Who we are

Future Africa Forum is a platform for thought leadership that consults with organizations which are building a better Africa. We bring together the greatest young African thinkers to research, implement and amplify bold ideas and solutions to create tangible and sustainable change across the continent.
 

Our work focuses on exploring Economic Futures, Societal Futures and Resilient Futures for Africa. We believe young people are best placed to shape the future of the continent and possess the unique skills, ideas and experiences that can improve the quality and effectiveness of the public, private and social sectors to help them thrive. Headquartered in Nairobi, Future Africa Forum is led by Africans for Africa and offers new thinking and continental convening ability grounded in local expertise.

Who we are seeking

The Associate Director role is strategic to the organisation’s success, growth and impact. We are looking for a consummate African professional with a deep understanding of Africa’s economic and social trajectory and a strong network of stakeholders in public, private and development sectors. The role will provide policy guidance, thought-leadership and program development support on African social and economic issues.

The Associate Director will assume overall responsibility for building and managing the Forum’s partnerships, initiatives, and events as well as oversight of policy research and insights. The Associate Director will play an instrumental role in developing the Forum into the most trusted platform for thought-leadership that delivers tangible policy interventions and spurs actions that lead to prosperity of all African citizens.

Role Responsibilities:

Strategy:

• Design and Implement Future Africa Forums strategy in conjunction with the CEO
• Have oversight of the organizations annual work plans 
• Lead the growth of the Forum, steering it to achieve maximum impact

Partnerships:

• Build and maintain effective partnerships and relationships with relevant organizations, individuals and governments across the continent to inform an understanding of emerging market trends and needs
• Drive strategic and innovative partnerships focused on our 3 areas of focus – Economic Futures; Societal Futures and Resilient Futures
• Facilitate engagement between Government leaders, corporates and development actors 

Thought-Leadership:

• Represent and speak on behalf of Future Africa Forum at key and strategic forums and platforms 
• Contribute to written thought-leadership and publications which will be disseminated across various strategic channels
• Act as thought-partner to internal teams such as fellows, external partners and other stakeholders and experts working with the forum

Management:

• Manage, coach and mentor a small but growing dynamic team of professionals 
• Manage strategic internal group relationships while fostering a culture that encourages creativity, proactive solutions, accountability and results 
• Promote a culture of high performance, high quality and continuous improvement that values learning and feedback
• Identify, evaluate and recommend solutions to improve process efficiency

Networks and Initiatives: 

• Design, incubate and manage networks, communities and programs that are driving change on the continent 
• Support program implementation through strategy development, partnership building, learning, and management
• Help identify and capture sector knowledge, and tools from projects that will benefit, networks, and partners in the development and growth of their organizations and initiatives

• Prior experience in a research institute, think and do tank, development agency or public sector organization, with five years of progressively senior management responsibility. 10+ years’ relevant work experience would be an added advantage
• Excellent advocacy, consensus building, coalition building, and leadership skills
• Experience building strong and productive relationships with diverse constituencies, including individual leaders, networks, funders, NGOs and Governments – brings an expansive partnerships approach and strong relationship management skills
• A Masters degree in Public Policy, Economics, Public Administration, Law or a related field. An MBA or a PhD will be considered an added advantage
• Ability to lead teams across multiple projects and functions, cooperatively crafting vision and strategy to serve diverse constituents and sectors with cross-cultural competence and sensitivity
• High standards of personal integrity, and comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic, and operational situations
• Detail-oriented with strong critical thinking skills, ability to prioritize effectively and lead teams to high performance within ambiguous environments
• Strong interpersonal, writing, and verbal skills for communicating and collaborating with broad, diverse, and multicultural stakeholders
• Advanced leadership skills, strategic perspective, and organizational agility, i.e., a demonstrated ability to resolve critical issues and contribute to overall organizational development
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required, French and Swahili are an added advantage

• Globally competitive salary

Future Africa Forum is a platform for thought leadership that consults with organizations which are building a better Africa. We bring together the greatest young African thinkers to research, implement and amplify bold ideas and solutions to create tangible and sustainable change across the continent.

Our work focuses on exploring Economic Futures, Societal Futures and Resilient Futures for Africa. We believe young people are best placed to shape the future of the continent and possess the unique skills, ideas and experiences that can improve the quality and effectiveness of the public, private and social sectors to help them thrive. Headquartered in Nairobi, Future Africa Forum is led by Africans for Africa and offers new thinking and continental convening ability grounded in local expertise.