Employer: Village Enterprise Kenya
Industry: Nonprofit/International Development/Social Entrepreneurship
Job Title: Country Director – Kenya
Function: Programs & Impact Operations
Position Type: Full-time.
Reports to: Regional Director of Programs
Location: Nairobi, Kenya, with regular travel to field sites and periodic regional and international travel.
Organization Overview:
Village Enterprise’s mission is to end extreme poverty in rural Africa through entrepreneurship, innovation, and collective action. By empowering women, refugees, and youth to launch small businesses and savings groups, our cost-effective model provides dignified and sustainable pathways for individuals to lift themselves and their families out of extreme poverty for good. To date, Village Enterprise has trained 396,872 first-time entrepreneurs, 80% of whom are women, and supported the launch of 120,609 businesses and 9,309 Business Savings Groups (BSGs). These efforts have positively impacted 2,478,065 lives across Africa. With operations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, and partnerships in other sub-Saharan African countries, Village Enterprise continues to expand its reach. As we scale our impact, our aim remains ambitious yet achievable: to lift 20 million people out of extreme poverty by 2035.
Project Overview:
Village Enterprise Kenya is a leading economic inclusion organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty through entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and access to markets. Since launching operations in Kenya, Village Enterprise has partnered with national and county governments, development partners, research institutions, and the private sector to equip households living in extreme poverty with the skills, assets, and support needed to build sustainable livelihoods and achieve long-term self-reliance.
The Country Programme plays a pivotal role in advancing Village Enterprise’s strategy of partnering with governments to strengthen national and county government systems for the delivery and scale-up of economic inclusion programmes, while continuing to generate evidence, foster innovation, and deliver high-quality implementation where appropriate. Through close collaboration with ministries within the Government of Kenya, county governments, multilateral and bilateral donors, foundations, and private sector actors, the Kenya programme is helping shape the future of economic inclusion in Kenya and across the region.
The Kenya Country Programme is one of Village Enterprise’s largest and most strategic portfolios, implementing a diverse range of initiatives across humanitarian and development contexts. The portfolio includes direct implementation, technical assistance to government, innovation and digital programming, rigorous research, and systems strengthening. Key areas of work include ultra-poverty graduation, livelihoods, financial inclusion, food security, nutrition-sensitive programming, refugee economic inclusion, climate resilience, women’s economic empowerment, digital solutions for scale, and strengthening access to markets.
Position Summary:
Village Enterprise Kenya is a leading economic inclusion organisation dedicated to ending extreme poverty through entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and access to markets. Working in partnership with national and county governments, development partners, research institutions, and the private sector, Village Enterprise equips households living in extreme poverty with the skills, assets, and support they need to build sustainable livelihoods and achieve long-term self-reliance. The Kenya Country Programme is one of Village Enterprise’s largest and most strategic portfolios, spanning direct implementation, technical assistance to government, innovation and digital programming, rigorous research, and systems strengthening.
The Country Director provides overall strategic leadership of, and is accountable for, the Village Enterprise Kenya Country Programme. Reporting to the Regional Director of Programs, the role leads across country strategy, programme quality and growth, business development and resource mobilisation, government and strategic partnerships, financial stewardship, operational excellence, risk management, and people leadership. The Country Director ensures that every programme is delivered with excellence, generates measurable impact, and is fully aligned with Village Enterprise’s mission, strategy, and policies, while positioning the organisation as a trusted partner in advancing economic inclusion and ending extreme poverty at scale in Kenya.
We are looking for a seasoned country leader who combines strategic vision with operational discipline: a confident external representative who can build partnerships with government and donors, a strong steward of people, budgets, and risk, and a leader who uses evidence and innovation to grow impact and cost-effectiveness. The Country Director leads the Kenya Country Leadership Team and works closely with regional and global functions to deliver the country strategy.
Responsibilities
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Country Strategy (20%)
- Provide overall strategic leadership for the Kenya Country Programme, ensuring alignment between Village Enterprise’s global strategy, the Government of Kenya’s development priorities, and the country’s strategic objectives.
- Lead the development, execution, and periodic review of the country strategy and annual operating plans, driving programme quality, sustainable growth, innovation, and measurable impact.
- Position Village Enterprise as a trusted partner and thought leader in economic inclusion, shaping sector dialogue and influencing investment in poverty graduation across Kenya and the region.
- Foster a high-performing, accountable, and learning-oriented culture that promotes collaboration, evidence generation, and adaptive management across the country programme.
Programme Quality, Delivery & Impact (20%)
- Provide strategic oversight of the implementation, and performance of the country portfolio, ensuring high-quality delivery, achievement of impact, and full compliance with organisational and donor standards.
- Ensure consistent application of Village Enterprise’s programme management, quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and risk frameworks and tools, including the Project Management Guide and Wrike, across the portfolio.
- Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and against agreed milestones, outcomes, and donor commitments, with implementation, financial, and operational risks proactively identified and mitigated.
- Use evidence, learning, and field insight to strengthen programme design, improve cost-effectiveness, and inform decision-making; conduct regular field visits to assess quality and support course correction.
- Review portfolio performance regularly with the Regional Director of Programs, reporting on progress against objectives, key risks, mitigation measures, and opportunities for improvement.
Business Development & Resource Mobilisation (15%)
- In collaboration with the Business Development team, lead the country resource mobilisation strategy by identifying, pursuing, and securing strategic funding that sustains and grows the portfolio.
- Provide strategic and technical leadership to proposal development, contributing to programme design, technical content, and budgeting for new funding opportunities.
- Cultivate and steward relationships with donors, foundations, and private sector partners, ensuring high-quality donor stewardship and positioning Village Enterprise as a preferred partner for economic inclusion.
- Achieve annual revenue and resource mobilisation targets in line with country growth objectives.
Government Engagement, Partnerships & External Representation (15%)
- In collaboration with the Government Relations & Technical Assistance team, lead strategic engagement with national and county governments to advance the adoption, implementation, and scale-up of economic inclusion programmes.
- Identify and pursue opportunities to influence policy, strengthen government systems, and expand technical assistance partnerships in line with Village Enterprise’s strategy.
- Represent Village Enterprise in high-level government forums, technical working groups, donor engagements, and strategic platforms at national, regional, and international levels.
- Build and sustain strong relationships with ministries, county governments, development partners, research institutions, and other stakeholders to support delivery, growth, and sustainable impact.
Financial Stewardship, Operations & Risk Management (15%)
- Provide strategic oversight of the country programme’s financial resources, leading annual budgeting aligned to the country strategy and ensuring sound financial stewardship, forecasting, and value for money.
- Ensure compliance with Village Enterprise’s financial policies, internal controls, delegated authority matrix, and donor requirements; approve expenditure within delegated authority and support internal and external audits to timely resolution of findings.
- Oversee efficient country operations and support functions, including finance, IT, procurement, logistics, and administration, ensuring operational excellence and business continuity.
- Ensure Village Enterprise Kenya remains fully registered and compliant with statutory, legal, and donor requirements, and maintain effective enterprise risk management.
- Lead organisational safety, security, and duty of care, safeguarding staff wellbeing and continuity of operations across all locations.
People Leadership & Organisational Culture (15%)
- Provide visionary leadership to the Kenya Country Team, building a high-performing, collaborative, and accountable culture that embodies Village Enterprise’s values.
- Lead and develop the Country Leadership Team through effective performance management, coaching, talent development, and succession planning, in close collaboration with the People & Culture function.
- Partner with People & Culture on recruitment, employee engagement, wellbeing, and organisational development to attract, develop, and retain talent.
- Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and sustain a safe and respectful work environment where teams can do their best work.
- Champion cross-functional collaboration and integrated planning across programmes, finance, operations, business development, government relations, and other support functions.
Safeguarding
- Champion a culture where safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility by leading by example and promoting Village Enterprise’s commitment to safeguarding across the Kenya Country Programme.
- Ensure the effective implementation of and compliance with Village Enterprise’s safeguarding policies, standards, and procedures by staff, partners, contractors, and programme participants.
- Foster a safe and accountable environment by ensuring safeguarding risks are proactively identified, mitigated, and integrated into programme design, implementation, and organizational processes.
- Ensure that safeguarding concerns and incidents are promptly reported, managed, and escalated in accordance with Village Enterprise’s safeguarding policies, and support safeguarding investigations and disciplinary processes as required.
Key Performance Metrics
- Country strategy and annual organizational priorities successfully delivered, achieving agreed programme growth and impact targets.
- High-quality programme delivery demonstrated through achievement of key performance, graduation, and sustainability indicators, including business health, business survival, household assets, savings, and consumption.
- Resource mobilization and strategic partnership targets achieved through successful donor engagement, business development, and cross-sector collaboration.
- Programme portfolio delivered on time and to quality standards, meeting donor milestones, compliance requirements, reporting obligations, and value-for-money expectations.
- Country operations managed effectively within approved budgets, maintaining strong financial stewardship, statutory and donor compliance, robust risk management, and clean audit outcomes.
- High-performing organization sustained through effective leadership, talent development, staff engagement, and strong representation of Village Enterprise with government, donors, and other strategic stakeholders.
Requirements
Qualifications and Experience
- Master’s degree in International Development, Business Administration, Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Agriculture, Finance, or a related field; or a Bachelor’s degree with at least 15 years of progressively responsible leadership experience.
- At least 12 years of senior leadership experience in international development, managing complex programmes, multidisciplinary teams, and organizational operations.
- Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, programme delivery, financial and operational management, and organizational leadership.
- Proven success in institutional donor engagement, business development, proposal development, and managing large multi-donor portfolios.
- Strong experience working with government, development partners, private sector, and research institutions to influence policy and strengthen systems.
- Track record of delivering high-impact, compliant programmes while overseeing budgets, grants, contracts, organizational risk, and change management.
- Experience representing organizations at senior levels with donors, government, boards, and other strategic stakeholders.
- Experience in economic inclusion, livelihoods, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, social protection, food security, or related sectors is an added advantage.
Knowledge
- Strong understanding of economic inclusion, poverty graduation, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and market-based development approaches.
- Knowledge of Kenya’s development landscape, government systems, and policy environment.
- Sound knowledge of programme management, MEL, safeguarding, financial and risk management, and institutional donor compliance.
Skills and Competencies
- Exceptional strategic leadership and organizational management skills.
- Strong business development, partnership building, and resource mobilization capabilities.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement, negotiation, diplomacy, and influencing skills.
- Outstanding financial and commercial acumen with strong decision-making ability.
- Excellent people leadership, coaching, and talent development skills.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and adaptive management capabilities.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
- High levels of integrity, accountability, professionalism, and sound judgment.
- Ability to lead through complexity, manage change, and foster innovation and continuous learning.
- Demonstrated commitment to safeguarding, diversity, equity, inclusion, and Village Enterprise’s values.
To Apply:
Interested and qualified candidates who meet the set criteria are invited to send their Cover Letter and CV (Maximum 3 pages) including 3 referees, on the online platform.
Safeguarding Statement:
Village Enterprise is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees, volunteers, Visitors, associates (consultants, service providers and suppliers) and partners to uphold this commitment and adhere to our safeguarding policies and code of conduct. Village Enterprise has zero tolerance for any form of abuse, exploitation, or harassment.All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, which may include reference checks with previous employers, verification of qualifications, and criminal record or background screening where required by law.