OVERVIEW

The African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) is a regional non-profit research and policy institute established in 2010 to help bridge the gaps between research, policy, and practice in development efforts in Africa. Our primary purpose is to contribute to sustainable development through the use of evidence and advocacy to strengthen political commitment and resource allocation for development issues; inform the design and implementation of effective interventions; and strengthen governance and accountability structures for tracking development challenges in Africa. For further details, visit www.afidep.org.

Application Deadlines: Vary by Position

POSITION 1: RESOURCE MOBILISATION OFFICER

Department: Resource Mobilisation

Reports to: Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation Manager

Contract Type: Full-time, fixed two-year term

Location: Lilongwe, Malawi or Nairobi, Kenya

Application Deadline: Friday, 25th September 2026

JOB TYPE: Fixed Contract

ABOUT THE ROLE

AFIDEP seeks a motivated and experienced candidate to fill the position of Resource Mobilisation Officer within the Institute's Business Development Unit. The Unit leads the implementation of AFIDEP's Resource Mobilisation Strategy, driving strategic opportunity identification, donor engagement, partnership development and positioning of the Institute to secure sustainable and diversified funding. The Resource Mobilisation Officer will work with the Business Development team and technical and support functions across the Institute.

The Resource Mobilisation Officer will directly support the coordination and delivery of institutional resource mobilisation efforts, including mapping opportunities for strategic partnerships, coordinating engagement with potential funders and partners, coordinating and contributing to proposal development, contributing to the continuous improvement of the Department's strategies, processes and procedures, supporting monitoring, evaluation and reporting, and contributing to institutional brand-building activities.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications and Experience:

• A Master's degree in international development, social sciences, humanities, communications, business development, or another relevant discipline.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in resource mobilisation, business development, proposal development, grants management, donor reporting, strategic communications, or a related field, preferably within an international development or research organisation.
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the funding regulations, compliance requirements, and priorities of major bilateral and multilateral donors, research funders, foundations and philanthropic organisations.
• Strong research and analytical skills, with the ability to identify, gather, synthesise and translate complex information and evidence into compelling proposals, concept notes, donor reports and other resource mobilisation materials.
• Demonstrable experience in planning, coordinating and delivering strategic events, stakeholder engagements, donor meetings or similar institutional positioning initiatives.
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, concisely and persuasively to different audiences.

Competencies:

• Interpersonal and Relationship Management: Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain productive relationships with diverse internal teams, donors, partners and other external stakeholders.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly, persuasively and effectively with diverse audiences.
• Planning and Organisation: Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, coordinate complex processes and consistently deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural and cross-functional environment, fostering collaboration across teams and organisational functions.
• Initiative and Proactivity: A proactive and results-oriented approach, with the ability to identify opportunities and take initiative.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Planning & Opportunity Mapping:

• Contribute to strategic planning to implement the Business Development Department's work plan.
• Research and identify potential funders and update the historical maps in the Microsoft Fundraising and Engagement application and other tools.
• Scan for relevant calls for proposals and concept notes and generate summaries for quick decision-making.

Partnership & Funder Engagement:

• Support the establishment and maintenance of collaborative relationships with the Institute's partners — including research organisations, academia, government, media and civil society — to optimise proposal development and project implementation and enhance the AFIDEP brand.
• Support engagement with funders and partners.
• Populate partnership assessment and due diligence documentation.

Proposal Development Support:

• Support proposal development, including background research, collating project and organisational information, and customising biographies and curricula vitae to specific calls.
• Support registration to funders' and partners' online proposal submission platforms.

Events, Monitoring & Reporting:

• Support the planning of, and participate in, events and meetings relevant to resource mobilisation and partnership-building.
• Support monitoring of the Department's impact and reporting.
• Undertake other miscellaneous tasks as required.

POSITION 2: COMMUNICATIONS AND POLICY ENGAGEMENT (CPE) OFFICER

Department: Communications, Policy and Engagement

Reports to: Communications Policy and Engagement Manager

Contract Type: Fixed Term – 2 years renewable

Location: Nairobi, Kenya or Lilongwe, Malawi

Application Deadline: Friday, 25th September 2026

JOB TYPE: Fixed Contract

ROLE OVERVIEW

AFIDEP is seeking to recruit a dynamic and experienced Communications and Policy Engagement (CPE) Officer to support the design and implementation of the Institute's policy engagement, branding and communications strategies. The role will contribute to strengthening AFIDEP's visibility, profile and influence as a leading regional research and policy institute, while promoting the effective communication and uptake of research evidence to inform development policy and practice across Africa.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications and Experience:

• Master's degree in Communications, Media, International Relations or a related field.
• At least five (5) years' experience in science and development communications.
• Excellent and demonstrable writing and technical editing skills, especially for policy-oriented publications and media products.
• Excellent presentation and public speaking/verbal communication skills.
• Technical skills in publications design, website management, and social media platforms.
• Experience translating and communicating research to non-scientific audiences, such as the media and the public.
• Knowledge of the African context and how this influences decision-making in health, population and development, education, environment and climate change, and governance.
• Knowledge of current global issues and debates in development policy and international development politics.

Competencies:

• Writing & Content Development: Excellent writing skills, with the ability to produce clear, compelling and accurate content tailored to different audiences and platforms.
• Networking & Relationship-Building: Ability to negotiate, network and form credible relationships within the organisation and with senior decision-makers in external institutions.
• Representation & Credibility: A skilled communicator, able to dialogue effectively with a wide range of audiences and represent the organisation with authority and credibility to the outside world, including the media.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Content & Publications:

• Institutional Publications: Manage the development of, and write content for, institutional publications such as the annual report, newsletters and African Development Perspectives, as well as the website and social media platforms.
• Knowledge Translation: Facilitate engagement with policymakers and support research staff in translating and packaging evidence into policy-oriented and general-reading outputs, including policy briefs, infographics, factsheets, video/animation scripts, blogs, media releases, media kits, Op-Eds, explainer videos, podcasts and photo-stories.
• Research & Policy Communications: Support the development of communications materials that translate AFIDEP's research, policy positions and technical work into clear and accessible content for different audiences.
• Policy Engagement Support: Support the communication and documentation of policy dialogues, consultations and other engagements, including preparing event materials, capturing key messages and developing post-event communications.
• Reporting & Content Development: Contribute to institutional, programme and donor reporting by providing relevant communications inputs, including highlights, success stories, media coverage, visibility activities and other communications outputs.

Media & Public Engagement:

• Media Relations: Establish and sustain links and contacts with journalists and media houses to ensure visibility of AFIDEP's work in the media.
• Capacity Building: Contribute to building the communications and evidence-informed decision-making capacity of AFIDEP staff, other researchers, policymakers and journalists.

Digital & Social Media:

• Social Media Management: Contribute to managing AFIDEP's social media platforms (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube), ensuring regular, high-quality content sharing our work, and stay abreast of emerging social media platforms, digital tools, and content formats to extend the reach and impact of AFIDEP's work.
• Website Management: Contribute to managing the AFIDEP website, ensuring that web content related to our programmes is well presented and up to date, including developing content for the website.

Knowledge Resources:

• Library & Information Management: Support the development and management of AFIDEP's library and information resources, both physical and digital.

Event Management:

• Ability to plan, coordinate and deliver successful events, meetings and conferences, including logistics, stakeholder coordination and on-the-ground execution.

POSITION 3: PROJECT MANAGER – MIGRATION

Project: Inclusive Economic Integration for Migrant and Displaced African Youth: Learning from East and West Africa

Reports to: Theme Lead for Population Dynamics and the Demographic Dividend

Contract Type: Two-year fixed-term, renewable

Location: Nairobi, Kenya or Lilongwe, Malawi, with travel to project countries

Application Deadline: Friday, 18th September 2026

JOB TYPE: Fixed Contract

ABOUT THE PROJECT

AFIDEP is implementing a three-year initiative to generate policy-relevant evidence on how governments, private sector actors, civil society organisations and communities can strengthen economic integration for migrant and displaced youth in East and West Africa. The project combines mixed-methods research, policy engagement, capacity strengthening and regional learning.

ROLE OVERVIEW

AFIDEP is seeking an experienced Research and Policy professional to coordinate and lead the day-to-day technical implementation of the Inclusive Economic Integration for Migrant and Displaced African Youth project. The Project Manager will be responsible for delivering project research, coordinating partners and country teams, supporting policy engagement, supervising project outputs, and ensuring timely implementation of approved work plans and milestones.

The successful candidate will have a combination of strong applied research skills, practical project coordination, and evidence-to-policy experience.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Essential:

• PhD in Migration Studies, Development Studies, Public Policy, Demography, Economics, Sociology, Political Science, International Development, Population Studies, Labour Economics or a closely related social science discipline.
• Demonstrated training in quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods research.
• At least five years of relevant post-PhD or equivalent progressively responsible experience in applied research, policy analysis or research programme implementation.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating a substantial research or policy project, preferably involving multiple partners or countries.
• Experience in at least one relevant area, such as migration and displacement, refugee inclusion, labour mobility, youth employment, livelihoods, economic inclusion, human capital development or public policy.
• Practical experience developing research protocols and tools, coordinating data collection, analysing evidence and preparing high-quality reports.
• Experience engaging government technical officers, civil society, development partners, research organisations or regional stakeholders.
• Evidence of translating research into policy briefs, presentations, recommendations or stakeholder engagement products.
• Experience contributing to donor-funded project workplans, budgets, monitoring and narrative reporting.
• A record of relevant peer-reviewed publications, technical reports or policy products.

Desirable:

• Migration & Displacement Expertise: Research or programme experience relating directly to migration governance, forced displacement, refugee policy or labour mobility in Africa.
• Regional Experience: Experience working across more than one African country or with regional policy institutions.
• Language Skills: Working knowledge of French or another language relevant to the project contexts.
• Evidence Uptake: Experience with evidence uptake, outcome harvesting or policy-influence tracking.

Skills and Competencies:

• Applied Research & Analysis: Strong applied research, analytical and synthesis skills.
• Project Coordination: Effective project coordination, planning and follow-through.
• Communication: Excellent written and spoken English, including strong technical and policy writing; ability to communicate research clearly to policy and non-technical audiences.
• Facilitation & Stakeholder Management: Strong facilitation, presentation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively under senior leadership and across multidisciplinary, multicultural teams.
• Judgement & Attention to Detail: Sound judgement, attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Research Ethics: Understanding of research ethics, safeguarding and data protection.
• Technical Proficiency: Proficiency with relevant research, data-analysis and project-management tools.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead Applied Research Delivery:

• Research Design: Coordinate development of research protocols, survey instruments, qualitative tools, sampling plans and analytical frameworks.
• Data Collection & Analysis: Lead or support mixed-methods data collection, analysis and synthesis in collaboration with the technical team.
• Fieldwork Supervision: Supervise fieldwork preparation, enumerator training, data-quality checks and documentation.
• Ethics & Compliance: Ensure compliance with approved ethics, safeguarding and data-protection procedures.
• Reporting & Publications: Draft and coordinate technical reports, country analyses, comparative studies and manuscripts.

Coordinate Project Implementation:

• Workplan Coordination: Coordinate day-to-day implementation of the approved project workplan and deliverables schedule.
• Planning & Tracking: Develop detailed activity plans, implementation trackers and inputs for annual workplans and budgets.
• Team & Partner Coordination: Coordinate staff, partners, consultants and country-level collaborators.
• Risk Monitoring: Monitor progress, risks and dependencies and escalate strategic or material issues to the leadership.
• Meeting Management: Organise project management, technical and partner meetings and maintain action trackers.

Support Policy Engagement & Evidence Uptake:

• Engagement Strategy: Work with the project team to implement the policy engagement and evidence uptake strategy.
• Policy Materials: Develop stakeholder maps, policy briefs, technical presentations and briefing materials.
• Stakeholder Convening: Coordinate consultations, validation workshops, policy dialogues and regional learning activities.
• Stakeholder Relations: Maintain relationships with technical officers, implementing partners, youth organisations and other project stakeholders.
• Evidence Tracking: Track evidence use, policy influence, stakeholder commitments and follow-up actions.

Manage Monitoring, Learning & Reporting:

• Monitoring Data: Maintain project monitoring data and coordinate routine reporting against indicators, milestones and deliverables.
• Donor Reporting: Develop quarterly, annual and donor narrative reports for review.
• Learning & Adaptation: Support annual learning reviews, outcome harvesting and adaptive management processes.
• Documentation: Document implementation lessons, challenges, decisions and corrective actions.
• Reporting Coordination: Coordinate inputs from partners and project staff to ensure complete and timely reporting.

Contribute to Knowledge Products & Communications:

• Knowledge Products: Develop policy briefs, research summaries, practice notes, presentations and other knowledge products.
• Communications Packaging: Work with AFIDEP communications colleagues to package findings for policy and public audiences.
• Representation: Present project work at technical meetings and selected conferences, as delegated.
• Dissemination: Support publication planning, peer review and dissemination of project outputs.

HOW TO APPLY (FOR ALL POSITIONS)

For Resource Mobilisation Officer:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, detailed CV, and the names and contact details of three professional referees to Recruitment@afidep.org with the subject line "Resource Mobilisation Officer" by 25 September 2026.

For Communications and Policy Engagement (CPE) Officer:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, detailed CV, and the names and contact details of three professional referees to Recruitment@afidep.org with the subject line "Communications, Policy and Engagement Officer" by 25 September 2026.

For Project Manager – Migration:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, detailed CV, and the names and contact details of three professional referees to Recruitment@afidep.org with the subject line "Project Manager – Migration" by 18 September 2026.

To apply for this job please visit afidep.org.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. AFIDEP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.