Chief Operating Officer at Soweto Youth Initiative - SYI

The Soweto Youth Initiative is a growing Community Based Organization (CBO) in the Kahawa Soweto informal settlement in Kahawa West, Nairobi. We need someone to be the right-hand person to our CEO. We're searching for a chief operating officer (COO) who has strong leadership skills and the ability to approach service provision and business with a creative point of view. The COO will lead our team to be efficient, productive, and effective. The ideal candidate has extensive experience within development, preferably having worked their way up to an executive role. We believe this trajectory helps a person develop a unique mix of business and management expertise, plus proficiency with the practices, policies, and procedures of the development field. 

Objectives of this role

• Collaborate with Project Coordinator and Soweto Youth Initiative Board in setting and driving organizational vision, and operations strategy
• Translate strategy into actionable steps for growth, implementing organization-wide goal setting, performance management, and annual operations planning
• Oversee the organization’s operations and volunteer employee productivity, maintaining a highly inclusive culture that ensures team members can thrive, grow, and learn in their roles as ambassadors for the organization, and that organizational goals are met
• Ensure effective professional development, and performance management

Responsibilities

• Analyze internal operations and identify areas for process enhancement 
• Implement strategies and plans developed in tandem with the Project Coordinator and Soweto Youth Initiative Board
• Oversee operations, HR, and accounting
• Research, apply for, and administer grants and other awarded funding to meet short and long term growth targets
• Build and maintain trusting relationships with service partners and key stakeholders throughout the industry 
• Monitor and evaluate performance throughout the organization and take corrective measures when necessary, and prepare detailed updates and forecasts
• Oversee the creation of a data collection system designed to gather sensitive and confidential information

Required skills and qualifications

• Five or more years of experience in executive leadership roles 
• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field
• A network of contacts with service providers in Nairobi and surrounding areas
• Extensive grant writing experience
• Bilingual Kiswahili and English
• Excellent leadership skills, with steadfast resolve and personal integrity
• Understanding of advanced planning
• Solid grasp of data analysis and performance metrics
• Ability to diagnose problems quickly and foresee potential issues
• The ability to thrive in a child-friendly environment

Preferred skills and qualifications 

• Experience managing a vocational training center or community service center
• Project management experience 
• Master’s Degree in a relevant field