- Location
- Nairobi
- Type
- Full-time
- Seniority
- Director
- Experience
- 10+ years
- Education
- Certification
- Closing date
- Today
- Source
- ApplyToJob
Description
About IREX
IREX is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to helping people solve problems, build trust, and create better opportunities for themselves and their communities. Founded in 1968, IREX manages an annual portfolio exceeding $150 million, is active in 16 countries, and implements programs in more than 100 countries worldwide, with a strong and long-standing operational presence in Kenya.
Position Summary
IREX seeks an accomplished Project Director to lead the proposed Fostering the Future Together (FTFT) Kenya initiative, a child-centered program that strengthens online safety, prevents child labor and exploitation, expands access to education technology, equips youth with workforce-ready digital and AI skills, and builds government capacity to respond to emerging digital threats and labor exploitation risks. The anticipated project period is approximately 27 months.
As the senior-most program lead, the Project Director holds overall accountability for delivery of the project across technical, operational, financial, compliance, and partnership functions. The role is the project’s principal representative to the donor, Government of Kenya institutions, FTFT stakeholders, county governments, private-sector partners, and local implementing organizations.
Based in Nairobi, the Project Director will lead a consortium expected to include Kenyan organizations specializing in child protection, online safety, youth development, and workforce readiness, working closely with IREX headquarters and regional leadership. The position is full-time and designated as key project personnel, subject to final award requirements.
This position is contingent upon funding.
Summary of Responsibilities
Program Leadership and Strategic Direction
Qualifications
Required
Equal Opportunity Statement
IREX is an equal opportunity employer. IREX recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals based on merit and experience and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.
All offers of employment are subject to background checks. No phone calls, please.
To Apply
Interested candidates should submit a CV (in English) and cover letter through IREX's online application system.
IREX is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to helping people solve problems, build trust, and create better opportunities for themselves and their communities. Founded in 1968, IREX manages an annual portfolio exceeding $150 million, is active in 16 countries, and implements programs in more than 100 countries worldwide, with a strong and long-standing operational presence in Kenya.
Position Summary
IREX seeks an accomplished Project Director to lead the proposed Fostering the Future Together (FTFT) Kenya initiative, a child-centered program that strengthens online safety, prevents child labor and exploitation, expands access to education technology, equips youth with workforce-ready digital and AI skills, and builds government capacity to respond to emerging digital threats and labor exploitation risks. The anticipated project period is approximately 27 months.
As the senior-most program lead, the Project Director holds overall accountability for delivery of the project across technical, operational, financial, compliance, and partnership functions. The role is the project’s principal representative to the donor, Government of Kenya institutions, FTFT stakeholders, county governments, private-sector partners, and local implementing organizations.
Based in Nairobi, the Project Director will lead a consortium expected to include Kenyan organizations specializing in child protection, online safety, youth development, and workforce readiness, working closely with IREX headquarters and regional leadership. The position is full-time and designated as key project personnel, subject to final award requirements.
This position is contingent upon funding.
Summary of Responsibilities
Program Leadership and Strategic Direction
- Provide overall leadership for the design, implementation, and adaptive management of all project components, ensuring integration across education, online safety, child protection, employability, and systems strengthening.
- Lead annual work planning, implementation scheduling, and delivery against agreed milestones and deliverables.
- Identify implementation risks and lead the course corrections needed to keep the project on track to its outcomes.
- Serve as the primary point of contact with the donor on project performance, strategy, and compliance.
- Build and maintain relationships with national and county institutions responsible for child protection, labor standards, education, digital safety, and youth affairs.
- Anchor the project in Kenya’s Fostering the Future Together commitments and align delivery with existing government strategies, policies, and action plans.
- Strengthen national and county coordination mechanisms addressing child labor, online exploitation, and youth workforce development.
- Represent the project in senior government, donor, private-sector, and technical forums.
- Guide implementation of evidence-based interventions addressing child online exploitation, digital safety, and child labor prevention.
- Oversee the technical quality of age-appropriate digital literacy, online safety, workforce readiness, and AI skills programming, alongside community awareness and capacity-strengthening activities.
- Ensure safeguarding and child protection principles are embedded across every component, including partner delivery and data practice.
- Lead consortium partners and subrecipients, overseeing subaward scopes, deliverables, and performance while promoting genuine local ownership.
- Build employer, technology-sector, and training-provider partnerships that open apprenticeship, work-based learning, and employment pathways for youth.
- Ensure private-sector engagement advances responsible labor practices and sustainability beyond the award period.
- Oversee day-to-day operations, budget management, expenditure tracking, forecasting, and cost control in coordination with IREX finance, operations, and headquarters teams.
- Ensure full compliance with donor rules and award conditions, including procurement, subaward management, internal controls, and audit requirements.
- Ensure the monitoring, evaluation, and learning system produces high-quality evidence for adaptive management and donor reporting, providing direction and support to the MEL Officer.
- Lead preparation of technical and financial reports, including required narratives on the project’s contribution to fair labor practices and intended U.S. economic benefit.
- Ensure lessons learned and promising practices are documented for Kenyan systems and wider application.
Qualifications
Required
- Master’s degree in international development, education, public policy, labor studies, social sciences, child protection, technology for development, or a related field.
- At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience managing complex donor-funded programs, including at least 5 years in a senior program management or leadership role.
- Demonstrated experience managing large grants or cooperative agreements funded by the U.S. Government or other international donors, including multidisciplinary teams, consortia, and subawards.
- Strong experience in one or more of: child protection; child labor prevention; online safety and digital resilience; youth development; workforce development and employability; or education technology.
- Experience working with national and county government institutions in Kenya.
- Excellent project management, financial management, organizational, and risk-management skills, with outstanding written and verbal communication in English.
- Experience with programs addressing online child exploitation, safeguarding, digital literacy, or technology-enabled protection systems.
- Experience strengthening government systems and multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms.
- Familiarity with Kenya’s child protection, labor, education, and digital governance landscape, and existing relationships with relevant government agencies, private-sector actors, civil society, and development partners.
- Experience leading programs incorporating youth workforce readiness, apprenticeships, or digital skills development.
Equal Opportunity Statement
IREX is an equal opportunity employer. IREX recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals based on merit and experience and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.
All offers of employment are subject to background checks. No phone calls, please.
To Apply
Interested candidates should submit a CV (in English) and cover letter through IREX's online application system.
Skills
ComplianceProcurementProject ManagementProgram Management
