Program Administration Assistant

About Us

AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is a leading non-profit development organization supporting innovative agribusiness and renewable energy enterprises to reduce rural poverty, promote resilient communities, and create jobs.

We catalyze the private sector by surfacing and commercializing new ideas, business models, and technologies designed to increase agricultural productivity, improve farmer incomes, expand clean energy access, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve resilience to the effects of climate change. We finance high-risk businesses that struggle to access commercial funding. We are committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financing institutions dare to go.

Over 17 years, we have supported 536 businesses in 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 36 million lives, created over 35,000 direct jobs, and leveraged US$840 million in matching funds.

The Role

The Program Administration Assistant will be responsible for providing comprehensive support to the Director of Programs and the programs department. The role holder will provide end-to-end support on the program activities, manage documentation, and ensure that project timelines and objectives are met. This dynamic position requires the ability to anticipate needs, think critically, and offer solutions to problems with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality.

This role will report to the Director of Programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively manage and coordinate the diary of the Director of Programs, arranging internal and external meetings and ensuring appropriate briefing papers are prepared and provided.
• The role holder is expected to anticipate and prepare research and briefing papers in advance of appointments and presentations and draft subsequent correspondence and follow up as necessary.
• Support the Director of Programs and program heads of departments administratively, including in all matters relating to their travels (travel authorization requests and accountabilities) and procurement.
• Provide support for meetings within the programmes as may be directed by the DOP by ensuring they are properly organized and serviced. This will include drafting agendas, collating papers and reports, taking minutes and following up on action points.
• Coordinate and support preparation of key reports and presentations including Board documents for the Director of Programmes.
• Co-ordinate the articles from programs for the bi-annual newsletter.
• Organize and manage Portfolio Management Committee (PMC) meetings including scheduling, managing papers, recording minutes and tracking closure of actions.
• Manage the Portfolio Leadership Meetings including scheduling, managing papers, recording minutes and tracking closure of actions.
• Manage the monthly program managers meeting including scheduling, managing and consolidating the presentations from portfolio leadership team and program managers, recording minutes and tracking closure of actions.
• Responsible for consolidating and ensuring delivery of the monthly program key activities and Important Goals for the programs.
• Manage the department’s calendar of events. Support in the classification of events and maintain an electronic calendar of events for the portfolio team, and help prioritize meetings and activities.
• Maintain a Program Donor Compliance Tracker to ensure timely delivery of relevant documents.
• Maintain an effective and up-to-date record and filing system for programme documents, project activities, templates, trackers and other programme documents for quick and easy reference.
• Manage portfolio conference and workshop logistics by preparing draft budgets, making travel and hotel bookings, sending invitations, preparing workshop materials and arranging for per diems and other reimbursements.

Suitable candidates should:

• Possess a bachelor’s degree in finance/accounting/economics, or a business-related field.
• Have at least three (3) years of experience in a development or commercial environment.
• Have a working knowledge of PowerPoint for creating presentations, Excel, Word, and report writing skills.
• Have good collaboration, communication, and influencing skills, and be a team player.
• Be proactive and self-driven.