Project Manager | Program Manager | Product Manager
Regional presence: South Africa & Kenya
© Kennedy Kinyua. All Rights Reserved
Talk to me!Introduction
Project Manager, Program Manager & Product Manager
Dynamic and results-driven leader with 8+ years of experience across technology, financial services, Ed-Tech and philanthropy. Adept at managing complex projects, scaling programs, and leading cross-functional teams to drive innovation and social impact. Proven expertise in portfolio management, product development, program execution, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring sustainable and scalable solutions.
Passionate about social transformation, financial inclusion, and education, I bring a holistic approach to leadership, combining technical expertise, program development, and product innovation to drive meaningful change.
Catalyzed the creation of cross-functional technology partnerships by aligning stakeholder visions, orchestrating the implementation of a new project management framework for global partnerships, resulting in 95% on-time project delivery. Adept at managing complex projects, scaling programs, and leading cross-functional teams to drive innovation and social impact. Proven expertise in portfolio management, product development, program execution, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring sustainable and scalable solutions.
8+
Years of
Experience
12+
projects completed in
5 countries
About
Every great project begin with an even better story
For 8+ years I have worked to help empowered teams create technology products that people love to use and enable sustainable product-led businesses.
I have also coached and empowered teams to deliver high-quality products using Agile methodologies. I am adept at building relationships, consensus, and a shared sense of purpose. I am passionate about creating loved and trusted products that help people improve their lives and careers.
In addition to developing business and product strategies with teams, I help them build software products that are both useful and valuable to the business by coaching and empowering them.
I have multiple years of experience in a wide range of disciplines including entrepreneurship, engineering, BPO, sales, EdTech, Customer service and Training. These experiences have given me unique insights into the product lifecycle and have allowed me to think through the entire customer journey and be customer obsessed in addressing real impactful solutions.
Education
My Education Journey
B.Sc Artificial Intelligence
IU International University of Applied Sciences - Germany
Diploma in Electrical & Electronics Engineering
Technical University of Kenya
Samsung Graduate Program
Samsung Engineering Academy
Certifications
Resume
Experience
Global Partnership Program Manager UMUZI - African Coding Network, ZA, Remote
- Engineered a rigorous evaluation framework against public policy and donor expectations, ensuring 100% project governance compliance and fostering strong stakeholder engagement.
- Implemented robust Project Planning and Issue Management Strategies, resulting in on-time project delivery and minimized disruptions.
- Implemented project management strategies within the accelerator program, leading to an 80% increase in program efficiency through streamlined workflows and optimized resource allocation.
- Redesigned implementation support structures for cross-functional teams, enhancing coordination and driving seamless execution of ICT Business Solutions across diverse industries.
- Researched and secured funding opportunities from Government, Multilateral Funds, and IFIs, ensuring strategic alignment with internal funding objectives.
- Championed rigorous contract compliance protocols, achieving a 99% compliance rate across 20 active partnerships, securing funding, and improving audit scores by 15%.
- Forged strategic partnerships with agencies and civil society organizations, focusing on Intergenerational Partnerships (IP) and youth well-being achieving a 40% increase in fundraising success and operational efficiency.
- Diversified capacity-strengthening initiatives to enhance long-term sustainability, product alignment, and community engagement, fostering strong account ownership and user retention.
- Implemented robust Project Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks, using project management tools leading to 30% improvement in program effectiveness and accountability, which regularly tracked key performance indicators (KPIs) to demonstrate program success.
Head of Alternative Learning Pathways, UMUZI - African Coding Network, ZA, Remote
- Head, coordinated, and managed region program accounts operations support and operational oversight for Meta & Google pathways.
- Developed digital enablement & building product EdTech projects, which led to an online delivery churn rate of 38 % from 78%.
- Implemented digital transformation and personalized student experience, leading to a 30% completion rate of freemium online scholarships.
- Managed, orchestrated, and led technical brainstorming, partner, and competitor humanitarian analysis with Unicef, Meta, Google & Coursera, leading to a reach response of 3000 underserved youth in Africa.
- Improved the overall demand of the alumni by 25% through targeted training technology programs and resource mobilization, resulting in business growth.
- Accelerated Global NGOs & Government funding renewal by 5% to increase regional community learners' demands & learners' customer experience.
- Transformed curriculum program optimization by 25%, which has resulted in new dissemination of learner pathways pipelines & business transformations.
- Directed learning percentage completion rates & retention from 17% to 43% by monitoring pathways' product & key performance indicators.
- Coordinated regional & country-level inputs to donor meetings, conferences, and communications, scaling 25% of partner engagement deliverables.
Product Manager, BPO Limited, Malta
- Worked with the Head to ensure successful and smooth implementation of product solutions, through conducting post-implementation review analysis through client feedback and incorporating good practices in subsequent deployments.
- Representing the end user and working with SMEs to understand requirements, supporting the definition of features and co-creating user stories and other required artefacts using Jira and Confluence( Atlassian)
- Owned the team backlog, and user journeys and took ownership of the documentation this helped in maintaining and prioritizing in line with Product Management direction and earliest delivery of value to our customers
- Collaborated closely with the Product team to ensure features are well documented, and that business priority is understood and aligned with team activities using Scrum and agile methodologies.
- Collaborated with the Product, sales and digital teams by managing product expectations in shaping the product roadmap.
- Conducted regular reviews of the product offerings to ensure a product fit for purpose is still met in the user journey.
- Actively participated in team and program ceremonies, backlog refinement sessions, kanban refinement, UI designs, patterns, and IIteration planning activities, Led the system's demo after each iteration this helped in performing preparation activities for program increment planning.
- Accountable for all product risks, and mitigations via effective collaboration in identifying, escalating and mitigating risk & compliance issues.
- Understanding the heavy fintech regulations scope by ensuring adherence and compliance with relevant policies, processes & regulations.
Techno Brain LTD, Software Tester Engineer
- Led a project to integrate accessibility features into software applications for a global Microsoft program, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and enhancing user trust and a 20% increase in positive feedback.
- Administered software & project management tools to revamp customer satisfaction & privacy protection pass rate from 65% to 92%.
- Reduced bug rate by 35% by identifying critical issues early in the development cycle and improving overall software quality and reliability
- Tested more than 100 Windows applications with a 90% test pass rate.
- Enhanced testing efficiency by 60% through developing and standardizing a comprehensive suite of test cases that modernized the testing process.
- Revised Cross-Functional Collaboration by 50% which accelerated productivity & timely delivery of high-quality software.
- Participated in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for multiple software releases, ensuring alignment with business requirements and high-quality product delivery
Gamcode Limited Kenya / Betin Kenya, Training and Support Coach
- Orchestrated and deployed coaching programs for diverse teams across 40 locations, optimizing operational efficiency and performance management. This initiative elevated KPIs by 25% and surpassed OKRs within 12 months.
- Engineered and delivered high-impact value-proposition reports and strategic business plans to clients, driving a 20% increase in ROI and enhancing customer retention within 9 months.
- Spearheaded and executed in-depth market research in collaboration with key stakeholders, accelerating merchant network expansion from 200 to 423 retail merchants within one year.
- Mentored and upskilled 50+ shop attendants on customer reconciliation best practices while redesigning the account management tracker, leading to a 20% improvement in efficiency within six months.
- Devised program materials to diverse cultural and linguistic contexts, ensuring effective Localization and successful program implementation.
Skills
My Technical & Management Skills
Reporting & Analysis
- Reporting
- Data Analysis
- Google Analytics
- Financial Reporting
Program Management
- Budget Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Project Coordination
- Resource Management
- Policy Development
- Program Implementation
- Proposal Development
- Quality Assurance Process
- Process Management
- Relationship Management
- Account Management
- Service Delivery
- Organizational Assessments
- Evaluation
- Agile Methodologies
Community Engagement
- Event Planning
- Community Outreach
- Partnership Development
- Volunteer Management
Product Management
- Product Design
- Risk Assessment
- User Research
- Customer Engagement
- Product Analysis
- Product Management
- Product Marketing
- Product Road Mapping
- Project Documentation
- Product Planning
Convening Expertise
- Convening
- Consulting
- Gender Equality
- Youth Engagement
- Coalition Building
- Radical Candor
- Program Development
- Event Management
- Evangelism
- Advocacy
- Facilitation
People Management
- Customer Relationship Management
- Career Development Plans
- Performance Management
- Succession Planning
- Customer Experience
External Relations
- Public Relations
- Partnership Development
- Stakeholder Management & Engagement
Specializations
My Specializations
Nifty
Mural
Miro
Product Board
Confluence
Figma
Keynote
Google Sheets
Data Studio
Google Analytics
Optimizely
Even More
Marketing & Organizational Tools
100%
Jira
100%
Zendesk
100%
Slack
100%
G Suite
100%
Notion
100%
Intercom
100%
Asana
100%
Scrum & Agile
100%
Airtable
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we work together long-term or just on a project basis?
I offer both options. Whether you're looking for a long-term partnership or need project-based support for a specific campaign or project, I'm here to help however you need.
How do you determine the pricing for your services?
Pricing is determined individually based on the scope of work, whether it's a long-term partnership or a one-time project. Once we define your goals and what's needed to reach them, I'll give you a fixed rate or monthly retainer.
Services
What I Can Help You Solve
Strategic Projects
Built for brands ready to link growth strategy to revenue goals - funnel mapping to the tracking framework.
Good for:
- Performance diagnostics
- Funnel mapping
- Persona strategy
- Paid media clarity
- Tracking frameworks
- First-party data strategy
Example: 1-2 days per week
Fractional Growth Partner
I join your team on a part-time basis, owning strategy, and collaborating with in-house teams.
Good for:
- Fast-growing startups without a CMO
- Businesses expanding into new markets
- Teams needing senior management support without hiring full-time
Example: 12-week fixed-scope
iGaming & Betting Specific Growth Kit
Specifically for Sports-betting brands looking for a CRM, licence contacts, and launching into new markets, especially the African market.
Includes:
- Launching the Journey Kit
- First-party data strategy
- CRM integrations
- Payments Integrations
- Collab with content creators
Example: Fixed-price package
contact
Let's Work Together!
info@kennedykinyua.com
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