Programs & Strategy Lead at Kenya Rhino Range Expansion (KRRE)

Job Summary

• The Programs & Strategy Lead will play a pivotal role in driving the success of KRRE initiatives, ensuring seamless execution from strategy to on-the-ground impact. This role blends project management, stakeholder engagement, and hands-on delivery to advance KRRE's mission, and will play a key role in shaping overall strategic execution of projects.

Key responsibilities include:

• Partnering with the KRRE Lead to cultivate and manage relationships across public, private, and social sectors
• Overseeing project execution to guarantee alignment with KRRE's goals, securing clear delivery contracts with partners, and ensuring effective implementation, and advising on overall delivery strategy.
• HR & Company oversight
• Stakeholder communication

Shared responsibilities

• Play pivotal role organizing and preparing material for board meetings, ensuring that KRRE governance bodies are well- versed on all implementation activities
• Own and ensure adequate monitoring and evaluation of KRRE projects (temporary responsibility - likely transferred to new, dedicated M&E expert role as the team grows)
• Develop and oversee supplier/contractor procurement processes and contracts in collaboration with Finance Lead Negotiate with and evaluate suppliers/contractors in collaboration with the Finance Lead
• Develop and implement company human resources policies, including whistleblower and grievance policies
• Develop and implement a KRRE employee satisfaction assessment; suggest improvements based on assessment
• Evaluate KRRE team performance and wellbeing; update KRRE Lead on insights
• Support KRRE Lead to identify needs for potential new hires, identify candidates, and support selection processes
• Develop and help implement stakeholder engagement strategy, to include landowners, government, communities, donors, and others
• Support the creation - and help run - regular landscape-level update meetings, bringing together all potential stakeholders connected to KRRE
• Support strategic conversations with existing and future donors, including joining fundraising pitches and preparing relevant material
• Ensure KRRE Lead is up-to-date on significant developments in projects, and HR; push for relevant action to be taken by KRRE Lead
• Collate and evaluate all ecological, socioeconomic, and financial impact data from other KRRE Leads into a KRRE
• Developing and executing strategic implementation plans, ensuring timely delivery of key initiatives, including rhino range expansion, community partnerships, habitat restoration, and more
• Playing a pivotal role supporting high-level engagements, such as board sessions, fundraising meetings, and media engagements

Core Responsibilities

• Programming oversight
• Manage and drive projects across KRRE priorities, including but not limited to:
• Creating project plans for activities on the ground, developing vendor selection frameworks, writing tenders, evaluating offers, selecting vendors, and supervising activity implementation and delivery Developing and maintaining comprehensive project documentation, tracking/planning, budgets, and status reports
• Oversee third party partners/contractors that provide conservation, operational, or other products and services (e.g., ranger uniforms, tax accountants, or security training) Develop and maintain a KRRE-level KPI dashboard Proactively provide strategic updates to the KRRE Lead, highlighting key project milestones, potential risks, and mitigation strategies to ensure seamless execution.
• Conduct in-depth analysis to identify opportunities for strategic optimization and recommend data-driven project adjustments to the relevant Lead, aligning with broader organizational goals.
• Support prioritization of next project activities, based on the needs of Kenya Wildlife Service, ecological needs, community impact, fundraising objectives and other stakeholder priorities.
• dashboard; share insights and provide input into reporting on received grants
• Collaborate with relevant KRRE team members on effectively engaging external advisors and other professional services organizations, including lawyers and auditors

Background and qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Economics, Environmental Management, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, including the ability to translate high- level goals into actionable initiatives and drive alignment across teams
• 3+ years of experience driving projects from inception to execution, ideally in a high- performance environment like management consulting
• Proven ability to solve complex problems, structure ambiguous challenges, and deliver results with minimal oversight
• Self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset-able to take initiative, work independently, and move projects forward without waiting for direction
• Speed-focused and execution-driven, comfortable juggling multiple workstreams across diverse topics in a dynamic startup setting
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience engaging partners across public, private, and social sectors
• Highly adaptable and resilient, able to thrive in a fast-changing environment and deliver under tight deadlines
• Strong analytical and organizational skills, with the ability to develop and maintain project plans, budgets, and progress reports
• Fluent in English; Kiswahili proficiency is a plus