Programme Officer - Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation

We are looking for a Programme Officer for a fixed term 12-month contract to support the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, a programme designed to stimulate, celebrate and champion innovation and entrepreneurship across sub-Saharan Africa.

The role

The programme officer role is varied and fast paced, focusing primarily on programme and event organisation, logistics, communications, and stakeholder management, offering a great opportunity to develop a range of skills in the context of supporting African entrepreneurs.

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation has been running since 2014. It provides crucial commercialisation support to innovators who have developed engineering solutions. Selected entrepreneurs participate in an eight-month, hybrid, business training and mentoring programme, before having the opportunity to pitch their business to a live audience at a showcase final event on the African continent. They then go on to become part of an engaged and thriving alumni community. Over the last ten years, the programme has supported almost 150 entrepreneurs from across sub-Saharan Africa. The businesses supported have gone on to create over 28,000 jobs, raise $39 million in funding, and bring 470 products and services to market, with a reach of over 10 million beneficiaries.

Following the tenth anniversary celebrations, this is an exciting time to join the team as there is an opportunity to think creatively and shape what the Africa Prize will look like over the next ten years. In this role, you will work closely with delivery partners to support the delivery of Cycle 11 of the Africa Prize. In collaboration with the selected training partner and the Programme Manager, you will support in designing engaging and bespoke training weeks for Africa Prize entrepreneurs, both in the UK and on the African continent.

You will have a portfolio of alumni grant projects and you will be responsible for providing consistent and detailed grant management support, including project visits where relevant. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are a must as the role involves being the main point of contact for this portfolio.

There will also be opportunities to support the wider Africa and Sustainable Development team activities. The job offers the chance to travel internationally, including to low-resource settings.

Who are we looking for?

You are a great problem solver who takes initiative. You pride yourself on great organisational skills and time management with a track record of managing multiple concurrent activities.

You thrive in a collaborative environment and contribute creative ideas confidently. You enjoy meeting new people and make the most of opportunities to learn from and network with others.

You have experience in the design and delivery of training and/or community events, both in-person and online, and you have developed a variety of communication materials to demonstrate impact for different audiences.

Who are we?

Engineering matters. It shapes our everyday lives, from our ability to turn the lights on, have a hot shower and commute into work, to the mobile phones we rely on to keep connected. It also plays a vital role in addressing some of the biggest challenges facing society today, from climate change to global health pandemics and cyber threats.

The Royal Academy of Engineering is a charity that harnesses the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation, and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

With a diverse workforce and an inclusive and supportive culture, we look to attract candidates from wide and different backgrounds who have a passion for the role engineering plays in society. Our aim is to make the Academy the best place to work for the staff we have and those we seek to attract.

Why work for the Royal Academy of Engineering?

We’re looking for people who are driven to make the world a better place. If you’re passionate about what you do and want to work collaboratively with talented colleagues to make change happen now and for future generations, we want you to get in touch.

This is the perfect time to join us. We have a dynamic, visionary CEO, a strong leadership team and an ambitious and exciting strategy. The value we bring as experts in our field and change agents is highly recognised and makes the Academy a motivating place to be. Our work today builds on a long, proud history with a focused and ambitious future which we’d love you to be part of.

We are looking for talented people who want to make a difference, to join our team – is this you?

Company Benefits

The Academy offers a fantastic package of additional benefits including:

• BUPA cash plan
• Private medical insurance
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme
• Independent Financial Advice
• Non-contributory pension scheme with 10% employer contribution
• Life Assurance, 4x annual salary
• Health and wellbeing programmes
• Generous holiday allowance
• Wellbeing days and office wide Christmas leave
• Significant investment into your personal and professional development
• Regular social activities
• Subsidised restaurant

Location

Our light, spacious head office is based in a fantastic location in central London with views over St James’s Park and close to the West End. We operate hybrid, flexible working practices with a baseline for office-based working of a mandatory weekly team day plus further days each week as required for the role and the Academy.

How to apply/Interview process

To find out more and to apply, please visit our website. As part of your application, you will be asked to upload a CV and a supporting statement explaining your interest in this role and how you fit the experience, knowledge, and skills profile.

Closing date: 27 August 2024.

Interview date: 4 September 2024 (at our London office).

The Academy is committed to making reasonable adjustments to remove barriers that hinder applicants from applying or staff from working effectively and comfortably.