching, and leadership skills necessary. Experience in curriculum development and training an advantage.
·         Learning and change-oriented mindset a must – willing to take calculated risks, think outside the box and try new ideas.
·         Demonstrated experience using data as a basis for decision-making for both program and organizational growth essential. Monitoring and evaluation or business analytics experience desirable.
·         Excellent understanding of players and best practices in the social impact field a must.
·         Fundraising and partnership development experience an advantage.
·         Ability to travel a must, remote management experience desirable.
·         An excellent relationship builder and communicator, both verbally and written, who enjoys being an active member of a team.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and a cover letter (of no more than two pages) to hr@ongozayouth.org explaining why you are interested in Ongoza and what your first 100 days look like. Please include in the cover letter the results (including descriptions) of this survey: https://www.jivesoftware.com/why-jive/worktype-navigator/. Note that there is no right answer here; we’re just curious to understand how you would approach this new opportunity and fit in with the existing team.

Interviews on a rolling basis until filled, with hiring deadline January 20th