Role Overview

The Institutional Clean Cooking Project Coordinator at DanChurchAid (DCA) will lead the operational coordination of the Mwangaza Kitchens pilot, ensuring timely, high-quality delivery across all participating early adopter schools. This role involves driving the identification and engagement of faith-based early adopter schools, coordinating the full school transition pathway from energy audits to technical support, and acting as a central point of coordination between technical, financial, and institutional stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Pilot Coordination and Delivery Leadership

• Lead the operational coordination of the Mwangaza Kitchens pilot.
• Working closely with team focal points, drive the identification, engagement, and onboarding of faith-based early adopter schools, collaborating with diocesan leadership, school boards, and principals.
• Coordinate the full school transition pathway, including energy audit validation, system sizing, technology selection, and kitchen design/remodeling.
• Provide oversight for installation, commissioning, and initial technical support.
• Proactively identify and resolve implementation bottlenecks to maintain pilot momentum.

Blended Finance, Carbon, and Commercial Coordination

• Support the structuring and execution of blended finance arrangements, including grants, concessional finance, and repayment mechanisms.
• Coordinate with financial institutions, SACCOs, and church-linked financing mechanisms.
• Support the operationalisation of carbon market components, including data requirements, monitoring systems, and alignment with dMRV (Digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) approaches.
• Ensure financial and carbon-related assumptions are grounded in real-world school usage patterns and cash flows.

Data, Learning, and Adaptive Management

• Ensure high-quality data collection on system usage, performance, costs, savings, and user experience across pilot schools.
• Work with technical partners to ensure that IoT and monitoring systems are functional.
• Compile and analyse pilot data to inform internal decision-making and prepare for scale-up.
• Document lessons learned, operational challenges, and best practices to support model replication.

Grant Management and Donor Reporting

• Lead day-to-day grant management for the pilot phase, ensuring alignment with approved proposals and donor requirements.
• Prepare narrative and financial reports in coordination with DCA and Mwangaza Light finance teams.
• Track deliverables, milestones, and risks, proposing mitigation measures as needed.

Coordination, Representation, and Partnerships

• Represent the pilot in technical discussions, partner meetings, and sector forums.
• Maintain strong working relationships with church institutions, suppliers, financiers, and auditors.
• Ensure close alignment between DCA and Mwangaza Light roles and responsibilities.

Risk Management

• Identify and monitor technical, financial, and operational risks associated with project implementation.
• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies and escalate critical issues when necessary.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as engineering, energy, environmental science, economics, development finance, or a related discipline. A Master’s degree is an added advantage.
• At least 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in project coordination or management within clean energy, climate, infrastructure, or market-based development initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience working with blended finance, results-based financing, or commercially oriented development models.
• Practical knowledge of clean cooking, renewable energy systems, or institutional energy solutions.
• Experience using digital monitoring tools, data dashboards, or project management platforms.
• Strong familiarity with carbon markets, carbon project development, or dMRV systems is a significant advantage.
• Proven experience coordinating multiple technical and commercial actors, including private sector suppliers and financial institutions.
• Experience managing donor-funded grants and producing high-quality reports.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong implementation instincts and the ability to “get things done” in complex environments.
• High level of comfort engaging at both technical and institutional levels (from kitchen staff to senior school boards).
• Solid analytical skills with the ability to translate operational data into practical learning.
• Excellent organisational and coordination skills with strong attention to detail.
• Clear, confident written and verbal communication.
• Pragmatic, solutions-oriented, and resilient under pressure.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should apply online through the DanChurchAid (DCA) career portal at https://www.myjobmag.co.ke/apply-now/1177509 which redirects to the official application site (dca-1.career.emply.com).