Background

Gatsby has worked in Africa since 1985. We are currently focused on accelerating inclusive and resilient economic growth in East Africa by demonstrating how key sectors can be transformed. We fund and implement programmes, build local organisations dedicated to sector transformation, and synthesise and share lessons from our activities and those of others.

Role Context

We’re hiring a Chief Portfolio Officer (CPO) to join our Nairobi office and play a pivotal role in shaping Gatsby Africa’s long-term strategy and driving economic transformation across East Africa.

In this executive leadership role, you’ll work closely with the Executive Director and Senior Management Team to guide our portfolio, programmes, strategic investments, partnerships and government engagement. You’ll help identify future opportunities, strengthen organisational performance, and ensure Gatsby Africa’s work delivers lasting, system-wide impact across the region.

Purpose of the Role

The Chief Portfolio Officer (CPO) is a member of Gatsby Africa’s Senior Management Team (SMT). The CPO plays a critical role in shaping Gatsby Africa's future. Working closely with the SMT, the role helps define the organisation's long-term strategic direction, ensuring Gatsby Africa remains positioned to achieve its long-term success and five-year strategic objectives in an increasingly complex and evolving environment.

The CPO ensures that Gatsby Africa's portfolio choices, programmes, strategic investments, partnerships, evidence generation and learning agenda work together to maximise sustainable impact and drive economic transformation.

The role brings together strategic insight, portfolio leadership and organisational learning to identify future opportunities, guide investment decisions and continuously strengthen Gatsby Africa's contribution to systemic change.

Leading the Portfolio, Programmes, Partnerships, Investments, Impact/M&E, External Engagement and Government Engagement functions, the CPO drives coherence across Gatsby Africa's interventions while fostering a culture of learning, innovation and strategic adaptation.

The role also ensures that evidence, economic analysis, government engagement and organisational learning are translated into stronger portfolio choices, more effective programmes and greater influence on economic transformation agendas across the region.

The CPO also plays a key role in strengthening Gatsby Africa's external profile and thought leadership, ensuring the organisation actively contributes to national, regional and global debates on economic transformation and industrial development.

As a strategic partner to the Executive Director, the CPO helps ensure Gatsby Africa remains focused on the opportunities that will deliver the greatest long term impact for Africa's future

• Lead the Portfolio, Programmes, Partnerships, Investments, Impact/M&E, External Engagement and Government Engagement functions.
• Drive coherence across Gatsby Africa's interventions.
• Foster a culture of learning, innovation and strategic adaptation.
• Ensure evidence, economic analysis, government engagement and organisational learning are translated into stronger portfolio choices, more effective programmes and greater influence on economic transformation agendas across the region.
• Strengthen Gatsby Africa's external profile and thought leadership.
• Actively contribute to national, regional and global debates on economic transformation and industrial development.
• Help ensure Gatsby Africa remains focused on the opportunities that will deliver the greatest long term impact for Africa's future.

• Strategic insight
• Portfolio leadership
• Organisational learning
• Economic analysis
• Government engagement
• Thought leadership

• BA/BSc/HND