Job Description
Location: Nairobi, with frequent travel to project sites
Contract: Fixed term, renewable subject to performance and funding
Reports to: DCA Country Director
Day-to-day management by: CEO, Mwangaza Light
Collaboration with: a team of field and Nairobi-based highly qualified and proactive technical and operational staff; DCA’s Senior Advisor – Blended Finance
Background
DanChurchAid (DCA), in partnership with Mwangaza Light, is implementing Mwangaza Kitchens, an ambitious initiative to catalyse the transition to clean cooking in faith-based schools and other church institutions across Kenya. The initiative builds on extensive preparatory work already completed, including energy audits, demonstration installations, technology trials, and the foundations for innovative blended finance and carbon-linked models.
The next phase focuses on a catalytic pilot: converting learning and relationships into operational proof that faith-based schools can successfully adopt clean cooking technologies, finance them sustainably, and generate high-quality data to inform scale-up.
To lead this phase, DCA and Mwangaza Light are seeking a highly capable Institutional Clean Cooking Project Coordinator. This is a hands-on role for a technically strong, commercially literate implementer who can move seamlessly from school-level engagement to donor reporting, and from kitchen design discussions to financing and carbon data.
Purpose of the Role
The Project Coordinator will coordinate and oversee the pilot phase of Mwangaza Kitchens, ensuring that early adopter schools are identified, onboarded, supported through the full transition process, and monitored closely to generate robust operational, financial, and usage data.
The role is explicitly delivery oriented. The Project Coordinator will drive implementation end-to-end: coordinating with team members leading on energy audit review, system sizing and technology selection, through financing arrangements and kitchen remodeling, to installation, commissioning, and post-installation support. At the same time, they will ensure that learning and data from the pilot are systematically captured, analysed, and reported to inform adaptation, donor accountability, and future scale-up.
Key Responsibilities
1. Pilot coordination and delivery leadership
a) Lead the operational coordination of the Mwangaza Kitchens pilot, ensuring timely, high-quality delivery across all participating early adopter schools.
b) Working closely with team focal points within the respective counties/areas, drive the identification, engagement, and onboarding of faith-based early adopter schools, working closely with diocesan leadership, school boards, principals, and kitchen staff.
c) Coordinate the full school transition pathway, including:
- Review and validation of existing and new energy audits
- Support to system sizing and technology selection based on technical, financial, and operational suitability
- Coordination of kitchen design and remodelling requirements
- Oversight of installation, commissioning, and initial technical support
d) Act as the central point of coordination between schools, technology providers, energy auditors, financial partners, and Mwangaza Light field teams.
e) Proactively identify implementation bottlenecks and resolve them pragmatically to maintain momentum during the pilot phase.
2. Blended finance, carbon, and commercial coordination
a) Support the structuring and execution of blended finance arrangements for early adopter schools, including grants, concessional finance, and innovative repayment mechanisms.
b) Coordinate closely with financial institutions, SACCOs, and church-linked financing mechanisms to ensure agreements are practical, understood, and implemented as designed.
c) Support the operationalisation of carbon market components at pilot level, including data requirements, monitoring systems, and alignment with emerging dMRV approaches.
d) Ensure that financial and carbon-related assumptions are grounded in real-world school cash flows and usage patterns, feeding learning back into model refinement.
3. Data, learning, and adaptive management
a) Ensure that high-quality data on system usage, performance, costs, savings, and user experience are collected consistently across pilot schools.
b) Work with technical partners to ensure that IoT, monitoring, and reporting systems are functional and fit for purpose.
c) Working closely with data analysis and management focal points, compile, analyse, and synthesise pilot data to inform internal decision-making, adaptation of the model, and preparation for scale-up.
d) Contribute to the development of evidence products, learning notes, and practical insights that strengthen the credibility of the Mwangaza Kitchens model.
e) Working closely with the Mwangaza Light CEO and Communications Officer, document lessons learned, operational challenges, and best practices to support replication and scale of the Mwangaza Kitchens model.
4. Grant management and donor reporting
a) Lead day-to-day grant management for the pilot phase, ensuring activities, expenditures, and reporting align with approved proposals and donor requirements.
b) Prepare high-quality narrative and financial reports in close coordination with DCA and Mwangaza Light finance and programme teams.
c) Track deliverables, milestones, and risks, proactively flagging issues and proposing mitigation measures.
d) Support donor engagement, learning visits, and external communications related to the pilot phase.
5. Coordination, representation, and partnerships
a) Represent the Mwangaza Kitchens pilot in relevant technical discussions, partner meetings, and sector forums as required.
b) Work in collaboration with Mwangaza Light team to maintain strong working relationships with church institutions, technology suppliers, financiers, auditors, and sector stakeholders.
c) Ensure close alignment between DCA and Mwangaza Light roles, responsibilities, and expectations throughout pilot delivery.
6. Risk Management
a) Proactively identify and monitor technical, financial, and operational risks associated with project implementation, including infrastructure installations, financing mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder coordination.
b) Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies and escalate critical issues where necessary to ensure successful delivery of the pilot.
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, multi-stakeholder environments.
- High level of comfort engaging at both technical and institutional levels, from kitchen staff to senior school boards and donors.
- 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.
- Ability to work independently while maintaining disciplined coordination with multiple partners.
Personal Qualities
- Pragmatic, solutions-oriented, and resilient under pressure.
- Comfortable operating in ambiguity and adapting approaches based on real-time learning.
- Credible and grounded, with the confidence to engage senior stakeholders without losing sight of operational realities.
- Strong alignment with the values and mission of DCA and Mwangaza Light.
The position is for nine months (renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds), with a three-month probation period. DCA offers a competitive salary package (salary, insurance, and benefits) in accordance to experience and DCA Kenya Employee Handbook.
About DCA
DanChurchAid (DCA) is working in Turkana, West Pokot, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nyandarua, Nakuru, Kilifi, Murang’a and Nairobi counties with refugees and local communities to enhance peace, livelihoods, and resilience. DCA implements projects directly as well as through local partner organizations. For more information on DCA, please visit https://www.danchurchaid.org/
How to apply
Apply online through: https://dca.career.emply.com/en/national-positions
Any published closing dates are estimated. We aim to fill this vacancy as quickly as possible. This means that we will close adverts as soon as we have found the right candidate, and this may be before the published closing date. We would therefore advise interested applicants to apply as early as possible.
The deadline for applications is at midnight 22nd March 2026
Only online applications will be accepted.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, abilities or ethnic affiliation are encouraged to apply for the vacancy. DCA conducts an anti-terror check as part of the recruitment process. It is a prerequisite that you can pass this check and maintain this status throughout your employment with us. Everyone applying for a job with DCA must be ready to comply with our Staff Policy on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment and our Child Safeguarding Policy.