Job Opportunity // Deputy Director with UK-Kenya Tech Hub

Job Opportunity // Deputy Director with UK-Kenya Tech Hub

The UK Government is looking to hire a Deputy Director to support the establishment and success of a new, innovative and high-profile Tech Hub in Kenya.

The Tech Hub in Kenya will aim to develop the Kenyan tech ecosystem, deliver digital skills programs, and build links between Kenyan and international (including the UK) tech businesses.

The Government is looking for a dynamic, well-networked individual from the Kenya tech scene for this role. He or she will initiate and pursue new strategic opportunities for the Hub across several sectors.

The role will be based in Nairobi, with some travel across the country. This will be required to maximize the success and outputs of the hub across Kenya and overseas.

About the hub

The UK-Kenya Tech Hub will be one of four critical pillars of a new Prosperity Fund program to drive greater digital access in countries like Kenya.

New and innovative, the Prosperity Fund (PF) represents a step-change in HMG’s approach to promoting economic development and prosperity overseas.

The PF was established under the 2015 Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) with the primary aim of supporting growth in recipient countries and thereby reducing poverty. As such, it represents a key component of the prosperity pillar of the UK Aid Strategy.

But the Fund uniquely focuses on promoting growth in ODA-eligible middle-income countries. These countries are home to nearly 60% of the world’s poor. In these countries the development challenges remain significant, but at the same time are important business partners and drivers of prosperity.

The Fund will help create opportunities for international business, including UK companies. The Hub will be one of the first in a global network of international tech partnerships developed by the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).

DCMS aims at building digital ecosystems that will facilitate sustainable economic growth and development.

The successful candidate will be part of a small team of a locally engaged staff, based within the British High Commission, and will support the Director of the Hub to develop its strategy, and then be responsible for helping to deliver that strategy.

They will also manage the hub’s day to day operations. The Hub Network is funded as part of a cross-government, Prosperity-funded program, so collaboration across departments will be a critical success factor in this role.

It will have three main aims:

• Identify, develop, and deliver tailored interventions to cultivate digital skills responding to the needs and opportunities for inclusion in the local tech sector, for example, promoting opportunities for youth and women in the local tech sector. Interventions will generally be delivered by local and international partners;
• Support tech entrepreneurship through partnerships with local digital ecosystem stakeholders including incubators, accelerators and private sector firms, Kenyan government departments and agencies and non-profit organization
• Facilitate partnerships between local tech firms (including tech startups) and international companies (across all sectors) in the form of commercial partnerships or joint ventures

Roles and responsibilities

• Supporting the Director of the Hub in their development of a strategy to establish and make this hub succeed in the Kenyan landscape
• Supporting the Director to initiate and pursue new strategic opportunities for the Hub.
• Help in cultivating new leads, understanding business and innovation needs across all sectors
• Help in convincingly presenting the opportunities for collaboration via the Hub;
• Providing leadership on the management of the Hub’s ongoing projects, as well as the development of new ones. This will include budget development and management;
• Working in collaboration with DCMS and other government departments.
• Taking responsibility for delivering delegations (both inward and outward) as well as events that support the development of the local tech ecosystem;
• Developing and managing relationships with local tech firms, startups, and wider tech sector stakeholders.
• Collaborating with the other Hubs in the global network to develop the network offering;
• Leading on selected operational management responsibilities
• Deputizing for the Director in various leadership roles within the team
• Acting as a gender champion in your leadership role.  Ensure the Gender Equality Act (2014) compliance and support implementation of gender policy and guidance

Resources managed:

The post-holder will report to the Director. They will be required to work closely with the DCMS Tech Hub network team as well as other government departments, including DfID, FCO, and DIT, as well as the other Tech Hubs in the network.

Does it sound interesting enough for you? Find out more details about the job here