Education

Innovation Lead

United States International University - USIU Africa·Nairobi, kenya·Full Time·Contract
EducationFull TimeContract
-Closes 20 Nov 2026

Job Summary

  • The ideal candidate will drive the University's innovation agenda through the Innovation and Incubation Center (I2C), including the Design Your Future Integrated Innovation Pipeline Program (DYF-IPP). The Lead will provide guidance from ideation through validation, prototyping and incubation, and on to funding and market entry, combining pipeline programme design, hands-on venture coaching and impact tracking. By building a strong pipeline of student, staff and community-led ventures, it turns innovative ideas into projects, businesses and social enterprises that solve societal challenges, and strengthens the Center's contribution to the entrepreneurship ecosystem. This position will report to the Director, Innovation and Incubation Center.

Employment type:

  • This is a three-year fixed term contract.

Key Responsibilities

Innovation Programming and Engagement

  • Design, coordinate and lead innovation and startup-support activities, including workshops, ideation sessions, pitch sessions, mastermind sessions, start-up wars, innovation challenges and hackathons.
  • Build an innovation culture by engaging students, staff, alumni and community innovators, and encourage creative problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking among incubates.
  • Identify promising ideas by helping innovators spot real problems and market opportunities, and track emerging trends to keep innovators competitive.
  • Assess the viability of early-stage ideas and give constructive feedback to shape them into well-defined, viable solutions.

Innovation Pipeline Management

  • Develop and refine the pipeline framework, with clear stages, selection criteria and milestones, guiding innovators from ideation to market entry and tailoring support to their needs.
  • Prepare innovators for ideas presentation and screening.
  • Manage ideas through the pipeline, from screening and validation to prototyping and incubation readiness.
  • Track and evaluate the progress of each idea, adjust support where needed and advance the strongest to the next stage.

Product Development, Market Validation and Business Modelling

  • Support innovators to build, test and refine products, services and business solutions, offering strategic advice on product development, business models and market strategy.
  • Guide iterative prototyping and user testing so that solutions respond to real customer needs.
  • Facilitate customer discovery and market testing to confirm demand for innovators' solutions.
  • Support value proposition development and business model refinement, testing assumptions for scalability and sustainability, and integrating emerging trends into the process.

Incubation, Venture Development and Coaching

  • Coordinate structured incubation for selected ventures, with defined development milestones and regular progress reviews, and oversee the allocation of resources such as workspace and technology.
  • Provide ongoing mentorship and facilitation, linking ventures to mentors, industry experts, investors, partners and relevant support services.
  • Provide one-on-one and group coaching on ideation, product development, business modelling, pitching and venture readiness.
  • Build and maintain a network of stakeholders, including universities, corporations, government bodies and venture capitalists, and facilitate collaboration between ventures and external partners to enhance innovation and scalability.

Funding Readiness and Impact Tracking

  • Prepare innovators for grants, competitions, pitching opportunities and potential investment, connecting them to investors and funders.
  • Support the development of pitch decks, financial projections and funding applications.
  • Track and report outcomes, including ventures supported, products developed, funding secured, market entry and commercialization progress.
  • Evaluate venture progress and use data and insights to improve programmes, adjust support and demonstrate impact to partners and stakeholders

Qualifications and Experience for the role

  • Bachelor's degree in business administration, technology, or entrepreneurship, or a related field.
  • A minimum of 5 years of experience in innovation, incubation, acceleration and commercialization support, business advisory services, or economic development, with a focus on University or Institutional innovation and incubation centers.
  • A background in entrepreneurship, business development, or innovation management is preferred, along with a track record of working with startups or leading projects.

Competencies required for this role

  • A deep understanding of the startup journey, encompassing challenges such as funding, scaling, and achieving market fit.
  • Ability to inspire and manage a diverse entrepreneurial team while guiding entrepreneurs toward success.
  • Strong interpersonal skills to build partnerships and connect startups with opportunities.
  • Creative and analytical thinking to address the unique challenges faced by early-stage ventures.

Key skills

BA/BSc/HND
Apply Now

At a glance

Company

United States International University - USIU Africa

Location

Nairobi, kenya

Employment

Full Time

Experience

Valid until

November 20, 2026

Created

November 9, 2026

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Ensure procurement files are complete, audit-ready, and aligned with IRC sourcing policy and donor requirements. Support compliance with institutional donor requirements that may affect technology, AI, data hosting, data residency, and vendor selection. Track and follow up on missing documentation, approvals, vendor information, and risk reviews. Tool and Vendor Visibility Maintain or support a list of emerging technology tools and vendors, indicating status (under review, in pilot, approved, rejected, expired) and the approved use case for each tool. Document the business owner, contract status, contract dates, and renewal timing for each tool. Document what each tool is approved for and what use would require additional approval or new procurement action. Help connect business owners, end users, IT, Procurement, Information Security, Data Protection, Legal, and Finance around emerging technology tools and vendors. Reduce situations where approved tools are used in non-approved ways, and flag misuse for review. Contracting and Commercial Support Support commercial negotiation and contracting across the emerging technology portfolio, including NDAs, trial agreements, pilot agreements, proof-of-concept agreements, SaaS agreements, subscriptions, software licenses, cloud services, implementation services, and renewals. Review pricing models, including seat-based licensing, usage-based pricing, token usage, API calls, implementation fees, renewal escalators, and support fees, and provide commercial analysis. Coordinate with Legal, IT, Finance, and business owners to ensure contracts include appropriate terms on data protection, confidentiality, intellectual property, service levels, audit rights, incident reporting, termination, data return, and exit provisions. For AI-enabled tools, ensure contracts also address AI-generated outputs, model training restrictions, and AI-specific risk allocation. Support renewal planning and help prevent last-minute renewals or unplanned vendor commitments. Stakeholder Engagement and Service Support Provide practical, service-oriented procurement support to teams exploring new tools, pilots, digital services, automation platforms, AI solutions, or other emerging technology. Help stakeholders move through the procurement process without unnecessary delays, while maintaining compliance and risk controls. Coordinate between business owners, IT owners, Procurement, end users, Information Security, Data Protection, Legal, and Finance to ensure tool usage remains aligned with approved scope, contract terms, procurement files, risk approvals, and any applicable usage guidelines. Reduce workarounds, shadow IT, and credit-card purchasing by making the correct procurement process easier to follow. Guide stakeholders on procurement routes, required documentation, approval steps, and realistic timelines for emerging technology procurement. Support early engagement with teams considering new tools, pilots, or digital approaches, before commitments are made to vendors. Reporting and Continuous Improvement Track the emerging technology sourcing pipeline, renewal calendar, cycle time, savings, risk flags, documentation completion, and approval status. Track pilot outcomes (end, continue, scale, or formal sourcing) and capture lessons learned. Track user adoption issues, non-approved usage of approved tools, and other compliance signals, and surface these to the Senior Category Manager, IT. Identify recurring issues in emerging technology sourcing and recommend improvements to frameworks, checklists, templates, and decision tools. Contribute to knowledge sharing across Global Procurement on emerging technology, SaaS, AI, and digital innovation sourcing practices. Support the role’s value contribution by improving visibility over fast-moving technology spend, reducing duplicated tools, undocumented pilots, and audit risk. Key Working Relationships Reports to: Senior Category Manager, IT. Internal: Office of the CIO and IT teams; Senior Category Manager, IT; Information Security; Data Protection; Office of General Counsel; Ethics and Compliance; Risk and Compliance; Finance; Airbel Impact Lab; Data and Analytics; External Relations; Country Program supply chain and innovation leads; program innovation teams; fundraising and digital teams; AI Governance and Risk Committee when applicable; Global Procurement peers. External: Emerging technology vendors and resellers; SaaS, cloud, cybersecurity, automation, data, and AI providers; startup and niche technology vendors; industry analysts; peer humanitarian and development organizations. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in procurement, supply chain, business administration, information technology, engineering, law, or a related field. Equivalent experience may be considered. Minimum 5 to 7 years of procurement, sourcing, contract management, or vendor management experience. Of the required 5 to 7 years above, at least 3 years must be in IT procurement, SaaS and software sourcing, software licensing, cloud services, cybersecurity tools, data platforms, or similar technology categories. Experience supporting pilots, trials, proofs of concept, or other early-stage technology procurement activities. Experience coordinating vendor due diligence and technology risk reviews, including cybersecurity, data protection, financial, and operational risk. Experience supporting sourcing events, supplier evaluations, commercial analysis, and contract coordination. Good understanding of technology procurement risks, including data protection, information security, intellectual property, software licensing, vendor lock-in, and third-party risk. Ability to work effectively with IT, Legal, Information Security, Data Protection, Finance, and business teams. Demonstrated ability to work quickly while maintaining compliance, controls, and documentation standards. Strong stakeholder service orientation and ability to balance procurement standards with customer needs. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Good judgment and ability to balance speed, compliance, risk, and stakeholder needs. Experience in an NGO, donor-funded organization, humanitarian agency, UN agency, or complex global organization. Knowledge of donor compliance requirements such as USAID/BHA, FCDO, ECHO, EU, UN agencies, or private foundations. Professional certification such as CIPS, CPSM, or equivalent, completed or in progress. Working knowledge of French, Spanish, or Arabic is an advantage. Don't Keep Share!: WhatsApp Tweet

17 days ago