Human Centered Design Manager - Kenya

About CorpsAfrica:

Founded in 2011 by Liz Fanning, CorpsAfrica is an organization that offers Africans the opportunity to serve as volunteers in their own countries, modeled after the Peace Corps. We train young, college-educated Africans and send them to live for up to a year in high-poverty rural communities, where they initiate and facilitate small-scale, high-impact projects identified by the local population. CorpsAfrica aims to promote a culture of public service in Africa by giving participants the opportunity to apply their training, skills, and energy to helping their fellow citizens overcome extreme poverty. www.corpsafrica.org

CorpsAfrica has steadily expanded its operations from Morocco to Senegal, Malawi, Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Gambia and South Africa. Having successfully proven the power and effectiveness of the model, CorpsAfrica has begun receiving significant funding from major donors. As we reach a significant inflection point leading to future expansion, we are seeking to add motivated, skilled, and highly effective staff to our team in Kenya.

 About CorpsAfrica HCD Center:

The CorpsAfrica Human-Centered Design (HCD) Training center is an innovative hub dedicated to fostering creative problem-solving through the HCD approach. The center's mission is to empower organizations, communities, and individuals to address complex challenges by placing the needs, aspirations, and experiences of people at the heart of the solution design process.

At the HCD Center, we offer a variety of interactive training, workshops, and consultancy services designed to engage diverse groups in meaningful conversations and design thinking processes. These activities focus on 1. Community-Led Development (CLD): Guiding organizations in developing sustainable, community-centered solutions. 2. Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD): Leveraging local assets and strengths to foster positive change. 3. Human-Centered Design (HCD): A structured approach to co-creating solutions that meet the needs of users, ensuring practical and innovative outcomes.

OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION:

We are seeking a passionate and experienced Human-Centered Design Manager to lead our HCD Training Center team in creating innovative, user-centric training programs that meet the needs of our NGO, government, and community foundations. The Human-Centered Design Manager position is a one year contract on full time basis with the primary responsibility of facilitating high-quality, human-centered design training to government organizations, community foundations, and NGOs through our training center.The ideal candidate will deeply understand human-centered design principles and methodologies, asset-based community-led development, and a proven track record in management, training, and marketing. As the Human-Centered Design Manager, you will play a pivotal role in shaping our training, driving partnerships and business development, and managing a diverse team of trainers/designers to transform the work of community development at the national and regional levels.

Salary and Benefits: CorpsAfrica offers a competitive and comprehensive salary and benefits commensurate with the experience of its staff in accordance with local regulations and laws.

Specific Responsibilities: 

• Lead and mentor a team of trainers and designers, providing guidance and support to ensure the delivery of high-quality, user-centered design training to government organizations, community foundations, and NGOs through our training center and within community settings with various stakeholders, including the communities themselves.
• Design, develop and implement customized curriculum, training materials and relevant content and solutions for clients from government, other organizations, development partners, institutions, communities and within CorpsAfrica. 

• Manage the day-to-day operations of our HCD Center, including staffing, scheduling of training sessions, maintenance, and training set-up.

• Manage all finance, fundraising, partnerships, marketing, and communications for the HCD Center in collaboration with the appropriate CorpsAfrica/Kenya and Global Support Office team members.

• Champion the voice of the rural communities within CorpsAfrica and all partner organizations working in community development.

• Stay abreast of industry trends and best practices in human-centered design, and apply this knowledge to enhance our design capabilities.

• Collaborate with senior leadership of the CorpsAfrica/Kenya office and Global Support Office to define and execute a long-term vision for human-centered design at CorpsAfrica, aligning with our organizational goals and objectives.
• Develop and implement human-centered design strategies, processes, and 

best practices to drive innovation and continuous improvement across CorpsAfrica.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Design, Business Management, Community Development, Education, Training, or a related field.
• Proven experience (5+ years) in a leadership role with a strong portfolio showcasing effective training programs design, curriculum development and successful application of human-centered design principles to real-world problems.
• Experience in business management and running a profitable business.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate, and develop a high-performing design team.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate design concepts effectively and sell to various stakeholders.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with a strong sense of accountability and a bias for action.

TO APPLY: