Background information about the job or company

TechCraft is CFK Africa’s flagship workforce development program, preparing youth in informal settlements for both formal and informal sector employment and increasing their lifetime earning potential. It combines a digital hub in Kibera — equipping young people with the technology and skills to engage in the digital economy — with an apprenticeship model in which youth train alongside Master Craftspeople accredited by the National Industry Training Authority (NITA) in trades aligned to their skills and to national demand, such as mechanics, plumbing, and bricklaying. The program builds on CFK’s proven workforce model, which in its pilot year achieved a 93% job placement rate, doubled median youth income, and enabled 70% of participants to begin saving. With a 500-person waitlist in Kibera, TechCraft is positioned to expand across Kenya.

The new Youth Development Network (YDN) Program will build on this model to implement two critical learning tracks – skilled trades and digital gig work – accompanied by proven innovations such as employer co-designed training to ensure alignment with real labor market needs, Women at Work – a gender-inclusive initiative offering mentorship, safe spaces, childcare support and employer engagement, and branded business rating system, similar to Yelp but innovated for slum markets to build trust and reliability in TechCraft graduates. The YDN Program will place youth in employment, enhance public health, improve educational outcomes, and showcase that when talent meets opportunity, slum youth can break from survival mode to purpose driven pathways.

Working under the leadership of the YDN Director, the TechCraft Manager provides overall strategic, technical, and operational leadership for the program – taking it from a proven Kibera pilot to a scaled, evidence-driven program delivering at national reach. The role carries accountability for strategy, growth, employer and donor partnerships, resource mobilization, team leadership, financial stewardship, and demonstrable impact for young people.

Responsibilities or duties

• Set and drive the overall strategic direction of TechCraft, ensuring alignment with CFK Africa’s mission, values, and strategic plan.
• Oversee the development, testing, and deployment of a robust TechCraft platform that integrates with the YDN digital directory and other program components.
• Responsible for annual planning and budgeting of TechCraft activities ensuring alignment with YDN overarching goals and integration with other program components.
• Translate the proven pilot model into a costed, phased national expansion strategy, including site selection, partnership, and delivery models.
• Position TechCraft as a reference model in youth workforce development within Kenya’s informal settlements.
• Keep track of program performance, opportunities, and risks, and represent TechCraft in senior external forums.
• Lead the expansion of TechCraft beyond Kibera, converting the 500-person waitlist and national demand into sustainable delivery at new sites.
• Oversee delivery of both learning tracks skilled trades and digital gig work ensuring quality, timeliness, budget discipline, and donor compliance across all locations.
• Establish standardized systems, curricula, and quality benchmarks that allow the model to be replicated without loss of quality or impact.
• Monitor delivery against programmatic and budgetary targets, adjusting design and resourcing as needed to protect outcomes.
• Lead the design, integration, and continuous improvement of TechCraft’s four core innovations: Employer co-designed training, Women at Work, YDN business rating system, Trade tool lending library.
• Build and steward strategic partnerships with employers, local businesses, industry bodies, government agencies (including NITA), and delivery partners to create real economic opportunities for participants.
• Lead employer engagement across both tracks securing placements, apprenticeships, co-design commitments, and pathways into formal contracts for graduates and artisans.
• Represent TechCraft within the YDN, leveraging the network to open markets, share learning, and amplify graduate visibility.
• Work with the YDN Director and other CFK teams to develop compelling proposals to secure the funding required to sustain and scale TechCraft.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with local partners and stakeholders and create linkages that support the mobilization of community resources.
• Provide timely, high-quality reporting that demonstrates impact and value for money.
• Develop sustainability pathways including earned-income and cost-recovery mechanisms such as the rating system and tool library that reduce long-term grant dependency.
• Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary team, setting clear objectives and holding staff accountable for results.
• Build the capacity of program officers, field officers, and trainers, acting as a mentor and role model and creating a culture of learning and inclusion.
• Manage performance, workforce planning, and recruitment for the program in partnership with the HR team.
• Hold overall accountability for TechCraft budgets, ensuring spending is on-track, well-documented, and compliant with CFK Africa procedures and donor regulations.
• Oversee procurement, sub-grants, and partner agreements in line with organizational policy and value-for-money principles.
• Work with the MEAL team to define indicators, tracking plans, and evaluation frameworks that capture placement, income, savings, and gender-equity outcomes.
• Ensure timely, accurate data collection and use evidence including data generated by the rating system — to drive learning, adaptation, and continuous improvement.
• Embed accountability mechanisms responsive to participants and communities and report regularly on program impact to internal and external stakeholders.
• Responsible for preparation of TechCraft periodic reports, analysis and presentation of results, and documentation and dissemination of key lessons for program improvement and adaptation.
• TechCraft works directly with young people, including young women accessing safe spaces and childcare support. The Manager must actively promote a safe environment, model CFK Africa’s safeguarding and child-protection standards, and ensure that all staff, partners, and Master Craftspeople understand and comply with them.

Qualifications or requirements

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. development studies, economics, education/TVET, business, or social sciences); a Bachelor’s degree with exceptional relevant experience may be considered.
• At least 7 years’ progressive experience in youth employment, workforce development, TVET, or livelihoods programming, including significant senior leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success in scaling or expanding a program of similar nature, ideally in informal-settlement or resource-constrained contexts.
• Proven track record in managing multi-donor budgets and delivering against ambitious targets in compliance with donor regulations.
• Familiarity with NITA accreditation, apprenticeship models, or the digital gig economy in Kenya.
• Experience designing or leading gender-inclusive or women’s economic empowerment initiatives.
• Exposure to social-enterprise or earned-income models for sustainability.
• Strategic and entrepreneurial thinker able to move a proven model to scale.
• Strong people leader who builds, motivates, and develops diverse teams.
• Excellent partnership-building, negotiation, and representation skills.
• Sound financial acumen and rigorous, data-informed decision-making.
• Deep commitment to youth empowerment, gender inclusion, and CFK Africa’s values, with cultural sensitivity to informal-settlement communities.

Experience needed

At least 7 years’ progressive experience in youth employment, workforce development, TVET, or livelihoods programming, including significant senior leadership responsibility.

Any other provided details

The successful candidate will be required to undergo relevant background checks.

• Set and drive the overall strategic direction of TechCraft, ensuring alignment with CFK Africa’s mission, values, and strategic plan.
• Oversee the development, testing, and deployment of a robust TechCraft platform that integrates with the YDN digital directory and other program components.
• Responsible for annual planning and budgeting of TechCraft activities ensuring alignment with YDN overarching goals and integration with other program components.
• Translate the proven pilot model into a costed, phased national expansion strategy, including site selection, partnership, and delivery models.
• Position TechCraft as a reference model in youth workforce development within Kenya’s informal settlements.
• Keep track of program performance, opportunities, and risks, and represent TechCraft in senior external forums.
• Lead the expansion of TechCraft beyond Kibera, converting the 500-person waitlist and national demand into sustainable delivery at new sites.
• Oversee delivery of both learning tracks skilled trades and digital gig work ensuring quality, timeliness, budget discipline, and donor compliance across all locations.
• Establish standardized systems, curricula, and quality benchmarks that allow the model to be replicated without loss of quality or impact.
• Monitor delivery against programmatic and budgetary targets, adjusting design and resourcing as needed to protect outcomes.
• Lead the design, integration, and continuous improvement of TechCraft’s four core innovations: Employer co-designed training, Women at Work, YDN business rating system, Trade tool lending library.
• Build and steward strategic partnerships with employers, local businesses, industry bodies, government agencies (including NITA), and delivery partners to create real economic opportunities for participants.
• Lead employer engagement across both tracks securing placements, apprenticeships, co-design commitments, and pathways into formal contracts for graduates and artisans.
• Represent TechCraft within the YDN, leveraging the network to open markets, share learning, and amplify graduate visibility.
• Work with the YDN Director and other CFK teams to develop compelling proposals to secure the funding required to sustain and scale TechCraft.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with local partners and stakeholders and create linkages that support the mobilization of community resources.
• Provide timely, high-quality reporting that demonstrates impact and value for money.
• Develop sustainability pathways including earned-income and cost-recovery mechanisms such as the rating system and tool library that reduce long-term grant dependency.
• Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary team, setting clear objectives and holding staff accountable for results.
• Build the capacity of program officers, field officers, and trainers, acting as a mentor and role model and creating a culture of learning and inclusion.
• Manage performance, workforce planning, and recruitment for the program in partnership with the HR team.
• Hold overall accountability for TechCraft budgets, ensuring spending is on-track, well-documented, and compliant with CFK Africa procedures and donor regulations.
• Oversee procurement, sub-grants, and partner agreements in line with organizational policy and value-for-money principles.
• Work with the MEAL team to define indicators, tracking plans, and evaluation frameworks that capture placement, income, savings, and gender-equity outcomes.
• Ensure timely, accurate data collection and use evidence including data generated by the rating system — to drive learning, adaptation, and continuous improvement.
• Embed accountability mechanisms responsive to participants and communities and report regularly on program impact to internal and external stakeholders.
• Responsible for preparation of TechCraft periodic reports, analysis and presentation of results, and documentation and dissemination of key lessons for program improvement and adaptation.
• TechCraft works directly with young people, including young women accessing safe spaces and childcare support. The Manager must actively promote a safe environment, model CFK Africa’s safeguarding and child-protection standards, and ensure that all staff, partners, and Master Craftspeople understand and comply with them.

• Strategic and entrepreneurial thinker able to move a proven model to scale.
• Strong people leader who builds, motivates, and develops diverse teams.
• Excellent partnership-building, negotiation, and representation skills.
• Sound financial acumen and rigorous, data-informed decision-making.
• Deep commitment to youth empowerment, gender inclusion, and CFK Africa’s values, with cultural sensitivity to informal-settlement communities.

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. development studies, economics, education/TVET, business, or social sciences); a Bachelor’s degree with exceptional relevant experience may be considered.
• At least 7 years’ progressive experience in youth employment, workforce development, TVET, or livelihoods programming, including significant senior leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success in scaling or expanding a program of similar nature, ideally in informal-settlement or resource-constrained contexts.
• Proven track record in managing multi-donor budgets and delivering against ambitious targets in compliance with donor regulations.
• Familiarity with NITA accreditation, apprenticeship models, or the digital gig economy in Kenya.
• Experience designing or leading gender-inclusive or women’s economic empowerment initiatives.
• Exposure to social-enterprise or earned-income models for sustainability.