Innovation Associate – Research & Social Innovation BongoHive Consult

Job Title: Innovation Associate – Research & Social Innovation

Reports to: Manager – Innovation Consulting

Location: Lusaka

Terms: Full-time, 2-year renewable contract

Location: Lusaka (Primary)

Deadline for Applications: 17:00hrs, Friday 9th May 2025

About BongoHive Consult

BongoHive Consult Limited is a digital and corporate innovation consulting firm providing custom interventions to SMEs and corporations. We help organisations build products and services their customers love. We use strategy, creativity, sector and business insights, and technology; bringing our vast experience supporting high-growth ventures to co-create what’s next.

Our Technology Consulting arm creates bespoke software solutions using cutting-edge technology. To date, we have had clients from various sectors including civil society, development, banking, insurance, agriculture, health and government. Our process uses a human-centered design approach to deeply understand the user and environment in which the proposed solution will be implemented.

Our Innovation Consulting team delivers tailored structured innovation solutions that allow clients to grow their market through new ideas, products or approaches. This is done in various ways including innovation challenges that BongoHive facilitates on behalf of corporations by collaborating with staff through short, intensive hackathons, sprints and co-creation workshops pulling on experts, techies & consumers alike to design & test ideas solving social or business challenges that impede business growth.

Role Overview:

The Innovation Associate – Research & Social Innovation will focus on leading research-driven and social innovation projects. This role requires expertise in research and social innovation to design and implement innovative solutions that address social challenges and drive positive community impact. The Innovation Associate will also contribute to corporate innovation activities but will primarily focus on social sector projects involving policy, research, and community-based innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Social Innovation Leadership: Lead social innovation projects, particularly those involving research, community development, and social impact.
• Research and Insights: Lead qualitative and quantitative research initiatives to gather insights and inform the development of social innovation solutions.
• Ensure the research is aligned with the needs and challenges of the social sector.
• Social and Corporate Innovation Projects: Work across both social and corporate innovation projects, applying research insights to drive effective and impactful innovation solutions in both sectors.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with social sector stakeholders, including NGOs, community organizations, and policymakers, to ensure projects meet the needs of underserved populations and align with broader social impact goals.
• Capacity Building: Contribute to building internal capacity in social innovation practices by staying current on trends, best practices, and methodologies.
• Collaborative Innovation: Work alongside the other Innovation Associate to jointly lead social and corporate innovation projects, contributing to idea generation, research, and implementation.
• Reporting & Evaluation: Support the documentation of social innovation projects, including impact assessments and evaluations. Provide regular updates on project outcomes, ensuring lessons learned are shared and applied to future projects.

Key Requirements:

• Strong background in social innovation, Human Centred Design (HCD), research, and community development. At least 2 years of experience in leading social innovation projects.
• Deep knowledge of research methodologies (both qualitative and quantitative) and how to translate findings into innovative solutions.
• Proven ability to design and implement projects that create measurable social impact.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with internal teams and external stakeholders, especially in the social and community sectors.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce reports, research papers, and presentations for various stakeholders.