Africa Strategy & Growth Associate (12 Months Fixed-Term Employment/Remote)

Generation

2d•Remote

About The Position

Generation is a global nonprofit organization focused on improving economic mobility through employment. They train and place adults into careers, partnering with various entities and conducting research on workforce transitions. Since its launch in 2015, Generation has achieved significant success in placing graduates into jobs, with a high rate of repeat employer hires and graduates earning substantially more than their previous incomes. The organization serves a diverse population, with a majority of graduates having a secondary school background, a significant portion being female, and many identifying with underrepresented communities. This role is a new, strategic position within the SAMEA regional team, focusing on market development, program innovation, and business model design for Generation's operations in Africa. The Associate will drive the exploration of new geographic markets and program opportunities, and lead the design and testing of commercial revenue models to reduce reliance on philanthropic funding. The position requires entrepreneurial thinking, strong analytical skills, and the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders. It is a 12-month fixed-term contract with potential for extension and long-term growth.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required in a relevant field (e.g., business, economics, international development, social sciences, public policy).
4–8 years of relevant professional experience in strategy, management consulting, business development, programme design, market entry, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated ability to assess new markets, sectors, or opportunities, and translate analysis into clear recommendations for senior decision-makers.
Experience designing, testing, or supporting new programmes, pilots, products, or business models, particularly in settings with ambiguity and limited precedent.
Strong commercial and financial intuition, with the ability to reason clearly about revenue models, sustainability, incentives, and cost structures.
Proven ability to engage credibly with diverse stakeholders across public / private / social sector and influence without formal authority.
Experience working in or across Sub-Saharan African markets (e.g., Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana).
Strong analytical and research skills; able to synthesize complex market data into clear, decision-ready recommendations.
Entrepreneurial mindset with genuine intellectual curiosity about African labour markets, employer ecosystems, and social enterprise models.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.
Commercially minded; able to think rigorously about financial sustainability, employer value.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in a related discipline is an advantage but not required.
Exposure to workforce development, skills training, youth employment, or social enterprise contexts.
Experience in goal- or impact-driven organisations, though candidates from the private sector are welcome.

Responsibilities

Lead market scoping and feasibility analysis for potential new Generation geographies in Africa, with an initial focus on Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Map labor market conditions, employer landscapes, training ecosystems, regulatory environments, and competitive dynamics in priority markets.
Develop structured opportunity assessments and investment cases to inform go/no-go decisions by regional and global leadership.
Coordinate with relevant global functions and existing country teams to contextualize Generation's model for new market entry.
Support handover of validated expansion plans to country or regional operating teams for implementation.
Identify and evaluate opportunities for Generation to expand its program portfolio into new sectors or professions in Africa.
Conduct landscape analysis of employer demand, learner supply, salary benchmarks, AI resilience, training feasibility, placement potential, and career pathways for candidate new programs.
Develop program concept notes and pilot designs in collaboration with PDS and country teams.
Lead employer outreach and engagement to validate hiring demand, role requirements, and employer pain points, ensuring these insights inform program design, secure employer commitments for pilot hiring, and build a strong pipeline of job opportunities.
Track and synthesize emerging sector trends across Africa to surface high-potential opportunities.
Design and test new commercial and earned revenue models to reduce Generation Africa's donor dependency, including employer cost-sharing arrangements, fee-for-service models, and social enterprise structures.
Conduct stakeholder research with employers, training partners, and sector bodies to validate willingness-to-pay assumptions and model parameters.
Develop model blueprints, pilot frameworks, and business cases for regional and global leadership review.
Lead the design, development, and launch of an employer-funded BPO/ITO manager upskilling program in partnership with the Employer Partnerships and Curriculum & Instruction teams.
Support key existing revenue-generating pilots, namely the Digital Talent Hub and the Kenya Garment Hub, by refining their commercial models, documenting learnings, and extracting transferable insights.
Support the design and piloting of a sector skilling ecosystem model to coordinate skilling providers and crowd in employer, donor, and government funding.
Map key ecosystem actors in priority sectors.
Develop stakeholder engagement strategies and partnership frameworks to convene and align ecosystem participants around Generation's approach.
Maintain a living pipeline of growth opportunities (new countries, new sectors, new revenue models), updated regularly and accessible to regional and global leadership.
Produce high-quality analysis, briefings, and presentations for internal decision-making and, where relevant, funder reporting.