Ecosystem and Community Engagement Associate

Volunteering Admin Communications & PR

Overview

Support ecosystem development and community engagement for the GreenTech Hub.

You have:

• Experience in ecosystem building, community engagement, or partnerships development, preferably in innovation, entrepreneurship, or sustainability sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to engage with diverse stakeholders including startups, investors, development agencies, academia, and government actors.
• Experience in designing, coordinating, and delivering innovation-focused events such as hackathons, bootcamps, networking sessions, or mentorship programs.
• Familiarity with the African GreenTech or broader climate innovation ecosystem is highly desirable.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills, with experience producing content for digital platforms and media.
• Experience managing relationships and partnerships across borders, with a pan-African or global lens being an advantage.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with strong project coordination and multitasking skills.
• Comfort with digital tools for community management, event logistics, CRM, and social media management.

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks. UNDP is the leading United Nations organization in fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.

Under the direct supervision of the Timbuktoo GreenTech Hub Project Manager the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

A. Ecosystem Mapping and Strategic Engagement • Map and profile relevant ecosystem stakeholders (startups, incubators, accelerators, universities, investors, policymakers, corporates, and development partners) within the GreenTech sector. • Build and maintain a dynamic ecosystem database segmented by potential value-add (e.g., mentorship, funding, regulatory influence, market access). • Initiate and maintain strategic relationships with ecosystem players through one-on-one engagements, community roundtables, co-hosted events, and thematic forums. • Represent the GreenTech Hub at ecosystem events and contribute to policy dialogues, in coordination with the Program Manager and Hub Manager.

B. Community Engagement and Events • Design and implement an annual community engagement plan aligned with the Hub’s programmatic calendar. • Organize high-impact events such as fireside chats, community bootcamps, demo days, innovation challenges, and sector-specific workshops. • Support all aspects of event planning: speaker curation, logistics, content preparation, partnership coordination, and post-event follow-up. • Collaborate closely with the operations and technical teams to ensure events contribute to the startup pipeline and reflect program priorities.

C. Mentorship Program Management • Design and manage the Hub’s mentorship program in coordination with the Program Manager. • Source, onboard, and engage mentors based on Hub needs and cohort profiles. • Match mentors with startups and track mentorship interactions using defined quality and impact metrics. • Maintain updated mentor profiles and manage regular touchpoints to sustain engagement.

D. Communication, Storytelling, and Visibility • Identify compelling stories of startup growth, ecosystem impact, and innovation out-comes; document them for internal and external use. • Co-create written, visual, and multimedia content (e.g., newsletters, blog posts, social media content, pitch decks, investor snapshots) to position the Hub as a leading GreenTech innovation platform. • Coordinate with the communications focal point to align storytelling with brand guidelines and editorial calendar. • Manage the Hub’s social media presence and digital communities, ensuring timely up-dates, strategic engagement, and performance tracking.

E. Media and Knowledge Assets • Liaise with media partners to ensure visibility of the Hub’s achievements and public-facing events. • Manage photo/video documentation during key events and maintain a structured archive of media assets. • Maintain a digital repository of communication resources, including startup profiles, mentor bios, investor decks, and campaign materials.

F. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning • Measure the effectiveness of ecosystem engagement and community activities using post-event surveys, feedback sessions, and engagement metrics. • Contribute insights to reporting cycles (monthly, quarterly, and annual) in collaboration with the Program Manager and Hub Manager. • Ensure that all engagement activities are inclusive and aligned with gender equity and youth leadership principles.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities. Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc. Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers. Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering ser-vice whenever technically possible.

Accountability Adaptability and Flexibility Building Trust Client Orientation Commitment and Motivation Commitment to Continuous Learning Communication Creativity Empowering Others Ethics and Values Integrity Judgement and Decision-making Knowledge Sharing Leadership Managing Performance Planning and Organizing Professionalism Respect for Diversity Self-Management Technological Awareness Vision Working in Teams

Experience in ecosystem building, community engagement, or partnerships development, preferably in innovation, entrepreneurship, or sustainability sectors. • Demonstrated ability to engage with diverse stakeholders including startups, investors, development agencies, academia, and government actors. • Experience in designing, coordinating, and delivering innovation-focused events such as hackathons, bootcamps, networking sessions, or mentorship programs. • Familiarity with the African GreenTech or broader climate innovation ecosystem is high-y desirable. • Strong communication and storytelling skills, with experience producing content for digital platforms and media. • Experience managing relationships and partnerships across borders, with a pan-African or global lens being an advantage. • Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with strong project coordination and multitasking skills. • Comfort with digital tools for community management, event logistics, CRM, and social media management.

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighbouring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO).

Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP.

The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical climate.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 8 months ago - Updated 8 months ago - Source: unv.org