The Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) is a non-profit, public charity organisation that supports, strengthens and promotes science innovation in Africa. Its goal is to address the continent's most pressing developmental needs by generating scientific knowledge that solves problems and informs decision-making. The Foundation serves the African research ecosystem by funding excellent research and innovation ideas, enabling interdisciplinary collaboration, building environments conducive for scientists to thrive, and producing locally relevant knowledge.
The SFA Foundation Graduate Trainee Programme invites talented and driven individuals to join for a fixed-term period of one year. Although the programme does not guarantee employment at SFA Foundation, it prepares trainees through hands-on training, mentorship and real exposure.
Position: Graduate Trainee – Business Optimisation Services. Department: Business Operations and Optimisation. Reporting to: Business Optimisation Services Lead. Location: Nairobi, Kenya.
Job purpose: A developmental learning opportunity for a highly motivated graduate seeking exposure to business process management, policy and procedure coordination, quality management, document and records management, and project support. Under supervision of the Business Optimisation Services (BOS) team, the trainee will support day-to-day coordination, documentation, analysis, follow-up and administrative activities.
Principal duties: support documentation of business processes (steps, roles, inputs, outputs, timelines, risks, controls, improvement opportunities); prepare process maps, swimlane diagrams, process narratives and RACI matrices using approved BOS templates; coordinate process review sessions, workshops and validation meetings; maintain the organisational process inventory, document tracker, service catalogue tracker and BOS registers; assist in policy, SOP, framework, guideline and template coordination including version control; review documents for completeness and quality; support quality management activities (checklists, review tools, quality logs, improvement trackers, lessons learnt); gather and synthesise information to support business cases, requirements gathering and system enhancement requests; support project coordination (action tracking, issue logging, risk updates, document filing); support user acceptance testing (test scripts, evidence compilation, issue logs, UAT summaries); manage BOS records using approved repositories and document control practices; contribute to internal knowledge products; and participate in structured learning and mentoring.
Person specifications: Bachelor's degree in business administration, Business Information Technology, Information Systems, Project Management, Operations Management, Quality Management, Public Administration, Development Studies or a related field. No prior work experience required; internship, volunteer, academic project or attachment experience in business analysis, project coordination, process documentation, operations support, research, administration or digital transformation is an added advantage. Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills; excellent written and verbal communication; strong organisational and coordination skills; interest in business process management, quality improvement and digital transformation; ability to synthesise information and produce clear documentation; ability to manage multiple tasks and meet timelines; professionalism, discretion and respect for confidential information.
SFA Foundation is committed to a culture grounded in Respect, Accountability, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Excellence.
Closing date: 2026-09-01
HOW TO APPLY:
Should you meet the competencies above, please submit your application by clicking the APPLY button: https://sfafoundation.seamlesshiring.com/job/view/10446?application_source=Direct#/ . The application deadline is Tuesday, 1 September 2026. SFA Foundation has a commitment to safeguarding people and the environment, and this forms part of our background checks.