Associate, Star Venture - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Nairobi)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Develop and maintain annual country plans aligned with Star Venture strategy, regional priorities and available funding
• Lead the execution of country-level operational plans, ensuring timely implementation of programme activities and effective resource allocation
• Coordinate delivery schedules, advisory projects, ecosystem interventions and stakeholder engagement activities within assigned countries
• Ensure compliance with EBRD policies, procedures, integrity requirements and programme governance standards
• Contribute to fundraising efforts by providing country-level pipeline, delivery, budget, impact and market intelligence inputs
• Support the preparation of donor proposals, concept notes and business cases by providing country-specific data, assumptions and evidence
• Monitor delivery against donor commitments and funding agreements at country level
• Support donor reporting activities by providing accurate and timely information on programme delivery, outputs and outcomes

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Languages: English

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: 2 years.

Hiring unit: SME Finance and Development Group, Star Venture.

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Associate, Star Venture at EBRD based in Nairobi.

Requisition ID 37213 Office Country Kenya Office City Nairobi Division Banking Countries of Operations Contract Type Fixed Term Contract Length 2 years Posting End Date 16/11/2026

As this role involves collaboration with international teams, we kindly ask that you submit your resume in English.

Purpose of Job

EBRD Star Venture is the Bank’s flagship venture-building programme, designed to support and scale high-potential startups in emerging markets. Operating in over 30 countries, Star Venture provides tailored, hands-on support to early-stage companies through a combination of advisory services, international mentorship, corporate partnerships, blended finance instruments, and market access initiatives. In parallel, the programme works closely with local accelerators, investors, corporates, and other stakeholders to strengthen startup ecosystems and improve access to finance and growth opportunities for innovative firms. To date, Star Venture has directly supported more than 400 startups that have collectively raised over EUR 800 million in commercial investment.

Under the guidance of the Associate Director, the Associate is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of Star Venture activities in assigned Sub-Saharan African countries, leading and contributing to all activities of the programme, including sourcing and selection of startups, managing operational implementation of programmes (structuring, execution, implementation, monitoring and completion of advisory projects and non-project ecosystem activities), managing consultants and local partners and monitoring programme performance.

The Associate will ensure that activities are implemented in line with Star Venture strategy, compliance and quality standards, donor commitments and applicable EBRD policies and procedures, escalating material delivery, integrity and strategic issues to management.

The Associate will work with high-growth-potential startups to identify their business needs, advisory requirements, and possible financing needs; supporting their progression towards investment readiness.

The Associate will develop relationships with accelerators, investors, corporates and other ecosystem stakeholders to support programme delivery and market development.

The Associate will lead the design and delivery of ecosystem building initiatives in accordance with EBRD’s Star Venture strategic priorities, and in collaboration with key ecosystem players.

The Associate will work in close coordination with Star Venture product team, Grants and comms unit, banking, policy and sector teams in EBRD Resident Offices and HQ and where relevant and under the supervision of the Associate Director, liaise with relevant external partners, stakeholders and donors.

Background

The EBRD supports SMEs in growing their businesses by providing access to finance and know-how. The SME Finance and Development Group (SME F&D) leads and coordinates the Bank’s SME offer as part of the EBRD Client Services Group. The SME offer comprises an integrated toolbox of a wide range of instruments and innovative products available to SMEs across three main impact pillars: Pillar I: Wide outreach to SMEs via advisory services coupled with intermediated SME finance products; Pillar II: Nourishing champions via financial and non-financial engagement with high growth potential SMEs; and Pillar III: engaging in SME-conducive eco-system improvements via policy dialogue.

Star Venture is EBRD’s flagship startup programme under Pillar II (“Nourishing Champions”) of the SME offer. The programme supports high-potential startups through a combination of strategic business diagnostics, tailored advisory support, international mentoring, access to investors, digital perks, training programmes, and other knowledge products. In parallel, Star Venture works with accelerators, investors, corporates and public sector stakeholders to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and improve the support available to innovative businesses. The programme also increasingly deploys blended finance instruments to help start-ups access funding and scale more sustainably. The programme is delivered through the Advice for Small Businesses (ASB) network, leveraging EBRD’s local presence and advisory infrastructure across its countries of operation. Following the Bank’s expansion into Sub-Saharan Africa, Star Venture will also be rolled out across these new markets.

The programme activities are funded by donors and delivered with the support of local and international consultants. SME F&D rigorously monitors and evaluates the impact of its work. Active projects with clients are monitored at regular intervals, and one year after every project, SME F&D returns to the client to measure impact.

The Associate, as a critical member of the team and under the supervision of the Associate Director and close consultation with the Star Venture Product team, will manage relationships with startup clients benefitting from the projects, consultants and stakeholders in accordance with Star Venture strategy, the annual operational plan, Bank policies and procedures, as well as EBRD integrity and ethical conduct and standards.

The Associate will work closely with start-ups, accelerators, venture capital firms, consultants, and EBRD teams to ensure smooth programme delivery and meaningful impact. A particular focus of the role will be supporting the establishment and expansion of Star Venture in assigned Sub-Saharan African countries by developing local sourcing networks, identifying credible delivery partners and adapting programme activities to local ecosystem conditions.

The Associate will primarily support Star Venture activities in Nigeria and Kenya, two of the leading innovation hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa and home to rapidly growing startup ecosystems. While both markets benefit from an active network of accelerators, investors and entrepreneurship support organisations, many promising startups still face challenges in progressing from seed stage to sustainable growth. The successful implementation of Star Venture will therefore require strong ecosystem engagement, effective partnership management, and tailored programme delivery to address local market needs while strengthening the pipeline of VC backable startups.

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Associate Director, in coordination with the Star Venture Product team the Associate will lead the delivery and execution of Star Venture activities in line with strategic priorities of the Bank, the SME Finance and Development Business Group and in coordination with relevant teams (e.g. Financial Product team, VC and equity fund team, Financial Institutions, Corporate sector, Policy teams...).

1. Operational planning

- Develop and maintain annual country plans aligned with Star Venture strategy, regional priorities and available funding. - Lead the execution of country-level operational plans, ensuring timely implementation of programme activities and effective resource allocation. - Coordinate delivery schedules, advisory projects, ecosystem interventions and stakeholder engagement activities within assigned countries. - Ensure compliance with EBRD policies, procedures, integrity requirements and programme governance standards.

1. Support to fundraising

- Contribute to fundraising efforts by providing country-level pipeline, delivery, budget, impact and market intelligence inputs. - Support the preparation of donor proposals, concept notes and business cases by providing country-specific data, assumptions and evidence. - Monitor delivery against donor commitments and funding agreements at country level, identifying and escalating delivery risks, funding gaps or implementation challenges. - Support donor reporting activities by providing accurate and timely information on programme delivery, outputs and outcomes.

1. Direct Support to startups: Sourcing, Pipeline Development, selection and delivery

- Build and manage local sourcing channels and referral partners.​ - Proactively drive quality applications to the Star Venture pipeline.​ - Share pipeline insights, market feedback and sourcing performance with the Financial Product team. - Screen applications against Star Venture criteria, eligibility and integrity requirements.​ - Prepare shortlist recommendations and supporting assessment materials.​ - Maintain selection records and assessment documentation.​ - Own delivery of startup support interventions at country level.​ - Manage relationships with advisors, mentors and startups.​ - Track startup progress, fundraising outcomes and key milestones.​ - Capture success stories, startup feedback and lessons learned.​ - Be responsible for origination and conception, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation of advisory activities. - Analyse clients’ financials and growth prospects, with a view to structure impactful advisory support to help them scale and strengthen investment readiness.

1. Ecosystem Intervention Delivery

- Design and deliver ecosystem-building activities aligned with Star Venture strategic objectives and country needs. - Manage ecosystem partnerships, events, capacity-building activities, accelerator support initiatives and stakeholder engagement programmes. - Coordinate consultants, delivery partners and beneficiaries involved in ecosystem interventions. - Monitor ecosystem activity outcomes and ensure effective reporting of results, risks and lessons learned.

1. Stakeholder Management and Partnerships

- Develop and maintain strong relationships with startup ecosystem stakeholders, including accelerators, investors, corporates, universities, government entities and development partners. - Support investor engagement, partnership development and market-building initiatives under the guidance of the Associate Director and the Product team.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 2 November 2026, today.

The application deadline is 16 November 2026, 13 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 2 November 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at EBRD see the EBRD institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Nairobi see our Nairobi location page.

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