Open Positions

Hub Director

Job Title: Hub Director

Location: Remote (with a preference for African candidates). Travel of 25% expected

Job Type: Full-time (Consultant)

Compensation: Negotiable


This position is open for applications until 9 March, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage early submissions.



About Masakhane


Masakhane is a pan-African initiative aimed at tackling the under-representation of African languages in natural language processing (NLP) and AI. Our mission is to bring together researchers, technologists, linguists, and community members from across the continent to collaborate on AI that is inclusive and representative of Africa’s linguistic diversity. By working collectively, we are democratizing access to cutting-edge AI research and contributing to the global growth of African NLP.



About the Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages


The Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages (“the Hub”) is a new initiative to address the critical under-representation and misrepresentation of African languages in artificial intelligence (AI). Anchored by the Masakhane Research Foundation (MRF), the Hub will develop datasets, models, and use cases to catalyze innovation in sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. With a vision to unlock AI's benefits for over 1 billion Africans, the Hub fosters community-driven approaches and long-term, sustainable partnerships across the African NLP ecosystem.

Our mission is to empower marginalized communities, build local capacity, and ensure African languages and cultures are fully represented in the AI-driven future.



Position Overview

The Director will serve as the visionary leader of the Hub, responsible for shaping and executing the Hub’s strategy to position it as a global leader in African language AI. You will oversee all aspects of the Hub’s operations, from strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to managing teams and delivering on impactful initiatives.

As a member of the founding team, you will be the entrepreneur launching the Hub - and growing it to its full potential. You will build a team and relationships with the African AI community and partners, and establish the brand and systems to establish the Hub as the catalyst for more accessible AI solutions in African languages. 

In this high-profile role, you will cultivate partnerships with funders, research institutions, private sector, and policymakers to amplify the Hub’s reach and impact. You will also ensure that the Hub’s projects align with its mission of fostering inclusion, innovation, and local ownership in African NLP. Reporting to the Masakhane Research Foundation (MRF) Board, you will collaborate with Steering and Advisory Committees, and operational teams to build a sustainable, high-performing organization that meets the needs of Africa’s diverse linguistic communities.



Key Responsibilities:


Strategic Leadership

Operations and Governance

Resource Mobilization

Community, Partnerships, and Advocacy

Team Leadership and Capacity Building



Requirements:

Experience

Skills - Essential

Skills - Preferable

Values & Mindset:



Why Join Us:



Application Process:


Please send your CV and a brief cover letter explaining why you are interested in this role and how you would contribute to building and sustaining Masakhane’s community by sharing them via this form. Include any relevant work samples or links to previous community initiatives you’ve managed in your cover letter and/or CV.

Program Manager

Job Title: Program Manager

Location: Remote (with a preference for African candidates)

Job Type: Full-time (Consultant)

Compensation: Negotiable


This position is open for applications until 9 March, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage early submissions.



About Masakhane


Masakhane is a pan-African initiative aimed at tackling the under-representation of African languages in natural language processing (NLP) and AI. Our mission is to bring together researchers, technologists, linguists, and community members from across the continent to collaborate on AI that is inclusive and representative of Africa’s linguistic diversity. By working collectively, we are democratizing access to cutting-edge AI research and contributing to the global growth of African NLP.



About the Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages


The Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages (“the Hub”) is a new initiative to address the critical under-representation and misrepresentation of African languages in artificial intelligence (AI). Anchored by the Masakhane Research Foundation (MRF), the Hub will develop datasets, models, and use cases to catalyze innovation in sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. With a vision to unlock AI's benefits for over 1 billion Africans, the Hub fosters community-driven approaches and long-term, sustainable partnerships across the African NLP ecosystem.

Our mission is to empower marginalized communities, build local capacity, and ensure African languages and cultures are fully represented in the AI-driven future.



Position Overview

The Program Manager will play a central role in ensuring the success and impact of the Hub’s flagship projects by overseeing project management, operational excellence, and performance tracking. This position combines strong project management expertise with robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) skills to track and improve the effectiveness of the Hub’s programs.

Reporting to the Hub Director, the PM/MEL Lead will drive the development of detailed project plans, establish and maintain MEL frameworks, and ensure smooth coordination across teams and stakeholders. The PM will also support the Director to engage the Steering Committee and Masakhane Board, helping to manage board relationships and setting the agenda for these bodies and the strategic feedback needed to drive project execution.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to impactful projects at the intersection of AI and African languages while supporting the delivery of a new groundbreaking initiative.



Key Responsibilities:


Project Management

Cross-Functional Team Management

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

Institutional Capacity Building



Requirements:

Experience

Skills - Essential

Skills - Preferable

Values & Mindset:



Why Join Us:



Application Process:


Please send your CV and a brief cover letter explaining why you are interested in this role and how you would contribute to building and sustaining Masakhane’s community by sharing them via this form. Include any relevant work samples or links to previous community initiatives you’ve managed in your cover letter and/or CV.

Grants & Operations Manager

Job Title: Grants & Operations Manager

Location: Remote (with a preference for African candidates)

Job Type: Full-time (Consultant)

Compensation: Negotiable


This position is open for applications until 9 March, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage early submissions.



About Masakhane


Masakhane is a pan-African initiative aimed at tackling the under-representation of African languages in natural language processing (NLP) and AI. Our mission is to bring together researchers, technologists, linguists, and community members from across the continent to collaborate on AI that is inclusive and representative of Africa’s linguistic diversity. By working collectively, we are democratizing access to cutting-edge AI research and contributing to the global growth of African NLP.



About the Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages


The Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages (“the Hub”) is a new initiative to address the critical under-representation and misrepresentation of African languages in artificial intelligence (AI). Anchored by the Masakhane Research Foundation (MRF), the Hub will develop datasets, models, and use cases to catalyze innovation in sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. With a vision to unlock AI's benefits for over 1 billion Africans, the Hub fosters community-driven approaches and long-term, sustainable partnerships across the African NLP ecosystem.

Our mission is to empower marginalized communities, build local capacity, and ensure African languages and cultures are fully represented in the AI-driven future.



Position Overview

The Grants and Operations Manager will oversee grants administration, financial management, and operational frameworks at the Hub. Reporting to the Hub Director, this role ensures compliance with funding requirements, optimizes internal operations, and manages donor relationships to support the Hub’s mission. This position is ideal for a proactive leader with expertise in grants management, financial oversight, and operational coordination.



Key Responsibilities:


Grants Management

Operational Coordination

Resource Mobilization

Institutional Capacity Building



Requirements:

Experience

Skills - Essential

Skills - Preferable

Values & Mindset:



Why Join Us:



Application Process:


Please send your CV and a brief cover letter explaining why you are interested in this role and how you would contribute to building and sustaining Masakhane’s community by sharing them via this form. Include any relevant work samples or links to previous community initiatives you’ve managed in your cover letter and/or CV.

Finance & Accounting Lead

Job Title: Finance & Accounting Lead

Location: Remote (with a preference for African candidates)

Job Type: Full-time (Consultant)

Compensation: Negotiable


This position is open for applications until 9 March, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage early submissions.



About Masakhane


Masakhane is a pan-African initiative aimed at tackling the under-representation of African languages in natural language processing (NLP) and AI. Our mission is to bring together researchers, technologists, linguists, and community members from across the continent to collaborate on AI that is inclusive and representative of Africa’s linguistic diversity. By working collectively, we are democratizing access to cutting-edge AI research and contributing to the global growth of African NLP.



About the Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages


The Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages (“the Hub”) is a new initiative to address the critical under-representation and misrepresentation of African languages in artificial intelligence (AI). Anchored by the Masakhane Research Foundation (MRF), the Hub will develop datasets, models, and use cases to catalyze innovation in sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. With a vision to unlock AI's benefits for over 1 billion Africans, the Hub fosters community-driven approaches and long-term, sustainable partnerships across the African NLP ecosystem.

Our mission is to empower marginalized communities, build local capacity, and ensure African languages and cultures are fully represented in the AI-driven future.



Position Overview

The Finance and Accounting Lead will oversee the financial operations of the Hub, ensuring transparency, accountability, and compliance with donor requirements. Reporting to the Hub Director, the Lead will manage financial strategies, budgets, and reporting systems to support the Hub’s mission and operational growth. This is a unique opportunity to shape the financial foundations of an initiative that will drive transformative change for African languages and communities.



Key Responsibilities:


Financial Strategy and Management

Accounting and Compliance

Fund Disbursement & Expense Tracking

Resource Mobilization

Institutional Capacity Building



Requirements:

Experience

Skills - Essential

Skills - Preferable


Values & Mindset:



Why Join Us:



Application Process:


Please send your CV and a brief cover letter explaining why you are interested in this role and how you would contribute to building and sustaining Masakhane’s community by sharing them via this form. Include any relevant work samples or links to previous community initiatives you’ve managed in your cover letter and/or CV.

Community & Partnerships Lead

Job Title: Community & Partnerships Lead

Location: Remote (with a preference for African candidates)

Job Type: Full-time (Consultant)

Compensation: Negotiable


This position is open for applications until 9 March, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage early submissions.



About Masakhane


Masakhane is a pan-African initiative aimed at tackling the under-representation of African languages in natural language processing (NLP) and AI. Our mission is to bring together researchers, technologists, linguists, and community members from across the continent to collaborate on AI that is inclusive and representative of Africa’s linguistic diversity. By working collectively, we are democratizing access to cutting-edge AI research and contributing to the global growth of African NLP.



About the Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages


The Masakhane AI Hub for African Languages (“the Hub”) is a new initiative to address the critical under-representation and misrepresentation of African languages in artificial intelligence (AI). Anchored by the Masakhane Research Foundation (MRF), the Hub will develop datasets, models, and use cases to catalyze innovation in sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. With a vision to unlock AI's benefits for over 1 billion Africans, the Hub fosters community-driven approaches and long-term, sustainable partnerships across the African NLP ecosystem.

Our mission is to empower marginalized communities, build local capacity, and ensure African languages and cultures are fully represented in the AI-driven future.



Position Overview

The Community and Partnerships Lead will build strategic collaborations to advance the mission of the Hub. The Hub is a new effort to bring together a broad range of actors around the shared challenge of representative and accessible data and models for AI development. As such, early communications will need to clearly articulate the role of the Hub in a crowded and emerging space. This role is pivotal in enhancing the Hub's visibility, fostering community engagement with the African AI and NLP community, and building a network among stakeholders to promote AI for African languages.

This role involves connecting with diverse stakeholders and negotiating partnership agreements that enable the Hub to unlock the transformative potential of AI for African languages across data, models, and use cases. Reporting to the Hub Director, you will work closely with the Hub’s leadership team to leverage partnerships as a key driver for the Hub’s success.



Key Responsibilities:


Partnerships Strategy & Development

Community Engagement & Growth

Resource Mobilization

Advocacy and Communications

Internal Collaboration



Requirements:

Experience

Skills - Essential

Skills - Preferable

Values & Mindset:



Why Join Us:



Application Process:


Please send your CV and a brief cover letter explaining why you are interested in this role and how you would contribute to building and sustaining Masakhane’s community by sharing them via this form. Include any relevant work samples or links to previous community initiatives you’ve managed in your cover letter and/or CV.