Jessica Chege

Project lead for 2 large-scale, youth employment programs funded by Transforming Energy Access (TEA) and Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) that support clean energy companies in Africa to hire more youth and women. Achieved placement of 538 people out of the intended 1500 into clean energy roles across 10 countries since June 2022 launch. Manage the implementation of a USD 5 million cumulative budget to place 1500 youth in energy access jobs in at least 10 countries in Africa, overseeing 4 recruiters. Business Development: Conduct proactive outreach to clean energy sector organisations, fostering business growth and relationships with 40+ employers (including solar home system companies, mini-grid developers, clean cooking suppliers, etc.) to identify hiring needs and deploy a team of recruiters, especially in last-mile areas. Manage the growth of a pan-African community hub of climate professionals (ACCN), achieving a membership of 500 members in two months.

Spearheaded the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence portfolio in Kenya & South Africa, shaping the project’s framework, pipeline building, financial and non-financial administrative support for the 5 entrepreneurs, and built collaborative relationships with 26 institutions. Optimized the processes to elevate the program’s year-round social impact & overall experience for the 5 selected entrepreneurs. Liaised with senior managers and principal teams to set strategy & drive decision-making on the program content.

Led the talent acquisition process: workforce planning, recruitment & onboarding, successfully training 70% of staff over 2 years in key off-grid renewable energy projects with an employee retention rate of 79%. Evolved the strategic internal communications plan to enhance communications, increasing employee engagement to 90% & supporting innovation across various business workstreams. Coordinated the launch of a strategic Gender action plan project in collaboration with IFC as part of diversity & inclusion, creating social impact & a higher-performing, diversified workplace. Results included policy formulation and an increase of female staff by 10% over 9 months.

Forged beneficial partnerships with global companies to achieve company strategies, resulting in Pawame securing $5M in equity. Modernized the employee data & leave management systems, automated the resource management processes & ideated innovative strategies e.g., a recruitment database of top potential hires and a hiring manager tracking tool, improving the annual employee turnover rate to an average of 2.6%. Proactively streamlined relationship management, working on donor-funded projects e.g. the Off-grid Talent Initiative with Shortlist Professionals & FCDO to bring in top talent in the off-grid sector, reducing hiring costs by 25% and hiring 4 entry-level talent in the company.

Managed the working relationships of 7 business development associates to identify lucrative new markets. Collaborated closely with the CEO to map out a strategic vision, direction, and value-added solutions for the business development team.

Managed the working relationship of 7 team leads across Kenya, guiding them on strategy, planning, analysis and adaptation of national strategies at the local level. Coordinated with international, cross-functional AIESEC teams across 10 countries to host 132 young leaders taking part in 33 SDG-driven projects in Kenya. Executed 5 projects under the Design For Impact – Global Projects initiative run by the AIESEC global team, using logic models & logframes to assess timelines, outcomes, and the impact of the SDG-aligned projects, with monthly reporting to monitor and measure progress. Designed and facilitated capacity building and skill knowledge workshops for 2 national leadership conferences for 250 members & served as Conference Manager for the Kenyan national conference and a facilitator at the AIESEC East Africa Regional Pioneers Congress in Uganda in 2018.

Spearheaded the speaker research, engagement, and curation process of all TEDxParklands in-person & virtual events. Optimized processes to enhance the speaker and audience experience throughout 7 TEDxParklands events. Managed stakeholder and vendor management to successfully coordinate 46 speakers & 500+ event attendees over 7 events held over 4 years.

Led a team of 8 specialists and a membership of 50 to drive alignment with national strategic planning & implementation of all AIESEC volunteer & internship programs. Established strategic partnership with AIESEC entities across 15 countries, collaborating to have 230 young leaders take part in internship opportunities worldwide. Administered an annual budget of approximately $10,000 to support operations across 7 departments in the organization and managed the branch’s board of advisors (BOA), overseeing quarterly reporting and meetings. Represented AIESEC Kenya & Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology in a global network of 127 countries and territories at national, regional, and international conferences.