Location: Africa, location not specified
Work Type: Not specified
Salary: Not disclosed
Experience Level: 7+ years
Application Deadline: October 5, 2026, COB EAT
About AfricaNenda Foundation
AfricaNenda Foundation is an Africa-led organization focused on building expertise, coordinating stakeholders and accelerating the rollout of inclusive instant payment systems (IIPS) across Africa.
Its work addresses regulatory, structural and technical barriers to effective payment-system deployment, including limited interoperability, insufficient technical capacity and weak collaborative models. The organization provides policy and regulatory advocacy, capacity development, technical support, knowledge-sharing, stakeholder coordination and thought leadership.
The Opportunity
AfricaNenda Foundation is seeking a Research and Advocacy Specialist to strengthen its evidence-generation and advocacy work.
The role sits at the intersection of research, policy and stakeholder influence. The successful candidate will generate credible evidence, translate complex findings into clear policy positions and advocacy messages, support stakeholder engagement and help advance reforms that strengthen inclusive instant payment systems across Africa.
Reporting to the Director, Advocacy and Capacity Development, the Specialist will contribute across the full evidence-to-influence cycle, from identifying research priorities and conducting analysis to developing thought leadership, supporting leadership engagements, coordinating advocacy initiatives and tracking results.
What You'll Do
Evidence Strategy & Planning
- Support the development of evidence-generation and advocacy priorities.
- Develop annual and rolling evidence agendas aligned with organizational strategy.
- Translate priorities into research questions, analytical workstreams, products and influencing opportunities.
- Identify evidence gaps affecting policy action.
- Track research outputs, policy processes, regulatory developments and advocacy opportunities.
- Ensure evidence-generation plans are realistic, sequenced and linked to intended outcomes.
Research & Analysis
- Conduct desk research, literature reviews, policy and regulatory reviews, comparative analysis and rapid evidence assessments.
- Design and support qualitative and quantitative primary research, including interviews, focus groups, surveys, consultations and case studies.
- Analyze issues affecting inclusive instant payments, including governance, participation rules, pricing, use cases, access, consumer protection and recourse.
- Research related areas such as digital public infrastructure, digital identity, data governance, competition, open finance, cross-border payments, digital trade and responsible innovation.
- Conduct country, regional and continental policy scans.
- Develop research frameworks, methodologies, interview guides, survey tools and evidence matrices.
- Validate findings through triangulation, peer review and stakeholder consultation.
- Maintain traceable sources and ensure factual claims are verifiable.
- Clearly distinguish findings, interpretations, assumptions and recommendations.
Advocacy Strategy & Execution
- Support the development and implementation of AfricaNenda's advocacy strategy.
- Translate research findings into policy implications, institutional positions and advocacy asks.
- Develop issue-specific advocacy plans covering objectives, audiences, influence pathways, messages, tactics, milestones, risks and indicators.
- Produce policy briefs, position papers, regulatory analyses, consultation responses, executive memos, briefing notes and talking points.
- Identify policy windows and decision points.
- Segment stakeholders according to influence and interest and tailor engagement approaches.
- Coordinate advocacy activities across technical programmes, capacity development, communications and partnerships.
- Monitor stakeholder responses and advocacy outcomes and adapt strategies accordingly.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Coordinate policy dialogues, consultations, roundtables and bilateral meetings.
- Prepare decision-focused briefing materials for AfricaNenda leadership.
- Build relationships with policymakers, regulators, development partners and private-sector stakeholders.
- Represent AfricaNenda when delegated.
- Incorporate underserved-user perspectives into advocacy and engagement.
- Maintain records of decisions, commitments and follow-up actions.
Requirements
Core Qualifications
- Master's degree in public policy, economics, finance, development studies, law, political science, international relations, public administration or a related discipline.
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in applied research, policy analysis, advocacy, financial inclusion, digital financial services, payment systems, digital public infrastructure or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated ability to conduct research and convert findings into DFS ecosystem recommendations and advocacy propositions.
- Strong experience producing policy briefs, research reports, presentations and stakeholder engagement materials.
- Experience engaging policymakers, regulators, central banks, development partners and private-sector institutions.
- Experience managing research assignments or consultants and assuring technical quality.
- Strong understanding of African digital financial services policy, regulation and instant payment systems.
- Ability to manage multiple workstreams and deliver under tight deadlines.
Research & Technical Expertise
- Experience with systematic-review methodologies and tools, including PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-P.
- Experience managing research references and citations using Zotero and EndNote.
- Experience conducting qualitative thematic coding and analysis using NVivo and ATLAS.ti.
- Ability to develop both concise executive products and substantive research outputs.
Desirable
- Experience in instant payments, interoperability, payment-system governance, financial-sector regulation or digital public infrastructure.
- Experience working across multiple African countries or regions.
- Experience applying political-economy analysis to policy or advocacy work.
- Relevant publications or a demonstrable portfolio of policy and research products.
- English proficiency is mandatory. English-French bilingual proficiency is desirable.
Why This Role Matters
The position combines rigorous research with practical policy and advocacy work aimed at expanding inclusive instant payment systems across Africa. The Specialist will help turn evidence into actionable recommendations, strengthen institutional advocacy and contribute to efforts to expand financial-system access for underserved populations.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should submit:
- Cover letter demonstrating suitability for the role.
- Current CV highlighting relevant responsibilities and achievements, including contact details for three professional referees, one of whom should be a recent supervisor or client.
- Two publications substantially authored by the applicant:
- One research output.
- One advocacy or thought-leadership output, such as a policy note, blog or thematic think piece.
Applications should be emailed to applications@africanenda.org by October 5, 2026, COB EAT.
Email subject: Research and Advocacy Specialist
Files should be labelled accordingly, for example:
CV – (Name)Cover letter – Name
Shortlisted candidates may be required to complete a practical written assessment covering insight synthesis, policy analysis, advocacy positioning and thought leadership.