Opportunities
Ways to work with the Africa Jobs Fund: project-specific calls for entrepreneurs, applications to build or receive funding, and roles on our team.
Calls for entrepreneurs
We periodically scope specific business opportunities in export manufacturing and international labour mobility, then recruit world-class founders to build them. When we have open calls, you will find them here.
Applications close 6 November 2026
AJF × SDRB Somalia Business Plan Competition
With the Somali Development and Reconstruction Bank, we are backing founders building productive, export-oriented businesses that create high-quality jobs in Somalia. $20,000 for the winner, and a pathway to up to $1M for strong projects. Somalis and the Somali diaspora strongly encouraged to apply.
Learn more & apply
Applications close 14 October 2026
Harambeans Africa Jobs Fund Prize
In partnership with Harambeans, we are awarding a $20,000 grant — and a pathway to up to $1M in follow-on investment — to an exceptional African founder building an export manufacturing business. Open to African entrepreneurs and the diaspora.
Learn more & apply
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis
Manufacturing Fellowship
We are building a fellowship that places talented individuals into real operating roles within African export-manufacturing businesses, as a launchpad to build their own ventures. Read the full call on our Substack.
Learn more & applyBuild with us
We back world-class operators to build scalable, commercially viable organisations that create good jobs at scale. The fund provides risk-tolerant capital, industry expertise, and hands-on support from experienced operators.
Build a high-impact company with us
We source exceptional founders and recruit them to build new organisations in export manufacturing and labour mobility. If you are looking to build something that can change the trajectory of thousands of lives, we want to hear from you.
Catalytic funding for your organisation
We provide catalytic capital to existing organisations with a credible path to creating significant income gains for Africans. If you are building in export manufacturing or international labour mobility, we want to hear from you.
Careers
We intend to transform millions of lives and reshape global development. That demands exceptional people.
We only hire people who are exceptionally talented, relentlessly hardworking, and genuinely mission-driven. We are a small team, which means every person has enormous ownership and outsized impact.
Venture Builders
Venture Builders find, build and fund new companies that create high-productivity jobs for African workers. They’re former founders or high-level operators. Our current Venture Builders have built a $30m greenfield factory in Ethiopia, led talent at 5 unicorns and built Germany’s largest social consumer brand.
Each one owns a segment, such as a group of destination markets or a type of export manufacturing, and runs it end to end: scoping the opportunities, backing the founders and helping them scale. All our Venture Builders are peers, working as senior individual contributors with no direct reports. There’s one application form per pillar, and you pick your segment inside it.
Hiring now vs open to exceptional candidates. Some of these roles are a priority right now and we’re actively hiring for them. Others are areas we want to build in but aren’t recruiting for urgently. For those, we’re open to hiring as soon as we meet someone exceptional. If you’re a great fit for one of the open roles, apply anyway. We’ll only get back to you if there’s a strong match.
Labour Mobility
Building the companies that move African workers into high-productivity jobs abroad.
Labour Mobility Venture Builder
Our core labour mobility role, working across corridors rather than one set of markets.
View role Hiring nowHead of Francophone Africa Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
Origin-side sourcing, training and partnerships across Francophone Africa.
View role- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of DACH Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
Germany, Austria and Switzerland, our largest mobility market.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of UK, Ireland & ANZ Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Skilled-worker routes in health, care and the trades.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of Central & Eastern Europe Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
Poland to the Western Balkans. Work-permit-driven markets hiring in transport, construction, manufacturing and hospitality.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of Italy & Southern Europe Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
Italy, Greece, Malta, Croatia and Cyprus.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of Nordics & Benelux Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Nordics. High-wage markets short of care, transport and technical workers.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of Iberia & LatAm Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
Spain, Portugal and Latin America.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of North America Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
Canada first, then the US. Employer-side pathways.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of East Asia Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China. Government-to-government and skilled-worker schemes.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of GCC Labour Mobility & Venture Builder
The Gulf states. Models that raise standards for workers, not volume recruitment.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of Maritime Mobility & Venture Builder
Careers at sea for African workers, starting with cruise ships, then shipping and fishing.
Export Manufacturing
Building the companies that put African workers into formal, productive factory jobs.
Head of Light Manufacturing Export & Venture Builder
Apparel, footwear, leather goods, wood furniture, assembly and other labour-intensive export manufacturing.
View role Hiring nowHead of Agri-Processed Export & Venture Builder
Processed agricultural exports: food processing and value-added commodities.
View role- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of Horticulture Export & Venture Builder
Fresh fruit, vegetables and cut flowers grown and packed for export.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of Manufacturing Relocation
Bringing manufacturers from China, India, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, Turkey and elsewhere to set up export production in Africa.
- Open to exceptional candidates
Head of Francophone Africa Export Manufacturing & Venture Builder
Export manufacturing across Francophone Africa.
Don’t see a fit?
Talent: expression of interest
Don't see a specific role that fits? We're always looking for exceptional people. Submit an expression of interest and we'll be in touch if there's a match.