Project Country Lead – Solar Water Enterprise Hubs (SWEH): A Field-Based Leadership Opportunity with ForAfrika|Deadline 27 Aug 2026
Overview
ForAfrika, an African-founded and African-led organisation with more than 40 years of experience, is looking for a Project Country Lead for its Solar Water Enterprise Hubs (SWEH) project in South Africa. The project aims to establish commercially viable solar-powered water enterprise hubs that provide essential services and create local economic opportunities. The post is an initial six-month contract that may be extended by a further six months.
The Project Country Lead reports to the General Manager - Social Enterprise and is the main operational leader on the ground. The task is to turn approved rollout plans into working operations in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, with initial assessments also covering KwaZulu-Natal. The first hubs are expected to be operating from Day 1 of Month 7.
Requirements
Applicants need a bachelor's degree in commerce, entrepreneurship, business administration or a related field, and roughly 8 to 10 or more years of experience in business development, SME or enterprise development, or commercial operations. Hands-on experience founding, operating or scaling a commercial venture is particularly valued. Experience in township or emerging markets, financial inclusion or access to finance is an advantage, as is a postgraduate qualification in a commercial discipline. Strong knowledge of the South African market and experience working with government, communities and private partners are important. A valid driver's licence is required because of regular travel.
Key duties include leading baseline assessments and site selection, designing each hub's operating model, building supplier relationships, overseeing procurement and construction of kiosks and PayGo systems, recruiting and managing field staff, setting up warehouse systems and delivery routes, and planning capital and operating costs.
Key dates
The role was posted on 21 August 2026 and closes on 27 August 2026. Performance targets include assessing, rating and reporting on all sites by the end of Month 3, and selecting and tiering the first cohort of hubs with finalised operating models by the end of Month 5.
How to apply
The work combines extensive fieldwork with flexible remote working. Once hubs start operating, it becomes mainly field-based in Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Applications go through ForAfrika's official recruitment process before the closing date.