Program Manager, Africa

Who We Are Co-Impact is a global organization that supports locally-rooted coalitions in Africa, Asia and Latin America to transform key systems at scale, with a core focus on advancing gender equality and women's leadership.
We bring together funders from around the world to partner with initiatives that are working to improve education, health, and economic opportunity for millions of people by addressing the root causes of social inequities so that systems work better for everyone.
For more information, please visit www.co-impact.org and read our Handbook Where You Fit Together with the regional team, you will support a portfolio of program partners (grantees) in developing effective strategies for systems change to advance gender equitable outcomes, women's leadership, and gender equality at scale.
In this position, you will be responsible for overseeing program management, providing critical support to the LME team in conducting data analysis and impact assessments of program partners (PPs) initiatives for board members, staff, and the broader public.
Additionally, you will play a key role in supporting our philanthropic collaboration and communications teams, assisting with the engagement and relationship-building efforts with both prospective and current funding partners.
Reporting to the Associate Director (AD), Africa, you will assist the program team across several areas, including sourcing, vetting, and recommending of grants, supporting program partners to ensure effective implementation, monitoring, and reporting of progress, lessons and impact of their system change interventions.
The Role As a key member of the Co-Impact team, you will play a crucial role in executing functions related to program management, conducting data analysis and impact assessments of program partners initiatives, assisting with the engagement and relationship-building efforts with both prospective and current funding partners.
Your responsibilities include, but are not limited, to: Program Management: Sourcing and Supporting PPs (30%) Perform additional duties as assigned by the AD.
Contribute to fostering a positive work culture by upholding Co-Impact's values, staying outcomes-focused, and being program partner- and community-centered, while embracing diversity and building trusting partnerships.
Support account leads across various grants, acting as the primary point of contact for critical cross-cutting issues ensuring seamless coordination and take a lead role for select PPs based on assessments by RD or AD.
Support PPs during implementation, including on learning, measurement and evaluation of systems change strategies.
Assisting with the management of the full grant lifecycle, including identifying funding opportunities, developing RFPs, coordinating the application process, conducting due diligence, write recommendation memos and overseeing disbursements.
Support the Africa Team to identify, source, and vet potential program partners (PPs) across Africa, ensuring alignment with Co-Impact's mission and goals for systemic change.
Tracking Impact: Data Analysis, Gathering Evidence and Lessons Learned (40%) .
In collaboration with the Learning, Measurement an Evaluation (LME) and Philanthropic Collaboration Teams:Support to track and monitor impact by reviewing progress reports, conducting site visits, and supporting the implementation of learning, measurement, and evaluation (LME) frameworks.Support analysis of data and synthesis of partner reports, highlighting key impacts, challenges, and lessons learned, and provide actionable recommendations.
Input into the preparation and presentation of detailed reports and updates for both internal teams and external funders, providing program progress and impact.
Support the extraction of lessons learned from grantee work, documenting successes, challenges, and best practices to inform future grantmaking and program improvements.
Facilitate the use of evidence-based insights to shape strategic recommendations for funders, stakeholders, and program development.
Assist PPs in refining systems for tracking results and making data-driven decisions to foster continuous improvement.
Enhance and promote cross-learning among PPs to enhance shared knowledge and collaborative impact.Communication and Stakeholders Engagement and Management to Mobilize Funding for System Change (30%).
In collaboration with the Communications and Philanthropic Collaboration Teams: Help to package and communicate impact stories from program partners (PPs) in compelling formats tailored to diverse audiences, including funders, board members, staff, and the public.
In alignment with the Co-Impact LME framework and approach, assist to develop reports, presentations, and dashboards that clearly showcase partners' progress, impact, and lessons learned.
Collaborate on creation of dynamic content (e.g., newsletters, blogs, social media posts) to keep key stakeholders updated on partners' impact, challenges, and successes in system change.
Support in cultivating and maintaining relationships with both prospective and current funders, ensuring funders are kept informed about the impact of partners' system change initiatives and responding to queries related to the portfolio and its impact.
Support organization and coordination of funder site visits and learning journeys.
Facilitate effective communication with PPs to share their achievements and impact with funders and key stakeholders.
Assist in preparation and presentation of findings and insights at meetings, conferences, and webinars, representing Co-Impact and demonstrating the impact of PPs' work.
Required Qualifications, Skills and ExperienceAt least a Master's degree (e.g., International Development, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Business Administration) or equivalent experience.
Over 10 years of experience advancing gender equality with an intersectional approach, and strengthening government or market systems in education, health, economic opportunity, and women's leadership.
Extensive experience in impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation, and using data to extract actionable insights for decision-making.
Proficient in learning, measurement and evaluation (LME) frameworks, with the ability to assess the impact of complex, multi-year initiatives.
Fundraising experience and/or knowledge of the funding context in the region.
Proven ability to craft compelling narratives and reports tailored to diverse audiences, including funders, board members, staff, and the public.
Demonstrated success in building and nurturing relationships with funders, communicating program impact, and securing ongoing support.
Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to build partnerships with grantees, funders, government, and civil society organizations.
Experience in grantmaking, fundraising, and a strong knowledge of the African context; connections to feminist and women's rights networks are preferred.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and familiar with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
Fluency in English is required, with proficiency in French considered a plus.
Required Competencies and QualitiesCommitment to feminist values, gender equality, inclusion and justice, along with a dedication to enduring systems change at scale.
An abiding curiosity, humility and a drive to understand root causes, seek justice, and address social problems at the systems level and at scale.
Strong background in learning, measurement and evaluation (LME), with a deep understanding of how to assess the impact of complex, multi-year system change initiatives.
A commitment to tracking and communicating impact and ability to craft compelling narratives and reports tailored to diverse audiences, including funders, board members, staff, and the public.
A passion for supporting partners in driving scalable impact, while engaging with funders and the broader sector to unlock resources.
A high level of initiative, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to thrive in a dynamic, diverse, distributed and fast-paced environment.
Exceptional organizational skills, strong analytical abilities, and strategic thinking.
Proven track record in problem-solving, along with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Benefits Co-Impact's compensation philosophy is guided by the following three principles:  Equity and Fairness: Our approach to compensation and benefits are designed to ensure that our global team is treated equitably regardless of location and without regard to gender, race, or nationality.
Transparency: We want Co-Impact's employees to understand our salary structure and to feel confident that they are paid equitably, and potential job applicants to have an understanding of how the role for which they are applying will be compensated.
Accountability: As stewards of the philanthropic resources entrusted to us so that we can support our program partners, we are accountable to our donors and our board, to our staff, and to the general public.
In accordance with that philosophy, we include the salary for each position in our job postings; to ensure equity within the organization and for all candidates, we will not negotiate salary or benefits.
This position is full-time.
The annual salary will be US $112,000 plus a generous benefits package, including a significant allowance for paid time off.
Application Details Please apply online here by submitting a resume and a one-page cover letter by Friday, 10th January 2025.
In your cover letter, confirm that you are authorized to live and work in Kenya.
(Please note that Co-Impact cannot cover relocation costs.
If you are authorized to live in Kenya but are not currently based there, you will need to cover any relocation expenses.)
As we are a small team, we regret that we can only respond to applicants selected for an interview and we are unable to participate in informational calls prior to interviews.
Thank you for your understanding.
Applications will be reviewed after the deadline, however, the position may close earlier if we receive a strong pool of candidates.
Shortlisted candidates can expect to hear from the recruitment team in February 2025.