Travel & Protocol 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 698 businesses in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 36 million lives, and US$916 million in leveraged capital.

The Role

The Travel & Protocol assistant will be responsible for coordinating and supporting all protocol and travel arrangements. The role holder will ensure efficient, cost-effective, compliant, and timely travel logistics with precision while delivering excellent customer service and adhering to organizational policies and donor requirements. The incumbent will provide end-to-end support throughout the travel lifecycle from initial planning and approvals to post-travel reconciliation.

The role will support operational continuity by maintaining travel systems, tracking travel patterns, updating compliance documentation, and ensuring that the organization can account for staff whereabouts at any time, particularly important for risk, insurance, and emergency response protocols. It will also manage mobility protocol requirements and logistics, visas and travel documentation support, and liaison with hotels, embassies, and service providers to ensure seamless movement.

This role will contribute to organizational effectiveness by minimizing disruptions, reducing travel costs, enhancing staff experience, and maintaining reliable data for planning and reporting.

This role will report to the Head of HR & Administration.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate end-to-end travel, including itineraries, flight options, hotel bookings, ground transport, and meeting schedules.
• Prepare and process travel requests in compliance with organizational travel policies, covering approvals, class of travel, routing, and documentation.
• Support travel claims and reconciliations by verifying that expenses align with approved itineraries and policy rules.
• Manage airport transfers, including pickups, entry/exit support, and special arrangements for visiting dignitaries where applicable.
• Act as the contact person for staff traveling to handle any changes, cancellations, rebookings, missed flights, and disruptions, and facilitate communication with travel agents, hotels, and ground transportation service providers.
• Assist with lost luggage, delays, entry refusal, and any hotel issues arising for stakeholders on travel.
• Provide visa and immigration support, including preparation of visa letters, entry permits, alien cards, and other diplomatic or administrative documentation as required.
• Prepare and issue confirmed itineraries, travel packs (tickets, bookings, contacts, agendas), visa/entry documentation packs, event/protocol checklists, and coordinate with vendors for quotes, comparisons, and service issue resolution.
• Participate and contribute to establishing a protocol office for AECF, including mapping out key issues under this docket, shaping protocols, maintaining records, and updating policies.
• Update the relevant host country offices on protocol norms and travel procedures.

Suitable candidates should:

• Possess a bachelor’s degree in business administration, travel & tourism management, or any related field.
• Have three (3) years of experience in travel coordination, protocol, or administration, preferably within regional organizations, or in travel agencies handling international bookings.
• Have experience managing travel across multiple world regions, including visa and entry requirements.
• Have the ability to maintain accurate travel trackers, calendars, and compliance documentation.
• Have the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks, respond to urgent travel needs, and have a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Possess excellent communication, customer service, and problem-solving skills.