Transforming Climate Finance in Africa: AYCF Seeks Its Founding Director (Apply by 18 Dec 2025)
The Africa Youth Climate Fund (AYCF) is hiring its Founding Director, a pivotal leadership role designed to build, shape, and guide Africa’s first-ever youth-for-youth climate fund.
This fully remote opportunity invites visionary, strategic, and movement-aligned leaders to join at the earliest stage of an organisation poised to shift power and unlock meaningful resources for youth-led climate solutions across the continent.
Deadline to apply: 18 December 2025 at 10:00 PM GMT
A Landmark Opportunity in African Climate Leadership
The AYCF represents a bold new model for climate finance—one led by African youth, designed for African youth. The Founding Director will play a central role in creating its foundation, infrastructure, and identity. This includes shaping strategy, developing systems, establishing global partnerships, and ensuring the fund remains deeply connected to grassroots leadership, justice-driven movements, and the lived realities of young climate actors across Africa.
This is more than an executive role—it is an opportunity to influence how climate financing is distributed, whose knowledge is valued, and how innovation is supported within the continent’s climate space. Leaders who believe in equity, youth leadership, and transformative climate solutions will find this role both challenging and deeply rewarding.
What the Founding Director Will Bring
The AYCF seeks a leader who excels in both strategy and execution. As the organisation’s first director, this person must be comfortable working in entrepreneurial environments, building structures from the ground up, and guiding an institution through its early stages of growth.
Essential Leadership Qualities
- A visionary mindset capable of shaping long-term organisational strategy
- Strong commitment to climate justice and youth-led decision-making
- Ability to represent the AYCF credibly to global partners, funders, and institutions
- Deep familiarity with African youth movements, civil society, and climate ecosystems
- A relationship-driven leadership approach rooted in collaboration and respect
Key Professional Competencies
- Proven experience starting, scaling, or strengthening mission-driven organisations
- Skill in developing systems for transparent and participatory funding processes
- Strong communication skills, including cross-cultural and intergenerational fluency
- Comfort working in flexible, fast-paced, evolving environments
- Ability to connect grassroots perspectives with high-level strategy and advocacy
This role demands a leader who can elevate youth-led climate action on a global stage while ensuring that the fund remains grounded in the voices, priorities, and lived experiences of African youth.
Role Responsibilities at a Glance
While the full role description is not provided in detail, the Founding Director will broadly be responsible for:
- Designing and implementing the fund’s strategic framework
- Building organisational systems, operational processes, and governance structures
- Cultivating regional and international partnerships
- Establishing fundraising strategies and managing major donor relationships
- Ensuring that youth leadership remains central to decision-making
- Representing AYCF at global climate and development platforms
- Guiding the organisation’s growth, visibility, and long-term sustainability
The position is fully remote, enabling the Founding Director to collaborate with partners, youth networks, and climate actors across Africa and globally.
A Commitment to Inclusive Hiring
AYCF and its partner organisation GAYO uphold a strong non-discriminatory hiring policy. Candidates are considered solely on the basis of their qualifications and competencies, not on race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, citizenship, or tribe.
This values-driven approach reflects AYCF’s commitment to justice, equity, and representation—principles that also guide the fund’s approach to youth-led climate action.
Application Process and Next Steps
- Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
- If candidates do not hear back within two weeks after the application deadline, they should assume their application was not successful.
- Interested individuals are encouraged to monitor AYCF’s website and social channels for additional opportunities, as new roles may open regularly.
Why This Role Matters
The establishment of the AYCF marks a turning point in climate finance on the African continent. Youth-led climate solutions often operate with limited resources, despite demonstrating agility, innovation, and deep community connection. The Founding Director will help change this reality by:
- Shifting power toward local and youth-led climate leadership
- Unlocking sustainable funding for bold, justice-rooted climate initiatives
- Strengthening movements that are reshaping Africa’s environmental future
- Championing equity in climate action at a continental and global level
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to define a new model of climate financing—one that prioritises the agency, creativity, and brilliance of African youth.
Final Call: A Leadership Role That Creates Legacy
For leaders who believe in youth leadership, equitable development, and transformative climate funding, this role offers a rare platform to build something meaningful from the ground up. The AYCF Founding Director will not only lead an organisation; they will help shape the future of climate action in Africa.
Applications close on 18 December 2025 at 10:00 PM GMT.
This is the moment for those who want to lead with vision, justice, and impact.
