Chief of Staff

MESH is the first professional network built for the hustle. We exist for the 90% of young Kenyans — and millions across Africa — who are building businesses in the informal sector.

Since launching in 2021, we've grown to 1M+ monthly active users (and we're just getting started ).

Yep - that means we've got a lot on our plate:

Grow millions of livelihoods.

Build a world-class social media platform.

Win partnerships.

Unlock capital.

Shape team culture.

Our CEO needs a superhero to help make all of this happen.

Enter: You. The Chief of Staff.

If you're part strategist, part operator, part human-dynamo — we need you on this rocket ship.

CHIEF OF STAFF

Nairobi, Kenya - hybrid (2 days a week at the office)

Reports to: CEO

Level: Senior Management

Type: Full-time

Purpose

As Chief of Staff, you are the CEO's strategic + operational right hand — the person who turns big ideas into crisp plans, keeps the entire organization aligned, ensures top-tier execution, and makes sure everything that reaches the CEO's desk is high-quality and ready to roll.

You protect the CEO's focus so he can close deals, grow partnerships, raise big capital, and lead the movement — while you keep the machine running with excellence.

What You
'
ll Own

A. Strategy → Execution (Your Superpower)

• Turn strategy into action: plans, timelines, work streams, owners.
• Run the organization's master execution plan:
  our single source of truth.
• Lead end-to-end execution of major initiatives.
• Spot operational gaps early and mobilize the right people to fix them.

B. Team Alignment & Delivery

• Act as the CEO's proxy to steer, unblock, and coordinate functional leads.
• Run weekly + monthly rhythms: stand-ups, reviews, escalations, accountability.
• Ensure decisions and priorities flow smoothly across the org.
• Build internal systems that keep everyone moving in sync.

C. Quality Control

• You are the QA gate before anything hits the CEO.
• Review deliverables for clarity, accuracy, and alignment.
• Lead donor/partner reporting — polished, sharp, reliable.
• Standardize templates, tools, and ways of working.

D. CEO Advisory & Thought Partnership

• Anticipate needs. Clarify problems. Offer crisp options and recommendations.
• Support CEO planning, key meeting agendas, and decision-making.
• Track and push follow-ups from CEO engagements.

E. Partners & Stakeholder Magic

• Join or represent the CEO in partner, donor, or vendor meetings.
• Prepare presentations, briefs, and communications.
• Keep relationship pipelines organized and moving.

F. Special Projects & Organizational Upgrades

• Lead cross-functional projects that sharpen the organization.
• Improve processes, systems, SOPs.
• Work with HR/Admin to ensure operational workflows move fast and clean.

Authority & Decision-Making

This is not a support role.

This is a second-in-command.

You will be empowered to:

• Enforce timelines, standards, and accountability.
• Escalate or unblock decisions fast.
• Reprioritize team tasks based on what matters most.
• Approve and quality-check all major outputs pre-CEO.
• Keep execution momentum high across the organization.

You are the operational heartbeat of MESH.

What You Bring

Essential

• 6–9 years in strategy, operations, project management, or similar roles.
• Proven track record running complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• Strong analytical and structured thinking.
• Exceptional writing and reporting skills.
• Experience working across teams in fast-paced environments.
• Ability to manage ambiguity, move fast, and prioritise sharply.
• Strong communication — with partners, teams, and leadership.

Preferred

• Consulting background or similar high-performance environment.
• Experience with start-ups, tech, or social enterprises.
• Exposure to donor reporting, partnerships, or stakeholder engagement.

This is you:

• Execution tiger
  — gets things done.
• Tenacious & hands-on
  — rolls up sleeves and solves problems.
• High standards
  — crisp, clear, and top quality.
• Structured thinker
  — can zoom out and zoom in.
• Relationship builder
  — earns trust quickly.
• Calm under chaos
  — thrives in fast-changing spaces.
• Proactive
  — sees problems before they appear.

What Success Looks Like in 6 Months

• A unified execution plan that everyone follows.
• CEO receives deliverables that are 90%+ complete, consistently.
• Partner reports and outputs go out
  without
  CEO rework.
• Major projects delivered on time with ownership and clarity.
• Team communication and alignment are noticeably stronger.
• CEO bandwidth unlocked for fundraising, partnerships, and scaling MESH.

If you want to help shape the future of work for millions of young Africans and thrive in a fast, gritty, ambitious, heart-led organisation, we'd love to meet you.

How to apply

We're reviewing applications on a rolling basis and will move quickly once we find the right person. If this sounds like you, don't wait, apply as soon as you're ready.

Please send us your CV and cover letter as one document to

MESH is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, marital status, gender identity, or physical or mental disability. We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion and strives to recruit a diverse slate of candidates to help us achieve that goal.