Why Us – Acorn Holdings Africa

Life at Acorn

Acorn is home to some of the most exciting, inspirational, and innovative people in the real estate industry, passionately working with us to grow our business and nurture our brands. At the heart of our business are shared values and aspirations that define and mold us into an employer of choice for talented and ambitious people.

Our core business is developing and managing purpose-built student accommodation in Nairobi to address the shortage of good quality, safe, and secure housing for the fast-growing population of students and young professionals.

We offer a wide spectrum of career opportunities in development, operations, finance, investment amongst others. Our career page allows you to view all opportunities within Acorn and our brands, learn why we are right for you, meet our people, and apply for current vacancies. We are doing something that has not been done before in Africa!

We self-lead

Whether you are an intern or the CEO, we give you the room to hold yourself accountable against our shared values, aspirations and goals. We do not solve a problem twice and we expect you to take responsibility for your results.

We challenge

We are doing something that has not been done before in East Africa. As pioneers, we solve challenges which will stretch the limits of your imagination.

We create and innovate

As part of our commitment to continuous learning, we have partnered with Skillshare to offer our employees an opportunity to learn anything, anywhere at any time. We have built a work environment where learning is driven by you.

Employee Stories

Get to know more from our own about our amazing culture

Sori Adele

I am a Human Resources Intern at Acorn

I joined Acorn on 4^th December 2019 as a Digital Marketing Intern. The experience I have gained from Acorn has been an amazing journey as my first workplace experience. I did not know what to expect when I first walked into the office, I was obviously nervous about how I would fit in and navigate the way around.

From day one, you are trusted to contribute and take lead in what you are comfortable with. Whatever you want to do Acorn gives you a chance, once you have succeeded in the tasks assigned to you. It is a great place to expand your horizons and grow your career. Not only did I gain great knowledge and understanding in the Marketing and HR field, but I also established newfound confidence in myself and my abilities that will definitely go towards strengthening my career development.

Michelle Waithaka

I am a Compliance Manager – Development at Acorn

I joined Acorn in May 2014 as the Assistant Project Manager. In 2016, I was promoted to a Senior Project Manager and now occupy the position of Compliance Manager – Development. My experience at Acorn has been fantastic. I get to continuously learn, get exposure to new and emerging trendy technologies.

Here at Acorn, no two days are similar. The workload fluctuates depending on the various stages of every project. A typical day will involve checking in with the project consultants to confirm they are engaged in activities assigned to, by ensuring there are no hold-ups, monitoring project programs and checking the validity of project approvals. I usually work on a combination of jobs throughout the day and these tasks vary from project coordination to documenting notes and action points, planning, and scheduling upcoming project deliverables. The foremost facet is to confirm that each member of my team is equipped with complete information and documentation that will enable them to deliver projects efficiently.

Jacqueline Kamau

I am a Customer Experience Executive at Qwetu Ruaraka.

I joined Acorn in June 2019. My journey to joining Acorn began in April 2019 when I received a call from a member of the Acorn HR team. At first, I was nervous, but she had such a reassuring and calm voice, I hardly realized I was having an interview. That call gave me a sneak preview of the company’s strong work culture and made me look forward to joining the team.

After a competitive shortlisting process, I got the job! Together with other new recruits, we went through an on-boarding process. Every department gave us a detailed brief of what they do, we visited the operating properties and construction sites, and finally had a session with the Chief Executive Officer. The professionalism is unmatched. When I finally landed on my station, I knew exactly what was expected of me.

Working at Qwetu has been very interesting. I am part of a cross-functional team whose purpose is to deliver comfort, community, and learning to the Qwetu residents. The most exciting part of my job is our residents. They are so full of life, funny, energetic and there is never a dull day with them. They make me long to go to work.

Aggrey Wangila

I am a Security Team Leader at Qwetu WilsonView

Due to the good working environment at Qwetu, I picked interest and applied for the position of Security Assistant. I have been with the company for the last two and a half years and my experience has been AMAZING!! I joined as a Security Assistant at Qwetu Jogoo Road in 2018. I was then promoted to the position of Security Team Leader and was part of the team which opened Qwetu WilsonView in February 2020.

Great company culture and lots of training if you want it. Majority of the time, the company promotes from within, depending on the availability of skills for that particular position.

Acorn gives all staff members an opportunity to share ideas to better the organization no matter which department or level you are in. Everyone’s opinion matters. At Acorn, we do not only share ideas but also get to see them implemented. I can happily say that I contribute to the company’s growth, a feeling every employee nurtures.