ABOUT THE COMPANY

We have also supported significant programmes in mental health - in particular through the founding of the Centre for Mental Health - although we are no longer focusing on this area.
Across all areas, we aim to be more than a funder. We act as an enabler for projects, designing, developing, overseeing and, in some cases, delivering activities.
We are proactive in putting together projects to achieve our aims. Rather than wait for third-party proposals, we identify areas of need, commission research and design interventions in partnership with sector and industry experts.
We take a long-term view as we do not think much can be achieved by short, one-off projects. We build long relationships with the organisations we support, allowing both them and us to learn from successes and failures and to develop sustainable change.
We are particularly enthusiastic about supporting innovation. David Sainsbury has long believed that private foundations have an important role to play in testing imaginative models and new ideas that governments may see as too risky for public funding, even when they have significant potential to benefit the public if they succeed. Gatsby can incubate such models, giving them the support they need to prove themselves and build the track-records that will encourage others to scale them up.

JOB SUMMARY

We’re hiring a Chief Portfolio Officer (CPO) to join our Nairobi office and play a pivotal role in shaping Gatsby Africa’s long-term strategy and driving economic transformation across East Africa.In this executive leadership role, you’ll work closely with the Executive Director and Senior Management Team to guide our portfolio, programmes, strategic investments, partnerships and government engagement. You’ll help identify future opportunities, strengthen organisational performance, and ensure Gatsby Africa’s work delivers lasting, system-wide impact across the region.Purpose of the RoleThe Chief Portfolio Officer (CPO) is a member of Gatsby Africa’s Senior Management Team (SMT). The CPO plays a critical role in shaping Gatsby Africa's future. Working closely with the SMT, the role helps define the organisation's long-term strategic direction, ensuring Gatsby Africa remains positioned to achieve its long-term success and five-year strategic objectives in an increasingly complex and evolving environment.The CPO ensures that Gatsby Africa's portfolio choices, programmes, strategic investments, partnerships, evidence generation and learning agenda work together to maximise sustainable impact and drive economic transformation.The role brings together strategic insight, portfolio leadership and organisational learning to identify future opportunities, guide investment decisions and continuously strengthen Gatsby Africa's contribution to systemic change.Leading the Portfolio, Programmes, Partnerships, Investments, Impact/M&E, External Engagement and Government Engagement functions, the CPO drives coherence across Gatsby Africa's interventions while fostering a culture of learning, innovation and strategic adaptation.The role also ensures that evidence, economic analysis, government engagement and organisational learning are translated into stronger portfolio choices, more effective programmes and greater influence on economic transformation agendas across the region.The CPO also plays a key role in strengthening Gatsby Africa's external profile and thought leadership, ensuring the organisation actively contributes to national, regional and global debates on economic transformation and industrial development.As a strategic partner to the Executive Director, the CPO helps ensure Gatsby Africa remains focused on the opportunities that will deliver the greatest long term impact for Africa's future

REQUIRED SKILLS

Project implementation, Business management, Corporate communications, Project monitoring and evaluation (M&E)

REQUIRED EDUCATION

Diploma, Associate's degree