DI is Denmark’s largest business and employers’ organisation, representing companies across industries. Through its East Africa office, DI works with local business organisations, companies and other partners to promote private-sector development and strengthen commercial links between Denmark and East Africa.

The Sustainable African Value-Chain Initiative (SAVI) is implemented DI together with local organisations in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Ghana. The programme is supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and aims to strengthen companies’ resilience and integration into global value chains.

Through SAVI, DI and its local partners work with companies to strengthen their sustainability performance. The programme includes company programmes and practical support within decarbonisation, ESG reporting, water efficiency, EUDR and sustainable value-chain collaboration, providing companies with hands-on support to reduce their environmental footprint and meet international standards.

The position will be based at DI’s office in Nairobi and will support the implementation of SAVI, primarily in East Africa, with a focus on the programme’s decarbonisation activities, alongside broader ESG, water and value chain management. The Programme Officer will support the planning, coordination and implementation of activities, while also contributing to workshops and company engagement.

Main responsibilities
As our new Programme Officer, you'll be working with programme coordination and implementation, covering:

• Plan and coordinate meetings, workshops, company visits, training sessions and other activities.

• Keep activity plans, calendars, deadlines and follow-up lists up to date.

• Prepare agendas and support partners with practical planning and logistics.

• Help identify upcoming deadlines, dependencies and practical issues before they become bottlenecks.

• Support partner organisations in developing and delivering sustainability-related activities

Within sustainability, business insights and company engagement you'll be:

• Supporting the preparation and delivery of company-focused ESG and sustainability activities, including within decarbonisation, responsible business practices and sustainability reporting.

• Preparing materials such as presentations, workshop exercises, and case examples for companies.

• Providing insights into the local business environment in Kenya and East Africa, including relevant market developments, sustainability priorities and opportunities for engagement with local partners.

• Contributing to documenting company progress and examples of sustainability improvements.

• Support communication and case development by identifying relevant company stories, gathering inputs and drafting case stories, short articles and other communication materials that showcase concrete results and experiences from SAVI activities.

Qualifications and experience
We are looking for a colleague who is highly organised and enjoys creating structure around several moving tasks. You take initiative and follow up without needing supervision on every step, and you are reliable both in regard to details, deadlines and commitments. The tasks in the job switches between practical coordination and more technical sustainability tasks, so we are looking for a colleague who is comfortable in a dynamic role.

On a more professional note, the position requires:

• A relevant university degree in sustainability, business, project management or a related field.

• Relevant experience with programme coordination, project support or stakeholder engagement.

• Relevant insights on and experience with the local business environment, market developments and sustainability priorities in Kenya and East Africa.

• Practical understanding of sustainability and ESG issues affecting companies in Kenya or East Africa.

• Experience from the private sector in Kenya and/or Tanzania

It will be an advantage if you have

• Experience from an international organisation, business membership organisation, development programme, consultancy or similar setting.

• Experience working with publicly or donor-funded programmes

• Experience supporting companies with carbon accounting, emissions reduction, energy efficiency, ESG reporting or responsible business practices.

Reporting and working arrangements

Reporting line: The officer will report to the Regional Head of Sustainability and work closely with colleagues in DI’s East Africa office and relevant colleagues in Denmark.

Duty station: Nairobi, Kenya.

Contract type: Full-time project employee. Contract period 1st January 2027 – 31st of December 2028

Expected start date: 4 January 2027.

Travel: Occasional travel in Kenya, Tanzania and the wider region may be required.

Working hours and office presence: Full-time position, approximately 40 hours per week. Occasional work outside normal office hours may be required in connection with workshops, events or travel, in accordance with applicable Kenyan employment legislation and DI policies

Applicants should submit:

• A CV.

• A short motivation letter.

• Contact details for references, upon request.

• Academic and professional certificates