Background

Safaricom is the leading provider of converged communication solutions in Kenya. In addition to providing a broad range of first-class products and services for Telephony, Broadband Internet and Financial services, Safaricom seeks to uplift the welfare of Kenyans through value-added services and support for community projects.

Job Description

Reporting to the Director Sustainability and Shared Value, the role holder will lead the integration of Sustainability and Partnerships as strategic drivers of growth by embedding ESG principles into Safaricom’s business strategy, product development, ecosystem engagements and operational DNA, unlocking new revenue opportunities, strengthening stakeholder trust, and enhancing market positioning.

This role focuses on the Shared Value model identifying business opportunities that address global challenges (e.g., reducing carbon footprint to lower Opex, circular economy to create new revenue streams and sustainability Linked Loans). The role drives shared value creation by building and leveraging local, regional, and global partnerships, ensuring sustainability initiatives are directly linked to commercial outcomes, innovation, and long-term value for customers, communities, and shareholders.

The role also ensures robust ESG governance, reporting, and external positioning, while shaping Safaricom’s leadership in purpose-led growth and sustainable innovation.

Responsibilities

Health and Safety

• Uphold the company code of conduct, policies and procedures, ensuring integrity and accountability in every aspect of your work.
• All employees have a responsibility to adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies, guidelines and procedures in all actions and decisions.

Strategy & Shared Value Integration

• Develop and drive the Sustainability & Shared Value strategy aligned to Safaricom’s growth priorities.
• Embed ESG into business strategy, product design, and commercial decision-making across clusters.
• Identify and scale shared value initiatives where social impact drives competitive advantage.
• Translate sustainability priorities into clear business cases linked to revenue, cost, and risk outcomes.
• Partner with Commercial, Technology, and CFIO teams to integrate ESG into new growth areas (e.g. FinTech, digital ecosystems).
• Track and report on strategic impact of sustainability initiatives on business performance and long-term value.

Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

• Build and manage strategic partnerships (local, regional, global) to unlock ESG-led growth opportunities.
• Identify and develop ecosystem collaborations across public, private, and development sectors.
• Leverage partnerships to enable new business models, funding opportunities, and innovation.
• Position Safaricom as a partner of choice in sustainability, inclusion, and purpose-led initiatives.
• Drive cross-border and multi-stakeholder partnerships supporting expansion and regional play.
• Ensure partnerships deliver measurable commercial, social, and reputational value.

Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Programs (Net Zero & Circularity)

• Lead delivery of environmental sustainability agenda including carbon reduction and resource efficiency.
• Lead the transition toward Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for carbon neutrality (Scope 1, 2, and 3).
• Oversee waste, water, and circularity initiatives across operations and value chain.
• Integrate environmental considerations into supplier, product, and operational decisions.
• Manage sustainability risks and opportunities related to climate and environmental impact.
• Support development of innovative sustainability solutions aligned to future business needs.

ESG Governance, Reporting & Compliance

• Lead ESG governance frameworks ensuring alignment with regulatory, investor, and Group requirements.
• Oversee development of sustainability disclosures (e.g. integrated reports, ESG ratings, regulatory filings).
• Ensure ESG KPIs are embedded into business performance frameworks and tracked effectively.
• Monitor evolving ESG regulations and ensure readiness and compliance across markets.
• Drive data integrity, assurance, and transparency in ESG reporting and disclosures.
• Provide insights to leadership on ESG performance, risks, and opportunities.

External Positioning, Advocacy & Thought Leadership

• Position Safaricom as a leader in sustainability and purpose-led growth through strategic storytelling.
• Represent the organization in key sustainability forums, industry platforms, and stakeholder engagements.
• Shape external narratives in collaboration with PR, Public Affairs, and Communications teams.
• Build thought leadership on sustainability, inclusion, and shared value across markets.
• Drive stakeholder engagement strategies that strengthen trust, credibility, and brand positioning.
• Ensure alignment between sustainability messaging and overall corporate narrative.

Culture, Capability & Cross-Functional Enablement

• Build internal capability on sustainability and shared value across business units.
• Drive a culture of sustainability through awareness, engagement, and leadership alignment.
• Provide guidance to teams on embedding ESG into day-to-day decision-making and operations.
• Enable cross-functional collaboration to deliver integrated sustainability outcomes.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team to deliver on sustainability and partnerships agenda.
• Support enterprise initiatives (e.g. Ethiopia, new markets) with sustainability and partnership expertise.

Subsidiary Oversight, Governance & Enablement

• Provide strategic oversight and guidance on Sustainability and Partnerships across subsidiaries, ensuring alignment to Group ESG priorities and standards.
• Establish governance frameworks, reporting structures, and performance tracking mechanisms across subsidiary markets.
• Support subsidiaries in embedding sustainability and shared value into local business strategies and operations.
• Enable capability building through knowledge transfer, playbooks, and best practice sharing across markets.
• Drive coordination between Group and subsidiary teams to deliver cross-market initiatives and partnerships.
• Monitor subsidiary ESG performance, risks, and opportunities, providing insights and interventions where required.

Core competencies, knowledge and experience:

Customer Obsession

• Deepen team connection to our customers and communities.
• Foster authentic relationships with customers and partners that build trust.
• Explicitly take customer-centric decisions and take personal ownership to achieve results.
• Simplify processes through digitalisation and promote a digital mindset and digital first customer experience.
• Stay focused on the big priorities, know when to make meaningful trade-offs and demonstrate brilliant execution.

Purpose

• Create an inspiring vision for your team to drive strategy and performance.
• Show ambition and courage, empowering others to go beyond the plan.
• Bold and challenge teams to reimagine how things are done.
• Prompt new thinking and ideas by asking “what if” questions.
• Use knowledge of the external environment (customers, partners, competition, external bodies) to identify and act on opportunities for growth at pace.

Innovation

• Create psychological safety so everyone can have an impact.
• Fuel innovative ideas from others and test them to enable growth.
• Explore successes and failures

• Uphold the company code of conduct, policies and procedures, ensuring integrity and accountability in every aspect of your work.
• All employees have a responsibility to adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies, guidelines and procedures in all actions and decisions.
• Develop and drive the Sustainability & Shared Value strategy aligned to Safaricom’s growth priorities.
• Embed ESG into business strategy, product design, and commercial decision-making across clusters.
• Identify and scale shared value initiatives where social impact drives competitive advantage.
• Translate sustainability priorities into clear business cases linked to revenue, cost, and risk outcomes.
• Partner with Commercial, Technology, and CFIO teams to integrate ESG into new growth areas (e.g. FinTech, digital ecosystems).
• Track and report on strategic impact of sustainability initiatives on business performance and long-term value.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships (local, regional, global) to unlock ESG-led growth opportunities.
• Identify and develop ecosystem collaborations across public, private, and development sectors.
• Leverage partnerships to enable new business models, funding opportunities, and innovation.
• Position Safaricom as a partner of choice in sustainability, inclusion, and purpose-led initiatives.
• Drive cross-border and multi-stakeholder partnerships supporting expansion and regional play.
• Ensure partnerships deliver measurable commercial, social, and reputational value.
• Lead delivery of environmental sustainability agenda including carbon reduction and resource efficiency.
• Lead the transition toward Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for carbon neutrality (Scope 1, 2, and 3).
• Oversee waste, water, and circularity initiatives across operations and value chain.
• Integrate environmental considerations into supplier, product, and operational decisions.
• Manage sustainability risks and opportunities related to climate and environmental impact.
• Support development of innovative sustainability solutions aligned to future business needs.
• Lead ESG governance frameworks ensuring alignment with regulatory, investor, and Group requirements.
• Oversee development of sustainability disclosures (e.g. integrated reports, ESG ratings, regulatory filings).
• Ensure ESG KPIs are embedded into business performance frameworks and tracked effectively.
• Monitor evolving ESG regulations and ensure readiness and compliance across markets.
• Drive data integrity, assurance, and transparency in ESG reporting and disclosures.
• Provide insights to leadership on ESG performance, risks, and opportunities.
• Position Safaricom as a leader in sustainability and purpose-led growth through strategic storytelling.
• Represent the organization in key sustainability forums, industry platforms, and stakeholder engagements.
• Shape external narratives in collaboration with PR, Public Affairs, and Communications teams.
• Build thought leadership on sustainability, inclusion, and shared value across markets.
• Drive stakeholder engagement strategies that strengthen trust, credibility, and brand positioning.
• Ensure alignment between sustainability messaging and overall corporate narrative.
• Build internal capability on sustainability and shared value across business units.
• Drive a culture of sustainability through awareness, engagement, and leadership alignment.
• Provide guidance to teams on embedding ESG into day-to-day decision-making and operations.
• Enable cross-functional collaboration to deliver integrated sustainability outcomes.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team to deliver on sustainability and partnerships agenda.
• Support enterprise initiatives (e.g. Ethiopia, new markets) with sustainability and partnership expertise.
• Provide strategic oversight and guidance on Sustainability and Partnerships across subsidiaries, ensuring alignment to Group ESG priorities and standards.
• Establish governance frameworks, reporting structures, and performance tracking mechanisms across subsidiary markets.
• Support subsidiaries in embedding sustainability and shared value into local business strategies and operations.
• Enable capability building through knowledge transfer, playbooks, and best practice sharing across markets.
• Drive coordination between Group and subsidiary teams to deliver cross-market initiatives and partnerships.
• Monitor subsidiary ESG performance, risks, and opportunities, providing insights and interventions where required.
• Deepen team connection to our customers and communities.
• Foster authentic relationships with customers and partners that build trust.
• Explicitly take customer-centric decisions and take personal ownership to achieve results.
• Simplify processes through digitalisation and promote a digital mindset and digital first customer experience.
• Stay focused on the big priorities, know when to make meaningful trade-offs and demonstrate brilliant execution.
• Create an inspiring vision for your team to drive strategy and performance.
• Show ambition and courage, empowering others to go beyond the plan.
• Bold and challenge teams to reimagine how things are done.
• Prompt new thinking and ideas by asking “what if” questions.
• Use knowledge of the external environment (customers, partners, competition, external bodies) to identify and act on opportunities for growth at pace.
• Create psychological safety so everyone can have an impact.
• Fuel innovative ideas from others and test them to enable growth.
• Explore successes and failures

• Sustainability Strategy
• ESG Integration
• Partnership Management
• Ecosystem Development
• Environmental Stewardship
• Carbon Reduction
• Circularity Initiatives
• ESG Governance
• ESG Reporting
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Thought Leadership
• Team Leadership
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Customer Centricity
• Innovation
• Digitalization
• Strategic Storytelling
• Advocacy
• Risk Management
• Business Case Development
• Financial Services (FinTech)
• Digital Ecosystems
• Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
• Circular Economy
• Sustainability Linked Loans

• BA/BSc/HND
• MBA/MSc/MA