Application Guide
How to Apply for Consultancy for Life Skills Curriculum Design and Implementation Model
at Tiko
🏢 About Tiko
Tiko Africa is a nonprofit that combines technology with behavioral insights to empower adolescents and young people in low-income communities across sub-Saharan Africa to make informed health choices, particularly around HIV and sexual/reproductive health. Their unique approach focuses on scalable, tech-enabled interventions that reach youth where they are, making them a leader in youth-centered public health innovation.
About This Role
This consultancy role involves designing a comprehensive life skills and mentorship framework for Tiko's programs, including a modular curriculum adaptable to diverse youth groups across multiple countries. The impact is significant: you'll shape how thousands of young people gain critical life skills, while building internal capacity through trainer-of-trainer models to ensure sustainability.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with a virtual check-in with Tiko's program team in Nairobi to discuss feedback from a pilot of the life skills module. You'd then spend the afternoon refining a module on negotiation skills, incorporating input from focus groups with adolescent girls, and drafting a trainer guide with facilitation tips. Later, you might review M&E data from a recent training of trainers in Uganda to adjust the assessment tools for clarity.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Tiko Is Looking For
- Has at least 5-7 years of experience in curriculum development and instructional design specifically for youth programs in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on adolescent girls and young women.
- Demonstrates expertise in creating practical M&E tools (e.g., pre/post-tests, observation rubrics) for community-based programs, not just theoretical frameworks.
- Has a proven track record of designing and scaling peer-led or partner-led training interventions, ideally in health or life skills contexts.
- Aligns strongly with human-centered design principles, showing ability to iterate based on feedback from youth and local partners.
📝 Tips for Applying to Tiko
Highlight specific examples of curricula you've developed for youth in sub-Saharan Africa, including how you adapted content for different cultural contexts and literacy levels.
Showcase your M&E tool development experience with concrete examples (e.g., a sample assessment rubric from a past project).
Mention any experience with trainer-of-trainer models, especially how you ensured quality control across multiple locations.
Demonstrate understanding of Tiko's tech-enabled approach by referencing their use of behavioral insights or digital tools in your cover letter.
Tailor your portfolio to include modular, adaptable materials—show how one module can be adjusted for different age groups or regions.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Emphasize your alignment with Tiko's mission to empower youth through informed health choices, connecting your past work to their goals.", 'Describe a specific curriculum you designed that included M&E from the start, and how you used data to improve it.', 'Explain your approach to making curricula engaging and participatory for youth, especially for sensitive topics like sexual health.', 'Highlight your experience working remotely across multiple time zones in sub-Saharan Africa, managing diverse stakeholders.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read Tiko's annual reports or impact summaries to understand their current programs and metrics of success.
- → Familiarize yourself with their tech platform (e.g., how they use chatbots or SMS to reach youth) to see how your curriculum could integrate.
- → Review their published research or case studies on youth engagement in sub-Saharan Africa to understand their evidence base.
- → Look into the specific countries they operate in (e.g., Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda) to understand cultural nuances for curriculum adaptation.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic curriculum sample that isn't tailored to youth or sub-Saharan Africa—show specific adaptation.
- Focusing only on content creation without addressing M&E or scalability—this role requires both.
- Ignoring the ToT component—failing to discuss how you'll build capacity in partners will weaken your application.
📅 Application Timeline
⏰ Deadline: June 24, 2026
We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!