Executive Director (NGO)

Role Overview

This leadership position sits at the heart of a youth-focused NGO with operations in Nairobi and Mombasa, requiring a leader who can bridge ambitious strategy with disciplined execution. Day to day, you will drive fundraising, oversee program delivery across multiple donor-funded initiatives, manage the social enterprise arm, and ensure the secretariat runs with sound financial and governance controls. The role matters because your decisions will determine whether the organization can scale its impact, secure sustainable funding, and give young Kenyans a stronger voice in civic and economic life.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and periodic review of the corporate strategy, annual business plans, and performance dashboards, translating board-level vision into actionable institutional targets.
• Serve as Secretary to the Board, preparing meeting agendas, discussion papers, statutory records, and tracking decisions through to implementation while keeping governance and management functions clearly separated.
• Drive the institutional fundraising agenda by identifying donor prospects, crafting compelling concept notes and proposals, and nurturing relationships with foundations, bilateral agencies, corporate partners, and impact investors.
• Oversee the financial health of both the non-profit programs and the social enterprise subsidiary, setting revenue targets, monitoring cost recovery, and ensuring surplus is reinvested into mission-aligned activities.
• Supervise program design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning across all offices, ensuring projects meet donor covenants, budget limits, delivery deadlines, and measurable social outcomes.
• Champion youth participation at every level, embedding young people in project design, governance structures, decision-making forums, and advocacy efforts.
• Enforce compliance with statutory regulations, tax obligations, NGO board requirements, donor grant conditions, and internal procurement and expenditure policies, while coordinating audits and implementing recommendations.
• Represent the organization externally as the principal spokesperson, building alliances with government bodies, civil society, the media, and international partners to advance youth-inclusive policies.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Finance, Business Administration, International Relations, Law, Governance, or a closely related field; a relevant postgraduate qualification or certifications in Monitoring and Evaluation or Project Management will be an added advantage.
• At least seven years of progressive experience in the non-profit, civil society, international development, or social impact sector, including a minimum of three years in a senior executive management role.
• A demonstrable record of securing significant institutional funding through successful grant proposals and long-term donor partnerships.
• Proven experience leading youth-focused programs in areas such as empowerment, governance, human rights, civic engagement, gender equality, or livelihoods.
• Practical familiarity with managing multi-office operations, including financial audits, human resources oversight, and risk management, with a strong grasp of both grant-funded and social enterprise business models.
• Strategic thinking ability to convert complex development challenges into clear, financially sustainable plans and operational priorities.
• Excellent negotiation, board-level reporting, public presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, underpinned by personal integrity and a commitment to safeguarding.
• Strong people leadership capabilities, with experience building, motivating, and retaining diverse, cross-functional teams in fast-paced settings.

What We Offer / Why Join

• Executive influence: the opportunity to shape the strategic direction of a leading youth-led institution and drive measurable social, civic, and economic change for young people.
• Social enterprise scale: the chance to lead an innovative dual-track structure that blends grant-funded programming with commercially viable social enterprise growth.
• Competitive compensation: a monthly retainer of Ksh 300,000–350,000, accompanied by high operational autonomy and strong board support.