Digital Platform Design & Development Fellow
Background
We are launching a pilot initiative aimed at expanding access to procurement opportunities for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite their strong potential to drive job creation and strengthen local economies, many of these firms face systemic barriers that limit their ability to compete for contracts with large buyers. Our effort seeks to address these challenges by improving visibility into tenders and leveling the playing field for local businesses—particularly in countries grappling with high unemployment and widespread poverty.
A key component of this pilot is the rapid deployment of a lightweight digital tool to make tenders more discoverable, accessible, and timely for SMEs. This fellow will work closely with the project lead to design and implement this system, and to help position it for future scale.
Scope of Work
This is an exciting opportunity for a student or recent graduate with relevant experience to take a leading role in designing, configuring, and launching an early-stage digital outreach and distribution system—one with the potential for meaningful social impact. Responsibilities include:
Platform Design & Build
- Co-design and implement a lightweight digital platform for tender posting and subscription (using off-the-shelf tools such as Glide, Softr, Airtable, WordPress, or similar). Open to other suggestions.
- Build or integrate a simple website to serve as the public-facing entry point for buyers and SMEs.
- Configure filters or categorization features by sector, region, or tender type.
Outreach Systems
- Set up and manage low-bandwidth tender distribution channels, such as WhatsApp-based sector groups.
- Support basic automation and subscription management, including notifications and/or low-cost payment options if applicable.
- Identify opportunities to apply AI tools (e.g., content summarization, tagging, chatbot responses, tender-matching algorithms) to reduce manual workload and improve responsiveness.
- Ensure the tools and flows are optimized for SMEs with limited connectivity and digital literacy.
Onboarding & Documentation
- Create short onboarding guides or demos for SMEs and buyers (in plain language).
- Develop simple processes or documentation to allow future team members or partners to maintain and scale the system.
Ideal Candidate Profile
- Strong experience with low-code tools (e.g., Glide, Softr, Airtable, Zapier, WordPress)
- Practical experience applying AI tools or APIs for content automation, smart routing, or messaging workflows
- Demonstrated ability to design mobile-first platforms or interfaces for users with low bandwidth
- Experience with WhatsApp Business API, SMS integration, or similar tools is a major plus
- Basic front-end design kills (e.g., customizing templates, working with icons/logos/brand colors)
- Comfort working independently and iteratively in a lean project environment
Deliverables
- Fully functioning, branded MVP platform (pilot-ready in 4 weeks)
- Sector-based outreach system integrated with tender listings
- Simple admin backend for uploading and distributing tenders
- Short documentation pack for onboarding and maintenance