We have an opportunity to join our Grants Team, which is led by our Global Grants and Partnerships Manager, and sits within our Operations Finance team. The Grants Team works across all our locations, supporting dozens of grants projects.

Grants funding is crucial for SYSTEMIQ’s work; annually it accounts for more than 50% of our project revenues. Management of such grant funding requires ensuring spend is impact-oriented and in compliance with both funders’ contractual requirements and SYSTEMIQ’s standards.

You will also be a crucial part of starting out our presence in Nairobi, and helping to shape our work in the region in the grants space.

About the role

As a Project Grants Finance Manager, you will be responsible for delivering high quality management and oversight of several workstreams that are supported by funding from government, philanthropy and corporate funding sources. You will manage a portfolio of projects, including a large multiyear multimillion grants project funded by NORAD.

You will work closely with a range of internal stakeholders, including senior management, project delivery teams, Systemiq’s Global grants team, and the global finance team, PMO and legal team during the entire lifecycle of projects. Project staff are based across all our locations, and most global operations staff are based in London and Jakarta. Your Line Manager will be our Global Grants Finance Manager, who is based in Berlin.

The key focus of the role is to ensure compliance with company processes and policies, as well as project contractual requirements on due diligence, financial management, expenditure and invoicing, procurement and project auditing and reporting.

In addition, you will play a key role in supporting and developing relationships with funders and delivery partners and helping us to build out our funding network for our grants work in the region.

Project Preparation:

• Develop project budgets and financial plans for project grant funding proposals
• Support our project teams to negotiate cost-efficient budgets and demonstrate value for money
• Ensure project budgeting, staffing plans and preparation complies with company practice and client’s financial control requirements
• Complete formal proposal application processes

Project Delivery:

• Ensure project’s financial requirements are adhered to in relation to company policy, funder requirements and applicable laws and regulations
• Ensure compliance with company and funder procurement rules, and oversee large-scale procurement and tender processes for goods and services
• Lead downstream subcontracting and subgranting, including large-scale procurements for supply of goods and services
• Lead project audits, including sample data, field work and auditor communications
• Liaise with Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable to ensure correct invoicing for funders and suppliers, and track project cashflows
• Complete monthly financial forecasting and expenditure reconciliations to track cashflows and monitor financial position of our largest grants projects, supporting project planning and progress reporting against project delivery framework
• Prepare financial status reports for project and finance team leadership
• Prepare external financial, budgetary and accounting reports to clients / funders
• Liaise with PMO to set up new project finances and close finances of completed projects
• Provide guidance and documentation to the project team to support effective project financial management

General:

• Design and delivery of training materials and workshops on grants financial management
• Support annual company audit processes as required
• Support company’s financial controls, financial planning and financial analysis process (including budget forecasting, proposal pipeline monitoring and invoicing)
• Contribute to company’s best practice development for project financial management and expert grants financial management

The Mindset, Skills & Experience we are looking for

Our ideal candidate will be able to work in different contexts, and are keen to work in a new location for an entrepreneurial company to help shape the business and make maximum impact. You are interested in sustainability inspired by SYSTEMIQ’s mission and approach to system change.

Specifically, you come with a combination of the following mindset, skills, and experience:

• 3+ years’ experience within a project financial management function in a grants context, working on projects funded by governments, multilaterals or philanthropy
• 2+ years’ experience of leading processes on grants budgeting and financial reporting
• Experience of procurement of both goods and services, including supporting or coordinating large-scale tender processes to select suppliers
• Fluent verbal and written English is essential
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Ability to maintain a high level of accuracy across complex budgets and expenditure records, with strong process orientation and excellent attention to detail
• Ability to work with confidential material and maintain high standards of discretion
• Ability to multitask and handle competing deadlines
• Collaborative team player and can-do attitude with good communication skills,
• Interest in working on project financial management for projects funded by non-commercial clients and on projects with restricted and unrestricted funding
• Alignment with SYSTEMIQ's values (creativity, challenge, collaborate, change, care).

We are keen to receive applications from all parts of the community.

Are you passionate about building entrepreneurial ecosystems and supporting founders from idea to scale? Do you thrive at the intersection of strategy, community building, programme execution, and ecosystem engagement? Are you energised by the opportunity to work directly with ambitious entrepreneurs, startup founders, mentors, investors, and innovation partners to unlock new pathways for venture creation and growth?

Do you have the ability to translate entrepreneurial ambition into structured programmes, meaningful founder support, and high-impact ecosystem experiences? Can you combine operational discipline with strategic thinking to drive enrollment, engagement, venture progression, and ecosystem visibility? Are you excited by the challenge of helping shape one of Africa’s most dynamic entrepreneurship platforms while working across multiple markets?

If so, this could be the role for you.

About ALX Africa

ALX Africa, a non-profit organisation under the ALX Foundation, is dedicated to unlocking the potential of Africa's digital future. Formerly part of Sand Tech Holdings, we've embarked on an independent journey to provide world-class tech skills training and career acceleration programmes. Our mission is to bridge the digital divide, upskill and reskill talent, and create a generation of innovative leaders. By 2030, we aim to empower 2 million Africans to secure sustainable tech careers.

With hubs in 8 cities across Africa and counting, we provide safe access to quality learning and a dedicated network of expert instructors. Our innovative programmes equip learners with the practical skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today's rapidly evolving tech industry. Through a combination of rigorous coursework, industry partnerships, and hands-on projects, we prepare our students for in-demand roles in software engineering, data science, and cybersecurity.

We achieve this by:

• Providing young professionals with access to the most in-demand tech skills that will power the future.
• Empowering the next generation of technology innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders through challenging, real-world coursework.
• Building a lifelong, impactful community of tech professionals that supports them at all stages of their career journey. 

Our impact thus far:

• 347k+ graduates since 2020
• 257k youth in work
• 31k youth starting own ventures
• 60k youth in jobs created by entrepreneurs

 Visit our website www.alxafrica.com to learn more about our digital revolution.

Role Summary

The Entrepreneurship Development Manager will play a pivotal role in building and strengthening ALX’s entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kenya. This is a high-impact role designed for a strong operator, ecosystem builder, and founder-support leader who can drive both programme excellence and strategic market presence across multiple countries.

The role requires the ability to manage programme delivery, founder engagement, stakeholder partnerships, ecosystem visibility, and performance tracking, while contributing to the long-term growth of ALX’s entrepreneurial footprint in Kenya. This individual will report directly to the Country General Manager for day-to-day implementation and local market leadership, while maintaining a strategic reporting line to the Entrepreneurship Director to ensure consistency with ALX entrepreneurship objectives.

Specific Responsibilities

Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development and Market Leadership

• Serve as the primary lead for entrepreneurship in Kenya, driving the development, visibility, and growth of ALX’s entrepreneurship agenda across the three markets.
• Design and execute market-relevant strategies that foster founder engagement, startup pipeline development, and entrepreneurial community building in Kenya.
• Position ALX Ventures and related entrepreneurship programmes as a leading platform for high-potential entrepreneurs, innovation, and venture growth across the three-country portfolio.
• Represent ALX in the entrepreneurship ecosystem through active engagement with founders, investors, innovation hubs, accelerators, corporates, and relevant public and private sector actors.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for ecosystem recognition, strategic partnerships, grants, and visibility platforms that strengthen ALX’s entrepreneurship brand and reach in Kenya.

Founder, Community Engagement and Experience

• Build and sustain a vibrant founder community through regular, high-value touchpoints that deepen engagement, accountability, and peer learning across all supported markets.
• Lead in-person founder engagement and ecosystem activities in Nairobi, while ensuring strong and consistent virtual support for entrepreneurs outside of Nairobi.
• Host monthly fireside chats and ecosystem conversations featuring entrepreneurs, investors, operators, and industry leaders.
• Organise and deliver weekly entrepreneurship-related engagements such as pitch nights, founder meetups, networking forums, hackathons, and community-building events across the country’s portfolio.
• Ensure that ALX entrepreneurship programmes create a strong founder experience from recruitment through onboarding, participation, progression, and alumni engagement.
• Supervise and support community-led entrepreneurial initiatives to ensure alignment with ALX’s strategy, standards, and values.
  
  

Incubator Programme Execution and Venture Support

• Work closely with the ALX Ventures Incubator central team to deliver programme goals and ensure local implementation aligns with broader entrepreneurship strategy.
• Support the screening, selection, and onboarding of strong Founder Academy graduates into incubator pathways, balancing both in-person and virtual programme delivery requirements.
• Facilitate milestone-based workshops, peer-learning forums, and venture reviews that support founders from prototype development through market launch.
• Connect ventures to relevant support structures, including mentors, advisors, interns, ecosystem partners, and investors.
• Organise Demo Days, local pitch events, and showcase opportunities that increase startup visibility, strengthen founder confidence, and create opportunities for investment and growth.
• Support alumni founders in accessing continued support, new markets, follow-on programmes, and funding opportunities.

Partnerships, Mentorship, and Ecosystem Collaboration

• Build and maintain strong relationships with ecosystem players, including investors, entrepreneurship support organisations, accelerators, hubs, government actors, development partners, and corporate innovation stakeholders in Kenya.
• Curate and manage a strong network of local mentors, advisors, and subject matter experts, matching them thoughtfully to founders based on stage, sector, and growth priorities.
• Design and host masterclasses and expert-led learning sessions featuring entrepreneurs, investors, and functional specialists across key sectors.
• Develop and strengthen partnerships that expand resource access, founder opportunities, and collaboration pipelines for ALX entrepreneurs.
• Contribute to fundraising, grant positioning, and strategic partnership development that advance the scale and sustainability of entrepreneurship programming.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

• Track and analyse programme performance across key metrics, including recruitment, participation, completion, founder engagement, venture launches, ecosystem participation, and investment readiness.
• Ensure strong compliance with founder reporting, self-assessments, quarterly updates, and programme accountability processes.
• Produce regular reports and insights for internal stakeholders, including city leadership, the entrepreneurship team, and other relevant decision-makers.
• Use feedback, programme data, and ecosystem trends to improve delivery quality, founder outcomes, and strategic programme design over time.
• Participate actively in planning cycles, reviews, and retrospectives to strengthen learning and continuous improvement across entrepreneurship initiatives.

Skill Requirements - Essential

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in entrepreneurship programme management, venture support, innovation ecosystem development, or related programme and project management environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Programme Management, or a related field.
• Strong experience working directly with startups, founders, or entrepreneurial ventures, ideally in an innovation hub, accelerator, incubator, venture studio, or startup support environment.
• Demonstrated experience designing, delivering, and improving entrepreneurship programmes, founder engagement models, demo days, masterclasses, or mentorship structures.
• Proven ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, balancing strategic priorities with high-quality operational execution across different markets.
  
• Strong stakeholder management capability, with experience engaging investors, mentors, ecosystem partners, and cross-functional internal teams.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the confidence to represent ALX externally and inspire founders and partners.
• Strong planning, coordination, and execution skills, with a high level of ownership and attention to detail.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving, and relatively ambiguous environment with minimal supervision.
• Candidates must be based in Nairobi or willing to relocate to Nairobi.
• This is an in-person role, and the successful candidate will be expected to work onsite as part of the Nairobi team.
• Legal authorisation to work in Kenya.

Skill Requirements - Preferable

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Previous experience as a startup founder, venture builder, startup coach, or entrepreneurship advisor.
• Experience building or managing founder support networks, mentor pools, or investor engagement structures.
• Demonstrated success in partnership development, fundraising, grants, or resource mobilisation for entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Strong understanding of the entrepreneurship ecosystems in Kenya.
• Experience working across both in-person and virtual programme delivery environments.
• Familiarity with impact tracking, founder performance measurement, and ecosystem reporting frameworks.

Person Specification/Attributes

• Courage: Willingness to speak up, challenge the status quo, and embrace new challenges.
• Humility: Openness to learning, seeking help when needed, and a focus on serving others.
• Adventure: A passion for setting ambitious goals, tackling difficult tasks, and finding joy in the journey.
• Initiative: Proactive problem-solving, a sense of ownership, and a willingness to go above and beyond.
• Resilience: The ability to bounce back from setbacks, persevere through challenges, and emerge stronger.

Employment Type

This role is a full-time position