Digital Economy Specialist Consultant

Role Overview

This is a senior advisory position for an experienced technology policy expert who will shape multi-year advocacy strategies across East Africa, with a strong focus on Kenya. The consultant will work at the intersection of research, government engagement, and private-sector collaboration, turning complex regulatory findings into practical, sequenced action plans that stakeholders can rally around. Day to day, the role involves leading diagnostics, facilitating dialogue between regulators and industry players, and ensuring that evidence-based recommendations gain traction in real policy processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead comprehensive regulatory diagnostics on digital economy issues, identifying bottlenecks in existing policies and proposing reform pathways tailored to national and regional contexts.
• Translate research outputs into multi-year advocacy frameworks with clear milestones, target audiences, and engagement strategies for East African institutions.
• Advise government ministries, regulators, and private-sector coalitions on technology policy design, implementation, and monitoring mechanisms.
• Manage senior-level relationships with public sector leaders, tech hubs, venture funds, and industry associations to build consensus around proposed reforms.
• Direct multidisciplinary project teams working on donor-funded research and advocacy, ensuring quality control, timely deliverables, and alignment with donor priorities.
• Produce high-level policy papers, briefings, and executive summaries that distil technical research into accessible, decision-ready documents.
• Represent the project at regional forums, workshops, and stakeholder consultations to present findings and generate political buy-in.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Economics, Public Policy, Digital Governance, International Development, or a closely related field.
• 10–12 years of demonstrated professional experience leading technology policy, digital economy, or private-sector development programmes in East Africa.
• Track record of managing donor-funded research and advocacy initiatives that involve multiple disciplines and cross-sector teams.
• Existing networks spanning Kenyan government ministries, technology innovation hubs, private-sector business associations, and venture capital firms.
• Strong technical writing capability, evidenced by published policy papers, strategy documents, or equivalent high-level outputs.
• Familiarity with regulatory issues affecting the digital economy, including data governance, platform regulation, digital finance, and digital trade.
• Proven ability to convene diverse stakeholders and facilitate dialogue between public and private sector actors with differing priorities.

Application Requirements

Interested candidates should submit:

• Updated CV/Resume
• Cover letter highlighting relevant assignment experience
• Proposed daily consultancy rate in KES/USD
• Samples of previous work, such as policy briefs, research reports, or event proceedings