Careers

The African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI) is designed to bolster the capacity of Governors and Mayors leading Africa’s largest cities to deliver in a way that dramatically redefines the trajectory of their respective cities. The program is unique in that it caters explicitly to the top leaders of cities and is non-prescriptive about what these leaders should prioritize. The program is centered around annual cohorts of approximately 15 mayors who participate in a four-day forum and then receive a range of follow-up support. The program is jointly led by Big Win Philanthropy and the African Centre for Cities (ACC) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), further supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The successful candidate for Program Director will have deep understanding of the realities facing Africa’s urban leaders, experience overseeing successful team performance and collaboration, and proven political acumen. The role is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and reports to a Senior Director at Big Win Philanthropy, with regular reporting to the AMALI Executive Committee Co-Chairs on strategic matters and to the Director of the African Centre for Cities on ACC matters.

Major components of the role include:

• Overall coordination and leadership of AMALI in consultation with the AMALI Executive Committee Co-Chairs and Advisory Board, including alignment of all AMALI teams at the ACC responsible for pre- and post-forum support to participants (namely the Urban Governance Research lab, resourcing, logistics and data teams).
• Ensuring all aspects of the program are strategic, optimized and aligned to deliver the program’s success framework.
• Ensuring that participating city leaders have a seamless experience with AMALI, from selection and induction through the forum and beyond.
• Serving as the key interface with mayors/governors, including scouting, recruitment, and delivery of pre- and post-forum support in coordination with Big Win’s Senior Director and the AMALI Co-Chairs.
• Overseeing all aspects of program management, workplans and budgets, personnel management, event planning and alumni management.
• Contributing proactively to continuous upgrading of curriculum design, content of workshops, and other bespoke follow-up activities, including the research, resourcing and data components of the program.
• Flagging specific needs of mayors/governors and providing linkages to the right sources for support.
• Serving as the primary point of contact for the evaluation of the program and assisting the evaluation team in its processes.
• Communicating effectively with program stakeholders, including likeminded organizations; researchers; and mentors and advisors; guided by the Big Win Senior Director and the AMALI Co-Chairs.
• Initiating opportunities to raise the profile of good city leadership and transformative city action in close coordination with ACC’s leadership to optimise synergies.

Ideal candidate profile:

• Experience with high-level political navigation and implementation within the public sphere; nurturing leadership growth; and urban policy and design.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to communicate appropriately and effectively at all levels within and outside the organization and in different cultural contexts.
• Ability to interact meaningfully with senior political leaders.
• Robust personal networks relevant to the program.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment; juggle and prioritize multiple, competing tasks and demands; and work independently with minimal supervision.
• Awareness of when to seek supervisory assistance.
• Strong research and presentation skills and fluency in urban policy matters.
• Deep knowledge of African cities and experience working with municipal governments, especially mayors and senior city officials.
• Willingness to support leaders’ agendas instead of approaching subject matter prescriptively.
• Ability to work in a pan-African context.
• Highly self-motivated with proven capacity to take initiative. Ability and willingness to travel internationally frequently.
• Fluency in English mandatory; language skills relevant to work in sub-Saharan Africa appreciated, e.g. French, Portuguese, Amharic.

This position is located at the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town. On logistical, administrative and human resources matters at the ACC, the position reports to the designee of the Executive Director of the ACC (currently the Deputy Director). Successful applicants must have the right to work and reside in South Africa. Candidates with appropriate academic credentials may be eligible for a parallel (unpaid) appointment at the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town. 

Interested applicants should email a cover letter describing the applicant’s interest and relevant experience, together with a full current CV, to [email protected]. Please include “AMALI Program Director” in the subject line. 

Download the job description.