Vacancy: Head of Africa Tech Space (ATS)

ATS Lead / Platform Head

A senior builder role for a practical, commercially minded and execution-driven leader.

Position: Head of Africa Tech Space (ATS) – ATS Lead / Platform Head
Organisation: Africa Tech Space (ATS)
Role Type: Senior leadership, platform-building and execution role
Deadline: 14^th May 2026

About Africa Tech Space

Africa Tech Space (ATS) is looking for a practical, commercially minded and execution-driven leader to serve as Head of Africa Tech Space – ATS Lead / Platform Head.

ATS is the innovation, application and enterprise solutions platform within the wider RVIBS ecosystem. Its purpose is simple:

RVIBS teaches AI and digital capability. ATS puts AI and digital capability to work.

ATS is being built as a practical platform for application, innovation, enterprise solutions and commercialization. Its role is to help turn ideas into pilots, pilots into products, and innovation into measurable value for learners, institutions, employers, SMEs, partners and the wider market.

This is a senior builder role for someone who can move from strategy to execution, from opportunities to products, and from ideas to commercially sensible solutions.

Role Purpose

The Head of ATS will provide day-to-day leadership, coordination and execution oversight for Africa Tech Space.

The role holder will be responsible for translating the ATS strategy into clear priorities, products, pilots, partnerships, commercial opportunities, operating rhythms and measurable results.

The successful candidate will ensure that ATS remains focused, commercially disciplined, practical, market-facing and aligned to its mandate as an innovation, application and enterprise solutions platform.

This is not a routine administrative role. It is a platform-building and execution leadership role.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic and Operational Leadership

• Provide overall leadership, coordination and operational direction for ATS.
• Translate the ATS strategy into practical workplans, product priorities, pilot programmes, partnership opportunities and execution milestones.
• Ensure ATS remains focused on practical application, innovation, enterprise solutions, commercialization and measurable impact.
• Build a disciplined operating culture where ideas move through a clear path from identification to qualification, design, pilot, commercialization and scale.

2. Productization and Commercialization

• Lead the conversion of ideas, pilots and internal innovations into named, repeatable and sellable products or service packages.
• Support the development of ATS offers in AI application and automation, digital skills, BPO and managed services, innovation support, platform/SaaS product development, and strategic pilots.
• Drive early commercial discipline by ensuring each initiative has a clear customer, value proposition, pricing logic, revenue potential, owner, timeline and success measure.
• Help ATS move beyond scattered activities into a structured product and revenue portfolio.

3. Opportunity Pipeline and Business Development

• Build and manage a visible ATS opportunity pipeline covering leads, proposals, pilots, products, partnerships, client conversations, delivery status and revenue-linked opportunities.
• Identify and pursue opportunities with schools, colleges, SMEs, employers, development partners, innovation actors, technology partners and other strategic stakeholders.
• Support proposal development, client engagement, partnership structuring and follow-through.
• Ensure no serious opportunity remains ownerless or unmanaged.

4. Pilot Design and Execution Discipline

• Lead the design, execution, review and scaling of strategic ATS pilots.
• Ensure each pilot has a clear problem statement, target user, value case, owner, timeline, metrics, risk profile and next decision point.
• Create a disciplined review process where pilots are either stopped, refined, packaged, scaled or institutionalized.
• Protect ATS from running too many unfocused pilots without productization or commercial learning.

5. RVIBS Living Lab and Internal Innovation

• Use RVIBS as a disciplined living lab and proof environment for selected ATS products, tools, workflows and service models before wider market rollout.
• Support internal pilots in admissions conversion, lead follow-up, learner pathway tools, reporting automation, employer linkage, AI readiness and digitally enabled short-course delivery.
• Ensure internal pilots are selected based on wider repeat value, proof potential and future commercialization logic.

6. Team Coordination and Governance

• Coordinate cross-functional contributors across commercial, product, technical, delivery, marketing, monitoring, reporting and expert-network support.
• Ensure each ATS initiative has a named sponsor, owner, commercial lead, delivery lead, technical support lead where relevant, target customer and review date.
• Lead weekly pipeline and delivery reviews, fortnightly product and pilot reviews, monthly ATS performance reviews and quarterly strategic portfolio reviews.
• Support clear reporting to the CEO / Strategic Sponsor and relevant governance structures.

7. Market Positioning and Stakeholder Engagement

• Represent ATS clearly and confidently to internal and external stakeholders.
• Help position ATS as a trusted African platform for practical innovation, digital application and AI-enabled enterprise solutions.
• Build relationships that can generate partnerships, client opportunities, funded projects, commercial pilots and long-term institutional value.
• Ensure ATS is understood not merely as a technology unit, but as a practical platform for application, innovation, enterprise solutions and measurable results.

Required Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate should have:

• A degree in Business, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, ICT, Technology, Project Management, Education Technology, Digital Transformation or a related field. A postgraduate qualification will be an added advantage.
• At least 7 years progressive experience in building, growing or leading innovation platforms, business units, commercialization initiatives, enterprise support functions, technology-enabled services, institutional growth initiatives or cross-functional strategic programmes.
• Demonstrated experience in business development, product development, innovation management, digital transformation, enterprise solutions, startup/platform growth, institutional transformation or technology-enabled service delivery.
• Practical experience moving ideas from concept to execution, pilot, productization and market-facing value.
• Good understanding of AI, digital tools, automation, SaaS models, BPO/managed services, future-of-work trends or technology-enabled enterprise solutions.
• Experience working with youth, SMEs, employers, training institutions, development partners, innovation ecosystems or enterprise support programmes will be an added advantage.
• Strong experience in proposal development, partnership building, stakeholder engagement, programme coordination and execution management.
• Evidence of having built or grown a product, programme, platform, business unit, service line, innovation initiative or commercially oriented project.

Key Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Strategic thinking with strong execution discipline.
• Commercial and entrepreneurial judgement.
• Ability to build systems, not just manage activities.
• Strong project and portfolio management ability.
• Productization and innovation mindset.
• Ability to translate ideas into pilots, offers and measurable outcomes.
• Strong business development and partnership skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and expert networks.
• Practical understanding of digital transformation, AI tools and tech-enabled services.
• Strong communication, reporting and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to prioritize, say no to distractions and keep ATS focused.
• Comfort with ambiguity, experimentation, fast learning and structured review.

Personal Attributes

We are looking for a person who is:

• A builder, not just a manager.
• Practical, disciplined and commercially alert.
• Comfortable working in a growing platform environment.
• Able to connect strategy, technology, people and market opportunity.
• Strong enough to lead, but collaborative enough to build through others.
• Focused on results, evidence, learning, revenue and impact.
• Able to work with urgency without losing strategic discipline.
• Honest about what can be delivered now and what must be built progressively.

Why This Role Matters

ATS is at an important stage of development. The platform must now move from strategic promise to disciplined execution.

The Head of ATS will help build the operating spine of the platform: clear priorities, strong product logic, accountable ownership, commercial discipline, partnership development, visible pilots, delivery evidence and early market traction.

The right candidate will help ATS become known not just for talking about innovation, but for delivering practical, measurable and commercially sensible solutions.

Reporting Line

The Head of ATS will report to the CEO / Strategic Sponsor or such other office as may be designated within the RVIBS-ATS governance structure.

Application Requirements

Interested candidates should submit:

• Application letter;
• Updated CV;
• Evidence of relevant experience in innovation, enterprise support, technology-enabled services, commercialization, product development, business development, partnership building or platform leadership;
• Names and contacts of three professional referees.

How to Apply

Submit your application to info@africatechspace.com and indiacte the position as the subject of the email.

Africa Tech Space is being built as a practical platform for application, innovation, enterprise solutions and commercialization.

We are looking for a leader who can help move ATS from strategy to disciplined execution; from ideas to pilots; from pilots to products; and from products to measurable market value.