Job description
The Director of Operations will be responsible for overseeing SFF’s portfolio of grantee partners and vetting potential new grantee partners.
You will manage our team of Program Officers as they conduct regular due diligence and prepare recommendations for funding decisions across Africa.
You will also manage the Admin & Finance Officer who supports the Africa-side team.
Countrylevel community building activities including happy hours, workshops, and summits are included in your responsibilities.
We are a small team, so this is a hands-on role—there will be times when you will need to run diligence on partners yourself, dig into the details of event planning, and work independently and remotely.
This position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, though other East African capital cities may be considered.
Objectives
• Lead the Africa-based operations team
• Oversee the due diligence process on current and potential grantee partners
• Implement community building activities and events in East Africa
Your responsibilities will include Africa-Based Operations (50%) • Oversee all Africa-side operations
• Conduct scoping exercises in potential new countries of operations
• Ensure all events and programming in East Africa are implemented efficiently, effectively, and aligned with our values
• Manage and motivate Program Officers
• Oversee the on-the-ground due diligence of current and potential grantee partners by managing Program Officers, and occasionally taking on diligence processes yourself
• Build a pipeline of new grantees
• Manage the Finance & Administration Officer to
• Ensure SFF is legally compliant in countries of operation
• Maintain capacity building service provider database
Active Partnership Programming (30%) • Identify partners’ technical and capacity gaps, and co-design a thoughtful and connected set of capacity building programming to elevate the work of our partners
• Identify and vet potential capacity building service providers
• Assess and approve partner requests for Open Resources
• Work with the Director of Partnerships to assess partner applications for Knowledge Systems Support and Targeted Capacity Support programs
• Oversee country-level capacity building programming and events
• Provide organizational development expertise to partners as appropriate and needed
Strategic Direction (10%) • In conjunction with the Executive Director, Director of Partnerships, and Managing Director, drive strategic conversations to ensure we fulfill our mission
• Take part in bi-annual strategic planning exercises with occasional strategy discussions as needed
Donor Engagement (10%) • In conjunction with the Executive Director and Director of Partnerships, manage donor relationships in order to drive uptake of innovative grant-making models and leverage funding from other funders to our grantee partners.
• Support the design of in-country donor engagement strategies of the operations team
• Take part in Africa-side relationship-building and events or conferences as needed
Who we are looking for
• You are an East African Community citizen and preferably have experience working in multiple East African countries.
• You have contributed to the strategic direction of an organization in the past.
• You are fluent in spoken and written English and may also speak French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, or another local language.
• You hold a bachelor’s degree in a related area of study.
• Ideally, you also hold a master’s degree in public administration, business administration, public health, or social work.
• You have 7-10 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations or social enterprises in East Africa. Private sector experience will also be considered.
• You have a minimum of three years’ experience managing a small team. Experience managing teams remotely is preferred.
• You are bold and confident to share your opinions with a multicultural team and can tailor your approach to working with various colleagues.
• You thrive in an unstructured environment, are at peace with ambiguity, and solve problems creatively and efficiently.
• You have learned how to talk about your weaknesses and mistakes in the workplace and value honesty.
• You love collaboration, and you naturally motivate yourself to deliver when working alone.
• You are detail-oriented, willing to complete administrative tasks as well as coordinate large events.
• You easily navigate Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Drive, Slack, etc.
• You are a clear communicator and strong writer.
• You have a basic understanding of accounting and financial management.
