Country Manager - South Africa

Background
The African Climate Foundation (ACF) is the first and only African-led climate change re-granting organisation on the continent. Through a combination of grant making, fellowships, transformational research, technical assistance, coalition building and advocacy the ACF seeks to support interventions at the nexus of climate change, and development that have the greatest potential to deliver long-term socio-economic transformation and inclusive development. ACF also provides Fiscal Hosting (also called Fiscal Sponsorship) services to support emerging and mission aligned organisations and initiatives.

Purpose

ACF has its most established presence in South Africa, where it has been a key partner in the country's just energy transition (JET) journey since its inception. Working at the nexus of climate and development, ACF has played a central role in helping to strengthen institutional capacity, mobilise catalytic investment, and build the ecosystem of actors needed to deliver a just, low-carbon, and climate-resilient future for South Africa.

ACF's work in South Africa is guided by three organisational priorities (energy access and transitions, adaptation and resilience, and green industrialisation), supported by two cross-cutting themes (sustainable finance and international partnerships). These are applied in a manner that reflects South Africa's specific context, priorities, and institutional landscape.

Building on these foundations, ACF is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and highly networked individual to serve as South Africa Country Manager. This is a senior programme management role with significant leadership responsibilities, encompassing strategy implementation, a complex and growing portfolio of grants and partnerships, high-level stakeholder engagement, and support to fiscally hosted and incubated initiatives. The Country Manager will report to the Head of Programmes and serve as ACF's primary representative in South Africa.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

Country Strategy Implementation

• Lead the implementation and periodic review of ACF's South Africa Strategy, applying ACF's organisational priorities and cross-cutting themes in a manner appropriate to South Africa's context.
• Translate the strategy into actionable, budgeted implementation plans with measurable outcomes across the full scope of the South Africa Programme.
• Work closely with ACF's thematic leads to ensure coherence, integration, and cross-programme learning.
• Ensure that Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) frameworks are effectively used across the country programme, its grants, and its projects, supporting learning and adaptive management.

Partnerships and Representation

• Build and manage strategic relationships with South Africa's climate and development ecosystem, including key government institutions, civil society organisations (CSOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), research institutions, labour unions, and the private sector.
• Represent ACF on high-level platforms, policy forums, and multi-stakeholder dialogues in South Africa and globally, and support South Africa's engagement in international climate diplomacy, including at multilateral forums and through relevant bilateral partnerships.
• Foster learning and knowledge-sharing across ACF's country programmes, and build South-South partnerships and support exchanges with Global South counterparts.
• Create linkages with other in-country, regional, and international programmes to maximise synergies, visibility, and impact.

Grant-Making and Programme Delivery

• Set grant-making priorities and guide the design, review, and implementation of grants aligned with the South Africa Strategy across all key focus areas.
• Work with the Grants team to ensure quality control and compliance across a complex and growing grant portfolio.
• Ensure that grants and other forms of support deliver as agreed, and support the team and grantees to identify and address implementation challenges early, adapting plans where needed.
• Provide programme-level support to fiscally hosted entities and incubated initiatives in South Africa, working closely with ACF's fiscal hosting team to ensure they are aligned with the South Africa Strategy.

Fundraising, Resource Mobilisation, and Reporting

• Support ACF's fundraising team in identifying and pursuing funding opportunities for the South Africa Programme, with a particular focus on diversifying the philanthropic base and strengthening engagement with local funders.
• Contribute to donor proposals and support donor engagement on South Africa-specific work, including with multilateral, bilateral, and philanthropic funders.
• Ensure high-quality and timely reporting to donors and internal governance bodies.

Leadership and People Management

• Supervise and provide strategic guidance to the South Africa Programme team, including the Senior Programme Officer(s), Programme Officer(s), and any future South Africa Programme staff.
• Provide mentorship and support to team members and contribute to their professional development.
• Ensure effective coordination across ACF's Programme teams, MEL, Grants, Finance, and Communications teams to deliver on the South Africa Programme's strategic goals.
• Foster a high-performance, collaborative team culture that reflects ACF's values and commitment to an inclusive, equitable just transition.

Thought Leadership and Strategic Advisory

• Oversee research and analysis on climate and development in South Africa, including energy access and transitions, green industrialisation, adaptation, and investment mobilisation, to inform programming and decision-making.
• Draw on this work to position ACF as a trusted and influential thought leader through its advocacy and communications, and to showcase South Africa as a model for a just, low-carbon transition across Africa and the Global South.
• Advise the Senior Management Team (SMT) on key developments, risks, and opportunities in-country.

Other Duties

• Undertake other responsibilities relevant to the role as required by the Head of Programmes or the SMT.

Requirements include but are not limited to:

• Master’s degree in Economics, Environmental Sciences, Development Studies, Public Policy, or related field.
• 10 years’ experience across several of the following areas: climate change, just energy transition, project finance, project preparation, green industrialisation, climate adaptation and resilience, or energy transition policy.
• 5 years’ experience in managerial or supervisory capacity, with demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary teams.
• Deep familiarity with South Africa's just transition landscape, key government institutions, civil society actors, and the philanthropic funding environment.
• Demonstrated experience working on or supporting government institutions, donors, or private sector actors in policy or programme development in the South African context.
• Experience with fiscal hosting, institutional capacity building, or supporting government-linked entities is a strong advantage.
• Proven track record of strategy design, grant management, partnership development, and stakeholder engagement at senior levels.
• Familiarity with climate finance mechanisms, multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, and innovative finance instruments relevant to the energy transition.
• Strong leadership, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex political and institutional landscapes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (verbal and written), with the ability to engage credibly across government, civil society, philanthropy, labour movements and the private sector.
• Fluency in English; additional South African official languages are an advantage.
• High levels of professionalism, integrity, and diplomatic acumen.
• Ability to work independently while managing cross-functional teams and senior stakeholder relationships
• A genuine commitment to ACF's mission and to the work of supporting Africa's climate and development transition, with a strong interest in seeing the organisation and its programmes succeed.

Start date: Position available immediately.

Location: South Africa. ACF’s operational hub is in Cape Town, South Africa. Remote working will be considered for candidates based in South Africa.

Contract duration: 12 months (renewable based on mutual agreement).
Closing date: 18 October 2026.

Application Details:

• Applicants must have the legal right to work in the country where they are based.

For further information about the ACF, visit www.africanclimatefoundation.org

Should you not hear back from us by 30 November 2026, please consider your application to be unsuccessful.

The ACF strives to be an equitable organisation with a team which reflects the diversity of Africa.

In compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), The ACF assures all applicants that any personal information provided during the recruitment process will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and used solely for recruitment purposes. Your privacy and data security are of paramount importance to us. By applying for this position, you consent to the collection, processing, and storage of your personal information for recruitment-related activities only. The ACF is committed to safeguarding your privacy and maintaining the trust you place in us.