Application Guide
How to Apply for Head of Maritime Mobility and Venture Builder
at Africa Jobs Fund
🏢 About Africa Jobs Fund
The Africa Jobs Fund is a mission-driven investment organization that funds and supports ventures in export manufacturing and international labor mobility to increase incomes for Africans. Unlike traditional VC firms, it combines capital with hands-on venture building, making it an ideal place for someone who wants to both invest and operate. Working here means directly contributing to scalable job creation across Africa.
About This Role
As Head of Maritime Mobility and Venture Builder, you will build and fund companies that connect African workers to cruise ship and shipping careers. You will source and assess founders, structure investments, and provide operational support to recruitment, training, certification, and financing ventures. Your work will directly enable thousands of Africans to access higher-paying maritime jobs, transforming livelihoods and communities.
💡 A Day in the Life
You might start your day reviewing a potential investment in a Kenyan maritime training startup, then hop on a call with a cruise line executive to negotiate a hiring pipeline. Later, you'd mentor a founder on refining their unit economics and end with a team meeting to track progress against the fund's annual goal of 10+ projects.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Africa Jobs Fund Is Looking For
- Founder or senior operator with full P&L responsibility, ideally in maritime, crewing, or labor mobility sectors.
- Deep experience in African markets, with a strong network among cruise lines, crewing agencies, and maritime training institutions.
- Proven ability to structure investments and conduct cost-effectiveness analyses, with a track record of funding or launching 10+ projects annually.
- Proficiency in AI tools and a background in development economics, enabling data-driven decision-making and scalable venture building.
📝 Tips for Applying to Africa Jobs Fund
Highlight specific ventures you've founded or led in maritime or labor mobility, including P&L results and social impact metrics.
Demonstrate your African network by naming key partners or institutions you've worked with across the continent.
Show how you've used AI to enhance venture building or investment decisions, providing concrete examples.
Quantify your experience in funding or launching projects: mention the number of ventures, total capital deployed, and jobs created.
Explain why you're passionate about the Africa Jobs Fund's mission and how you'd scale its maritime mobility portfolio.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Your hands-on experience building or scaling maritime mobility ventures, with clear outcomes.', 'Your ability to source and support founders across Africa, including your network and assessment approach.', 'Your expertise in structuring investments and conducting cost-effectiveness analyses for early-stage companies.', "Your alignment with the fund's mission and your vision for expanding maritime career pathways for African workers."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Study the Africa Jobs Fund's existing portfolio and investment thesis, especially any maritime or labor mobility ventures.
- → Research the current state of African maritime training and crewing, including key players and gaps.
- → Understand the cruise and shipping industry's demand for labor and the barriers African workers face.
- → Explore development economics literature on labor mobility and remittances to inform your approach.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Focusing only on investment experience without demonstrating hands-on venture building or operational P&L responsibility.
- Neglecting to show a strong African network or understanding of local contexts in maritime training and recruitment.
- Providing generic answers about passion for Africa without concrete examples of maritime or labor mobility expertise.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Africa Jobs Fund!