Director of Business Operations at Africa’s Voices

Position Overview

Africa’s Voices Foundation (AVF) is seeking a Director of Business Operations based in our Nairobi office who will efficiently lead and optimize our rapidly growing client service and partnership business. Reporting to the Executive Director, and with a Board facing role, the new Director of Business Operations is central to AVF’s strategy to go to scale. As Director of Business Operations, you will strengthen the business management structures and practices for commercially sustainable and socially impactful delivery of programmes. You will ensure top-quality operations, including human resources, legal and procurement capacities. You will take pride in supporting a high-performing team to deliver excellent client service. In sum, you will transform our operational and partnership management processes to increase efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and performance at scale.

AVF is a fast-growing start-up capitalizing on interactive media and digital channels to curate and spark engaging discussions that capture citizens’ voices as evidence and elevate them to the level of decision-making. We serve development, humanitarian and governance organisations with unique capabilities to listen intelligently to the citizens they serve. Spun out of cutting-edge research at the University of Cambridge in 2015, we have an established presence in East Africa and beyond with a vibrant growing core team in Nairobi. Our clients include UNICEF, the European Union, Oxfam, and the MasterCard Foundation.

We’re looking for a proactive, meticulously organized and efficient professional with an eye for attracting, deploying, growing and retaining an excellent core team and project team hires. You will be looking to join a young organisation to shape and lead its future. You will have the integrity, tenacity and problem-solving skills necessary to run a well-oiled machine delivering high-end services and products. You share our passion and commitment to social impact and have a good grasp for how new media and technology can expand citizen voice and well-being. You will know how to tailor and implement systems, processes and work practices that are essential to successful businesses. You’ll need to be ultra-organized, love growing and leading high performing teams, have an aptitude for organisational performance and demand high ethical and business standards. You want to be recognised for spearheading AVF’s success as we look to use the efficient delivery of excellent client service and social impact to pivot the organisation towards new opportunities.

Responsibilities and Performance Objectives

• Manage AVF’s business delivery to ensure exceptional client service and a high-performing team, creating an optimal environment for the innovation, strategy, and growth functions led by the Executive Director.
• Provide direct line management to Programme Leads and have ultimate oversight of project teams;
• Lead on the coordination between programmes/projects team and AVF’s technical teams, ensuring the work of each team seamlessly enhances and informs the work of the other;
• Conceive, implement and iterate on strong, more efficient processes for effective management of business operations to ensure that the Programme and Technical teams collaborate to facilitate exceptional and timely delivery of AVF’s projects;
• Encourage and sustain an ethos of client-centricity in programme and projects;
• Provide a leadership contribution to AVF senior management team, acting as second in command
  to the Executive Director.
• Actively contribute as a core member of the Senior Management Team, along with the Executive Director and Directors/Acting Directors of Innovation & Research, External Relations and Finance;
• As directed by the Executive director, prepares Board reports on business operations, organization/team and performance;
• Operates as Office-in-Charge when Executive Director is unavailable.
• Lead AVF’s organisation and operations, including legal, professional development & HR, to support and grow a vibrant high-performing team and strong organisation capable of scaling.
• Ensure that systems are in place to promote and emphasize high performance across AVF staff, including building on our culture of integrity, transparency, and investment in people;
• Implement performance management systems towards fair appraisal and strong employee engagement and development;
• Lead on attracting fresh and ambitious talent at AVF, in line with business and project needs
• Anticipate and mitigate operational risks and oversee compliance with policies and legal requirements, including coordinating with external professional service-providers.

Qualifications and profile

• You have substantial (5+ years) experience successfully managing client service business operations in a start-up or SME business context, latterly at Head of Business / Deputy Director/COO or equivalent level;
• You are, preferably, educated to master’s level;
• You have strong organization operations skills and experience, successfully deployed in more than one of the following functions: client service, project management, team/HR, finance, and legal;
• You have demonstrable interest in or commitment to social business/ social enterprise and/or the non-profit sector in Africa;
• You have a successful track-record working for innovative, adaptive organisations that seek continual improvement in efficiency, quality, and organisational management towards enhanced creation of business value;
• You thrive in creating a well-oiled machine and enjoy ensuring that “the trains run on time”;
• You demonstrate strong people management and inter-personal skills to seek and bring out the best in a young, energetic team;
• You have the ability to strive for consensus and compromise between the interests of different parts of an organisation;
• You are committed to delivering high-quality services to clients, on time and exceeding expectations;
• You have the willingness to adapt, adjust, and innovate in a fast-growing and evolving organisation;
• You are passionate about building a sustainable organisation that attracts high value work and
  highly talented team members.