Head of Self-Employment

Join Harambee as our Head of Self-Employment!

Are you passionate about creating sustainable pathways to income and opportunity for young people? Do you thrive in complex environments, bringing people together around a shared vision and turning ambitious ideas into practical action? If so, Harambee could be the place for you.

We're not your typical organisation. At Harambee, we're dedicated to solving youth unemployment through innovative partnerships, systems change, and collective action. Our work is fast-paced, collaborative, and grounded in a deep belief that every young person deserves access to meaningful economic opportunity. The Head of Self-Employment will play a critical leadership role in shaping Harambee's contribution to one of South Africa's most important opportunity areas – self-employment.

The Role

The Head of Self-Employment leads Harambee's self-employment strategy and delivery, driving the organisation's contribution to creating sustainable self-employment pathways for young people. This role is responsible for defining Harambee's position within the self-employment ecosystem, aligning internal teams around a shared strategy, and ensuring the successful delivery of organisational self-employment targets.

The role also contributes to broader systems change efforts by supporting the implementation of the national self-employment strategy being developed in partnership with the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) and the Centre for Exponential Change. 

Your Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of Harambee's self-employment strategy
• Define priority opportunities, delivery targets, and partnership approaches across the ecosystem
• Drive delivery of organisational self-employment outcomes through interventions, pilots, and implementation initiatives
• Provide strategic oversight of supply-side strategies that strengthen pathways into self-employment for young people
• Build and manage relationships with government, funders, implementation partners, and ecosystem stakeholders
• Lead Harambee's contribution to ecosystem-wide collaboration and collective impact initiatives
• Drive innovation, learning, and continuous improvement within the self-employment portfolio
• Support the transition from national self-employment blueprint design into implementation
• Coordinate action across working groups, partners, and ecosystem stakeholders
• Communicate progress, lessons, opportunities, and priorities across strategic forums and stakeholder platforms.

How You'll Work

• Translate strategic ambition into practical delivery and measurable impact
• Build alignment across executive, strategic, and operational teams
• Bring together diverse stakeholders around shared goals and implementation plans
• Mobilise resources and facilitate collective problem-solving across the ecosystem
• Develop and sustain strategic partnerships that strengthen self-employment pathways
• Influence without direct authority and enable collaboration across multiple sectors
• Balance long-term systems change goals with immediate delivery priorities
• Foster learning, accountability, and shared ownership among partners
• Use evidence, insight, and stakeholder engagement to guide decision-making
• Keep young people and their lived experiences at the centre of the work

What We're Looking For

We're looking for an experienced leader who combines strategic thinking with strong execution capability. Someone who is passionate about expanding economic opportunity, comfortable navigating complexity, and motivated by creating large-scale impact through partnerships and systems change.

Must Haves

• Bachelor's degree required (postgraduate qualification advantageous)
• Qualification in Economics, Development Studies, Political Science, Public Policy, Law, Entrepreneurship, or a related field
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience
• Significant experience in senior leadership, strategy development, and team management
• Demonstrated experience formulating and implementing strategy
• Strong stakeholder engagement, relationship-building, and communication skills
• Proven ability to coordinate and influence multiple stakeholders across complex environments

Nice To Haves

Experience in one or more of the following areas would be highly advantageous:

• Youth livelihoods and economic inclusion
• Entrepreneurship and self-employment ecosystems
• Systems change initiatives
• Collective impact programmes
• Ecosystem building and partnership development
• Government partnerships and public-private collaboration
• Multi-stakeholder programme leadership
• National-scale implementation initiatives

Who You Are

You're a systems thinker who can comfortably operate at both strategic and operational levels. You understand that creating sustainable impact requires bringing together diverse stakeholders, aligning interests, and building momentum around a shared ambition.

• You’re passionate about Harambee's mission and expanding access to economic opportunity for young people
• You build trust quickly and lead through influence and collaboration rather than hierarchy
• You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and complexity while maintaining a strong focus on delivery
• You can translate ambitious ideas into practical action and measurable outcomes
• You enjoy working across organisational and sector boundaries to create collective impact
• You balance strategic thinking with strong execution and accountability
• You remain grounded in the lived experiences and needs of young people
• You are energised by solving complex challenges that require partnership, innovation, and systems-level thinking

Why Join Us

At Harambee, your work matters — not just to the organisation, but to the lives of the young people we serve.

• Real Impact: Help shape the future of self-employment pathways and economic opportunity for young people across South Africa.
• Systems Change: Work at the intersection of strategy, partnership, innovation, and implementation to create lasting change.
• Collaboration: Partner with government, funders, private sector leaders, and ecosystem actors to solve complex challenges.
• Purpose: Be part of a mission-led organisation creating meaningful, long-term change in South Africa.
• Growth: Take on a highly visible leadership role with the opportunity to influence organisational and national priorities.
• Inclusive Environment: We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and able to contribute.
• Accessibility: We strongly encourage applications from people living with disabilities and are committed to providing an accessible and supportive recruitment process.

Closing Date: 21 July 2026