Title: Francophone Africa Expansion
Location: Francophone West Africa
Reports To: Market Expansion Lead
Applicable Number of Posts: 1
Job Role Required Location: Rwanda/Cameroon/Cote D'Ivoire/DRC/Mali/Senegal/Niger
ABOUT UBONGO
UBONGO is Africa's leading producer of kids' edutainment. As a non-profit social enterprise, we create fun, localised, and multi-platform educational content that helps kids learn, and leverage their learning to change their lives. Ubongo reaches over 27 million kids across Africa through accessible technologies like TV, radio, and mobile phones. Our show’s Ubongo Kids and Akili and Me currently air in 23 countries across Africa in multiple languages.
POSITION OBJECTIVE (overall purpose of position)
The Francophone Africa Expansion Lead will drive the strategic expansion and implementation of our programs and products across assigned countries within their region (Francophone Africa). This role is critical in identifying growth opportunities, developing market entry and expansion strategies, and building strong distribution partnerships. The role shall also support market research & intelligence activities plus collaborate with the marketing team on brand-building and marketing initiatives to increase reach, impact, and brand affinity in new and existing markets.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy Development & Implementation
Business Development and Region Representation
- Develop country-specific and regional expansion strategies, aligned with the organization’s 5-year growth plan, designed to achieve overall organizational reach and impact goals.
- Implement the regional strategy by taking the lead on business development work including building new relationships across Francophone Africa, nurturing & maintaining these relationships and identifying new opportunities to grow our audiences in the region
- Design and implement market entry and scaling plans annually across different growth phases (testing, entry, growth, expansion).
- Track progress and adapt strategies based on market feedback and performance metrics
- In collaboration with the marketing teams, develop relevant marketing campaigns and activities for countries in the region aimed at increasing brand awareness, loyalty and uptake.
Partnership Development & Relationship Management
- Identify, approach, and negotiate partnerships with broadcasters, digital platforms, radio networks, government entities, NGOs, and community organizations to distribute our content.
- Maintain and nurture strong, long-term relationships with key stakeholders and distribution partners.
- Coordinate and lead work with said partners as needed, including Ubongo’s in-classroom projects of their content
- Organize and oversee on the ground efforts for all Ubongo on ground activities including but not limited to in-school projects
- Represent the organization in relevant industry events, forums, and meetings (including education sector partners and government ) to build visibility and credibility.
Marketing & Brand Development
- Collaborate with the marketing team to plan and execute regional marketing campaigns, activations, and brand promotion activities tailored to local contexts.
- Champion efforts to build brand awareness, trust, and loyalty among caregivers, children, educators, and other target audiences
- Identify local influencers, media outlets, and community channels to amplify brand presence.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with content, education, research, and digital teams to align expansion activities with product development and impact goals.
- Coordinate with the monitoring and evaluation team to track and report reach, engagement, and audience impact.
- Support fundraising and reporting efforts by contributing regional insights and partner success stories.
General administration
- Liaise with Head of Operations, SA and Remote on operational matters
- Actively participate in annual budgeting cycles with a focus on Francophone markets
- Procurement and expenditure
- Expense reconciliation
- Financial reporting
Company wide responsibilities:
- Exemplify Ubongoers principles and norms
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
(Minimum knowledge, skills and behaviors to perform the job)
Physical
- Significant travel in-country. Need to be flexible and prepared to be ‘uncomfortable’ as some of the areas to be reached are remote with minimal amenities
Educational:
Experience:
- At least 7 years’ related experience in media and broadcasting sales, marketing and communications, business development.
Skills:
- Technical knowledge – a fair understanding of the media and education ecosystem in the region (the Expansion Lead will be expected to be able to tell the team what the situation on the ground in their region is)
- Effective communication – Written and oral proficiency in English and major language(s) of the country. Good interpersonal and persuasive communication ability to be able to engage with internal and external stakeholders (role entails engaging with external stakeholders to sell the organization and content at various levels including the community level when doing eco-system interventions).
- Initiative – self-starter, get-up-and go, knock on doors and keep on going even if doors don’t open right away.
- Work independently – engage with frameworks and procedures to be able to engage with stakeholders
- Proactive and solution oriented – very good at problem solving and decision making. There will be many circumstances that will require one to think on the spot to address issues and report back challenges faced and solutions applied (if any), to the center i.e. Ubongo afterwards
- Planning and organisation – there are a lot of ‘moving parts’ as the role entails working with a lot of internal and external stakeholders. Having and delivering on clear plans, coupled with clear communication, will prevent wrong assumptions and expectations
- Adaptability and flexibility – the role is constantly evolving
- Have a passion for children as all Ubongo does is about the children.
- Effective relationships and networking – the role requires the ability to build, nurture and leverage relationships is an added advantage.
- Budgeting and financial reporting
- IT knowledge – Computer literate with basic understanding of the Google Suite and any other cloud storage software.
- Remote working - a lot of interaction takes place over the internet (SLACK, ASANA, Google).
Personal Attributes:
- Teamwork and collaboration – ability to work in a team environment
- Leadership – versatile leader capable of managing sideways and vertically as at the collaborative work culture at Ubongo entails dealing with almost everyone within the organization, from top to bottom.
- Cultural diversity and adaptability – ability to interact with people from different countries, cultural backgrounds and status e.g. Cabinet Minister to student
- Speak up - speaking up in a persuasive manner to build support is very important for a country representative and is one of the values of Ubongo.
- Conflict management – ability to resolve conflict pro-actively and build consensus around issues/projects to avoid/minimize conflict. As country representative have to work across the board to support different teams and strategies that may occasionally conflict
- Trustworthy
- Emotional intelligence – ability to control one’s own reactions and respond to events and others in a calm and rational manner.
DEADLINE:
The last day to receive applications for this position will be 20th May, 2026.
Please note that only online applications will be considered. Those who come directly to the office with a CV or who email their CV to us will simply be directed to apply online
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
UBONGO provides equal employment opportunities to all its employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by the laws of the country we are operating in.
JOB SCAM WARNING
Our organization upholds a strict commitment to a fair, unbiased hiring process through BambooHR or very qualified recruitment agencies and shortlisting decisions are based solely on candidates' qualifications, skills and experience relevant to the position.
Beware of any individuals claiming to have influence over our hiring decisions or requesting favors in exchange for guaranteed shortlisting or employment opportunities. Such actions are against our policies and do not reflect our organization's values.
