Senior Director of Strategy and Operations at World Vision Kenya

Key Responsibilities:

The Senior Director, Strategy and Operations is an analytical and strategic thinker; a leader with a strong track record in strategy implementation in multinational organizations and who is able to solve complex and multi-dimensional problems with agility.

The primary goal of this role is to provide the A&EE Leadership Team with the strategy, project, and business management support needed to maximize A&EE’s contribution to the delivery of Our Promise.  Using innovation to drive impact, this position will work with the A&EE Leadership Team to adapt the Strategy Realization Plan (SRP) to external trends and best practices (internal and external) that can support continuous improvement in advocacy and external engagement results across the Partnership.

The Senior Director manages the A&EE Strategic Operations Team. It is responsible for the development of the A&EE’s strategic measurements and the A&EE business plan and its implementation. The Senior Director provides A&EE leadership input to the top-level, cross-organizational WV internal meetings/processes where the participation of A&EE is invited and valued.

The Senior Director for Strategy and Operations reports directly to the Partnership Leader, Advocacy and External Engagement and is part of the A&EE Leadership Team.  

Key Responsibilities

Facilitate A&EE strategy development processes, formulate strategic and operational objectives set targets to achieve PL and LT-agreed goals and develop and implements processes, tools, and standards to manage complex advocacy and external engagement initiatives:

• Manage Project Manager, providing strategic support to key A&EE initiatives in line with the SRP. In consultation with other leadership team members identify and foster innovative approaches to deliver on the A&EE strategic goals, including, but not limited to aligning to industry best practices, adapting Field or Support Office experiences or supporting the development of meaningful institutional partnerships
• Manage Sr. Manager, Strategy, Evidence, and Learning, providing space to utilize the data, identify learning, and recommend adaptations in our strategy that correspond with our learning and defined targets
• Work and consult across A&EE sub-teams to co-create team objectives and strategy realization plans.
• Communicate direction and progress against objectives/ targets in a simplified, intuitive way.
• Support A&EE’s calendar planning and management so that external and internal events and meetings are used effectively to influence stakeholders/decisions in specific ways
• Identify team and staff moments of recognition and celebration towards identifiable wins that accelerate energy and support team morale.
• Develop approaches for the leadership team to regularly reflect on ongoing departmental performance data to make evidence-based decisions for adaptive management/course correction.

Manage A&EE responses and alignment with key Partnership actions, initiatives, and teams:

• Acting as A&EE’s point of connection with the global Strategy Realization, Evidence, and Innovation team
• Lead A&EE’s planning and strategic reporting
• Stay connected with Partnership-wide teams and staff members across the organization to build intelligence, unpack key developments and decisions that impact A&EE’s capacity to deliver results;
• Assess A&EE participation in Partnership initiatives, providing analysis and recommendations on A&EE’s engagement footprint to PL and LT;
• Assess risks and issues arising externally and across WVI and how they could affect the A&EE ministry to help identify risk mitigation solutions
• Develop narrative and engagement both internally and externally to correspond to A&EE strategy realization goals/objectives in alignment with Our Promise Phase II and position for Phase III;

Lead the resource allocation process in line with the established strategic priorities.

• Oversee A&EE’s annual budget planning and execution
• Support PL in applications to identify and secure additional resources in Partnership-wide fora e.g. Grants in partnership with SOs, SIP, etc.
• Provide strategic and financial analysis and forecasting of financial performance every quarter and annually for input to the annual planning process.
• Lead the annual and three-year business planning ensuring that all key stakeholders are aware and provide input to the planning process.
• Lead and coordinate year-end financial activities and reporting, which include, accruals, carry-forwards, and partnership special projects, among others.
• Ensure smooth functioning of the administrative, financial, and operational support for the A&EE team

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• MBA or Masters degree in International Affairs, Public Policy, or other relevant field
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience working in child rights, international development/humanitarian field, and/or government or multilateral context
• Significant field experience and/or understanding of citizens-driven accountability, participatory community-based methodologies, and child rights participation in assessing evidence and impact is a plus

Preferred Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Excellent team leadership and management skills
• Excellent operational, design, and monitoring skills
• Strong understanding of World Vision Partnership and Our Promise
• Strong understanding of global trends, debates, and agendas related to development and humanitarian issues