Position in: Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania or Uganda
Do you want to grow our network of drone pilots and sensor specialists in Africa?
Code for Africa (CfA) has an immediate vacancy for a full-time community coordinator anywhere in Africa to join our Communities team.
The role will involve overseeing and expanding our professional networks of drone pilots and sensor practitioners, and driving impactful civic tech initiatives using drones, sensors, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to tackle environmental challenges and promote social justice.
The ideal candidate must have demonstrable experience in project management, professional network or community building, and stakeholder engagement. Additionally, critical thinking skills and a growth mindset are essential, as our projects are transnational and fast-paced, requiring the ability to quickly switch context and learn new things. Candidates with knowledge of and a keen interest in civic technology applications utilising sensors, drones, and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices will have an advantage.
The successful candidate will work as part of a multinational and multilingual team using digital collaboration tools to create content for a global audience and international media partners.
Required: minimum requirements include:
- At least 3 years of experience in community management, stakeholder engagement, or project management, with a focus on professional networks or Communities of Practice.
- Strong experience organising and coordinating local, international, and hybrid events (in-person and online).
- Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.
- A strong track record of stakeholder engagement, particularly with tech practitioners, professionals, and donors.
- In-depth understanding of civic technology applications, particularly in the context of drones, sensors, and IoT technologies for environmental monitoring.
- A passion for social justice, environmental sustainability, and international development.
- Exceptional communication skills (written and verbal) for diverse audiences and settings (small groups, large meetings, and one-on-one interactions).
- Ability to work independently, think critically, and solve problems with a focus on achieving impactful outcomes.
- Fluent in English (spoken and written).
Preferred: candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:
- Experience in the technology, non-profit, and/or media sectors will be a strong advantage.
- Familiarity with database management and spreadsheets.
- Previous experience working in multinational, remote teams is desirable.
- Bilingual skills (English and French) are an advantage.
- Relevant undergraduate degrees in fields such as Development Studies, Engineering, or related STEM disciplines.
- Experience working with growth and impact metrics or web analytics.
Language and Location Requirements:
- Location: While CfA has labs in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, this role can be performed remotely from anywhere in Africa.
- Languages: English is required. Proficiency in Arabic, French, or Swahili is a plus.
About this role
The successful candidate will join CfA’s Communities team as the continental champion for CfA’s africanDRONE and sensors.AFRICA networks pioneering the use of drones and sensors for climate change and deforestation monitoring, water and air quality detection, and pollution detection in African cities, as well as open data collection and mapping. africanDRONE is a community of African drone pilots who use drone imagery and maps for social justice and environmental security. sensors.AFRICA is a citizen science initiative that involves monitoring of environmental challenges such as air quality and noise pollution, and water quality to empower citizens in African cities.
Responsibilities: Your daily responsibilities will include:
- Community Management: Lead and expand geographically dispersed professional networks, that is, africanDRONE (drone pilots) and sensors.AFRICA (sensor practitioners) communities across Africa. Ensure members are engaged, active, and supported.
- Event Coordination: Organize online, offline, and hybrid community events (workshops, webinars, meetups) to promote knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and collaboration within the networks.
- Programme Development: Identify gaps within the africanDRONE and sensors.AFRICA communities and design programs that address these needs, ensuring they align with community goals and partner expectations.
- Project Oversight: Manage multiple donor-funded projects, including fellowships and micro-grants, ensuring milestones are achieved on time, within scope, and to the highest standards.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including IoT practitioners, community members, partners, and donors.
- Mentorship & Training: Facilitate training, mentorship, and capacity-building initiatives for community members to ensure they are equipped to drive impact in their respective fields.
- Monitoring & Evaluation: Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of programs and community engagement strategies through member feedback, performance metrics, and data-driven insights.
- Reporting & Communication: Produce detailed reports on community activities, milestones, and outcomes. Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders, producing presentations, briefings, and other communications materials to keep partners and stakeholders informed.
- Community Engagement Planning: Develop and execute weekly and monthly engagement plans, ensuring consistent and proactive communication with community members.
What We Offer:
- A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
- Medical insurance cover, underwritten by a remote-first provider to ensure cover wherever you are
- A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
- Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
- A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.
How to apply:
Please apply using this link by 12 January 2025.
About Us:
Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest network of indigenous African civic technology and investigative data journalism laboratories, with over 120 staff in 26 countries, who build digital democracy solutions that are intended to give citizens unfettered access to actionable information that empowers them to make informed decisions and that strengthen civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability.
This includes building infrastructure such as the continent’s largest open data portal, open.AFRICA, and largest open source civic software portal, commons.AFRICA, as well as the largest repository of investigative document-based evidence, source.AFRICA, as well as incubating initiatives as diverse as the africanDRONE network that gives citizens their own ‘eyes in the sky’, the PesaCheck fact-checking initiative in 12 African countries, and the sensors.AFRICA remote-sensing citizen science initiative to combat air/water pollution.
CfA also incubates the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR), as an association of the continent’s best investigative newsrooms, ranging from large traditional mainstream media to smaller specialist units. ANCIR member newsrooms investigate crooked politicians, organised crime and big business. The iLAB is ANCIR’s in-house digital forensic unit, with teams in east, south and west Africa. ANCIR uses its resources to strengthen newsrooms’ own internal capacity, by providing access to the world’s best whistleblower encryption and investigative semantic analysis technologies, as well as skills development, and seed grants for cross-border collaboration.
At CfA, we don’t just accept differences – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. CfA is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
To all recruitment agencies: CfA does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our employment application line, CfA employees or any other CfA contact. CfA is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.
Please note: Due to high volumes of applications, we are unable to respond to each one individually. If you are selected for an interview, we will contact you.