2 jobs in Youth Impact Labs East Africa

About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.

In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions

into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Now, and for the future.

The Program
Energy 4 Impact runs programs that seek to reduce poverty by accelerating access to clean energy, helping businesses and communities make better use of that expanded access, and working with the private sector to support the sustainability of these efforts. Energy 4 Impact supports the development and growth of privately owned SME's and micro enterprises, which deliver renewable energy products and services to hard-to-reach communities in rural and urban settings. We advise energy access SMEs on commercial, financial and engineering matters and help them secure the resources they need to grow. We run pilots to test new products and business models to expand into markets.

The Position Summary
The Regional Advisor, Energy Enterprise Investment will primarily assume program management and implementation of the Crowd Power 3 (CP3) program. They will also provide financial and capital raising advisory services to energy access clients in other programs such as Powering Renewable Energy Opportunities (PREO), GET.Invest Financial Readiness Support, Energy Catalyst Acceleration Program (ECAP) and the Kenya Cold Chain Accelerator (KCCA) as required.

Crowd Power (CP3)
Crowd Power aims to grow commercial capital in the energy access sector by helping crowdfunding platforms tackle the systemic and operational challenges affecting the sector in Africa and Asia. This is achieved by providing grant-funded interventions to platforms to de-risk their investments, build their pipeline, onboard investees, and expand their investor base. Crowd Power also publishes various reports, including an annual state of the market report. Funded by FCDO through TEA, the program is implemented by Energy 4 Impact and supervised by Carbon Trust. The program started in 2015, is now in its third phase and is due to finish on December 31, 2026.

Powering Renewable Energy Opportunities (PREO)
PREO catalyzes the growth of PUE enterprises in SSA and Asia. The program, which is funded by FCDO and IKEA Foundation, has been running since 2018 and runs until September 2027. PREO provides grant capital and technical assistance (TA) for early-stage PUE innovations and shares the learnings through a knowledge management platform. It helps SMEs and other organizations test and demonstrate PUE business models, thereby enabling them to gather critical business data, attract private capital and scale up further. PREO has funded over 50 PUE organizations in SSA and the Indo-Pacific across sectors such as electric mobility, solar irrigation, cold storage, and the circular economy. PREO is jointly implemented by the Carbon Trust (the prime contractor) and Energy 4 Impact.

FRS
is a European program that mobilizes investment in renewable energy in developing countries. It supports project developers and companies with investment readiness and links them with financiers. Managed by GIZ, it is funded by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria. Finance Readiness Support (FRS) enables locally owned and managed clean energy businesses to access finance. The project provides early-stage energy SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions with hands-on, in-depth business development and capital raising advice and coaching. Energy 4 Impact was one of 8 advisory organisations implementing FRS since 2021 and is now implementing phase 2 of FRS.

Energy Catalyst Acceleration Program (ECAP)
ECAP provides technical assistance services to the grantees of the Energy Catalyst, as well as knowledge management for the grantees and the wider sector. The Energy Catalyst accelerates the technology and business innovation needed to end energy poverty in Africa and Asia, by providing grants for in-country pilots and support on strategic partnerships. Energy Catalyst is an Innovate UK program that is funded by the FCDO and other UK public bodies.

Kenya Cold Chain Accelerator (KCCA)
The Kenya Cold Chain Accelerator (KCCA) is a project under the Low Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) programme, funded by UK aid and the IKEA Foundation through the Transforming Energy Access Platform. It aims to unlock the potential of agricultural cold chain technologies in Kenya by testing and scaling commercially viable business models. KCCA supports innovators with grant funding to strengthen business performance and expand impact. Companies can also access additional top-up grants for research (covering market analysis, competitor landscapes, policy frameworks, and investor mapping) and for workforce and skills development. Beyond funding, KCCA promotes cross-sector dialogue, raising government and stakeholder awareness of cold chain solutions, market barriers, and enabling policies. By combining financial, technical, and ecosystem support, the initiative seeks to improve the availability, affordability, and efficiency of agricultural cold chain systems, driving productivity and sustainable energy access in Kenya.

Essential Responsibilities
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT, CROWD POWER (CP3) – Approx. 60%

• Lead management/implementation of Crowd Power.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with the major crowdfunding platforms active in energy access in Africa and Asia.
• Lead donor reporting, M&E, and other administrative tasks.
• Originate and co-design interventions with platforms that support the growth of their business in energy access. These interventions will address issues around pipeline building, onboarding of investees, outreach to investors, and development and deployment of de-risking mechanisms. They may also include direct match-funding for crowdfunding campaigns.
• Support the onboarding of platforms into Mercy Corps and the contracting/budgeting for the interventions.
• Monitor the progress of the interventions, including the campaigns facilitated by them.
• Maintain an up-to-date database of all interventions, including funds committed and disbursed.
• Ensure that the type, number and financial value of interventions are in line with the program and budget targets.
• Provide dedicated support to crowdfunding platforms on their specific interventions, so they can grow their small ticket lending business with African-owned enterprises ensuring inclusion of women and youth led businesses, which is a priority for TEA.
• Coordinate and lead the research and learning component of Crowd Power, including publication of an annual state of the market report and white papers on specific crowdfunding topics.
• Support the dissemination of these learnings.

TECHNICAL ADVISORY (PREO, GET.Invest FRS, ECAP, KCCA) – Approx 40%

• Manage relationships with assigned energy enterprise clients, including monthly reports, quarterly M&E of on-ground results, and end of support reports outlining results and lessons learned.
• Help companies develop their funding strategy and identify the type and amount of capital required.
• Provide commercial, financial, and transactional support to energy enterprise clients as required. This includes helping companies develop investor-facing materials, including pitch decks, teasers, and financial models.
• Coach energy enterprise clients in capital raising, including introducing them to potential investors and support them in due diligence and negotiations.
• Build relationships with a network of investors interested in energy access enterprises.
• Support structuring and facilitating the growth of different investment facilities, including funds, crowdfunding, innovation and challenge competitions, to grow energy companies, derisk them as they explore new markets, and promote new technologies.
• Support proposal development for energy access programming (grants and contracts).

PROGRAM QUALITY

• Provide technical leadership to support effective interventions through integrated approaches and systems thinking.
• Maintain standards of program delivery through application of the agency approaches and compliance with relevant regulations and requirements.
• Ensure program objectives and activities are properly monitored, evaluated and documented
• Lead and develop frameworks for quality, effective and efficient delivery of Energy 4 Impact's energy services.

FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Contribute to the maintenance of systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with all MC-E4I donors and Mercy Corps regulations

INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION

• Represent Mercy Corps at industry events, conferences, media forums, and other events as needed; contribute to thought leadership in areas of expertise.
• Identify and nurture strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions; Present concepts and ideas to donors, partners, and peer organizations that influence them to drive innovation and positive change.
• Effectively manage relationships with donors and other strategic partners in related projects to elevate and advance MC-E4I's energy work.

TEAM ENGAGEMENT

• Embrace Mercy Corps' culture and values and actively work to achieve its Diversity and Inclusion goals; Foster a spirit of inclusion and respect amongst team members.

• Ensure timely communications with team staff.

• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.

• Use best practices for Human Resources, including up-to-date Job Descriptions, IOPs, and detailed review processes at pre-determined intervals.

• Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach their objectives; Empower team members to be leaders in their fields and encourage/support professional growth.

• Ensure team members' accountability for delivering on individual workplans and maintaining and using key databases, tracking, and knowledge management tools.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

• Demonstrate exceptional leadership by consistently delivering expectations and maintaining composure, even in challenging situations.
• Embrace a growth mindset, actively seek diverse perspectives, and welcome feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Maintain the highest ethical standards, treating all individuals with respect and dignity.
• Demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of life, ensuring that your conduct reflects positively on Mercy Corps and does not compromise its mission or work.

Supervisory Responsibility
None
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Head of Energy Research and Innovation

Works Directly With: Program Managers, Advisors, the Finance Department, the Communications Department, Advisory clients including crowdfunding platforms, Expert consultants.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Proven track record of project management, with the ability to transfer technical theories to real world complexities.
• Comfortable working with diverse teams; fosters an environment of inclusion and collaboration
• Creative, adaptive, and flexible; consistently acts with integrity
• Detail-oriented with the ability to prioritize within complex team environments
• Exceptional writing skills; effective and clear communication in English is required. Proficiency in French or Arabic is advantageous.
• Excellent relationship and partnership management

Required Education And Experience

• Bachelor's degree preferred. M.A./MSc. or equivalent in a relevant field and relevant technical certifications are advantageous.

• 3 to 4 years of experience required providing increasingly proficient technical support in the field of expertise that includes:

• Experience in energy access crowdfunding is required

• Experience in energy access implementation in Africa.
• Strong understanding of the grid and off-grid energy market, entrepreneurial space, and investing sectors – preferably in the African market.
• Demonstrated experience of investment and financial management for energy SMEs, including due diligence, financial modelling, investor readiness.
• Grant writing, research, and proposal development.

• Combining theoretical and applied knowledge of the field of expertise using integrated approaches and applying systems thinking.

• Demonstrated experience with project management, planning and co-ordination

Success Factors
The successful candidate will demonstrate acuity in program management and co-ordination, have a demonstrated understanding of the crowdfunding sector and trends, possess excellent technical advisory skills, work effectively with diverse teams, and be proficient in communication.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Nairobi and it requires up to 20% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short term assignment to a field posting. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Team Engagement and Effectiveness
Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ).