Job description
Location: Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lusaka, Zambia or Nairobi, Kenya. Nationals of these countries are strongly encouraged to apply.
Manager/Director level, dependent on experience
IDinsight Africa is looking for an energetic, entrepreneurial, experienced leader with a “get it done” attitude to help run and grow a world-class organization.
The Africa entity is spread across offices in Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lusaka, Zambia; and Nairobi, Kenya, is over 60 teammates strong, and continues to grow. The Africa Regional Operations Lead will lead all aspects of our operations as we grow, and ensure that our African offices are run like a world-class organization.
The Africa Regional Operations Lead will report to the Regional Head, support the office leads and collaborate closely with IDinsight’s Global Operations team. We seek a self-starter who will be able to independently manage a wide range of autonomous work streams, and who is looking for a role that emphasizes execution, inspiring leadership, and people management. He/she will manage a team of multiple full-time administrative and operations staff in their respective offices (potentially hiring more people to the team as needs arise), as well as IDinsight client-facing staff who will dedicate a portion of their time to organization building.
The Africa Regional Operations Lead will lead the following work streams:
Ensure IDinsight Africa has best-in-class systems and policies in place, building on Global Operations’ platforms — As we grow, we want to stay lean and nimble while also ensuring that information is shared across the offices and staff have the tools they need to do their jobs. He/she will collect feedback from staff on where our current systems and policies are falling short, adapt our systems or design new ones, coordinate the roll-out of these new systems and policies, and ensure adherence. These systems may be in support of IDinsight’s client-facing social impact work, including project management, knowledge management, client development, or internal goal-tracking systems. They may also be people-related, including performance management, staffing, benefits, safety and security, and various policies.
Recruit and train excellent employees — The Africa Regional Operations Lead will oversee Africa-specific recruiting events and candidate screening, work with Africa leadership to set hiring goals, and conceive and write JDs for new roles. Some elements of our recruiting process, such as interviewing, are managed centrally and this person will coordinate with the Global Operations team on high-level talent strategies. The Africa Regional Operations Lead will oversee other Operations staff in running a comprehensive onboarding for new employees.
Ensure IDinsight’s Africa offices are great places to work — IDinsight prides itself on being a great place to work and as we grow, we want to keep the values and culture that have allowed us to provide this positive, efficient work environment. The Africa Regional Operations Lead will directly check-in with staff, coordinate team-building and professional development events, design and coordinate changes to the physical office environments, monitor and develop our ideal culture, and take other steps in conjunction with the Africa leadership team to make IDinsight’s Africa offices fantastic places to work.
Problem solve as issues come up — As IDinsight is growing rapidly, various logistical or people-related issues may come up. The Africa Regional Operations Lead will be the go-to person for the region for problem solving. He/she is expected to understand the issue holistically, exercise judgment and tact, and develop and execute a clear action-plan. When required, he/she will escalate issues to other senior leadership members for consultation, and provide recommendations on a course of action.
Is it YOU we’re looking for?
We have an Operations team that is full of ideas, knows a great organization and culture when they see it, intensely focused on their work, and “do it, get it done” types who are bought into IDinsight’s vision to change the world through better social sector decisions. Our Africa Regional Operations Lead will have a proven track record and commitment to the tasks at hand.
Ideal candidates will possess:
8+ years of work experience and proven track record of results and commitment to excellent output
Proven ability to lead and motivate teams in a dynamic, multicultural environment
Willingness to travel to all Africa offices at least twice per year
Passion for improving lives through evidence-informed policy
Ability to conceive, execute, and lead strategic initiatives, but also high attention to detail and willingness to get his/her hands dirty on the nuts and bolts of running an organization
Experience in a well-run global organization. Familiarity with latest research (in behavioral economics, organizational management, and other fields) on how to develop a best-in-class organization a plus
Strong communication skills (ability to be clear, yet tactful)
Ability to navigate people and policy decisions with nuance and discretion
Familiarity with MS Office, Google Docs, and ideally other relevant systems such as BambooHR, Asana, Slack, and SalesForce
Fluency in English (French a plus)
At least an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 for humor
We hope to invest in outstanding professionals who will grow our team and become the backbone of our Africa operations for years to come. We welcome you to submit an application, if you can demonstrate your passion and relevant experience to our work and our people.
Nuts and Bolts
Location is flexible in Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lusaka, Zambia; or Nairobi, Kenya. Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience and track record. Start dates are flexible but with a preference for sooner.
