Senior Manager, Data Systems at Trees for the Future

THE ROLE  

• The Data Systems Senior Manager is responsible for the effective day-to-day management, configuration, implementation, and continuous improvement of TREES' Salesforce environment. This is a highly hands-on role for an experienced Salesforce professional who combines strong Salesforce administration and functional expertise with excellent project management, requirements gathering, and stakeholder engagement skills. 
• The Senior Manager will work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL), Programs, Carbon, Fundraising, and other teams to understand business needs, translate them into practical Salesforce solutions, and ensure that system improvements are implemented effectively following industry best practices and adopted by users. 
• The Senior Manager will be responsible for taking assigned system improvements from requirements through solution design, configuration, testing, user acceptance, deployment, and documentation. The role will work closely with TREES' external Salesforce development and consulting partners to coordinate technical implementation and ensure that solutions are aligned with TREES' established data model and technical standards. 
• The role requires someone who can operate comfortably between users and technical teams. You should be able to sit with a Program team member to understand a workflow problem, translate that problem into a Salesforce solution, configure the solution yourself when appropriate, work with developers when custom development is required, and ensure the final product works as intended before it reaches users. 
• The Senior Manager will initially report to the Senior Director of Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) and will transition to reporting to the Director of Data Systems once that position is filled. 
• TREES is currently recruiting for the Director of Data Systems and plans to expand the Data Systems team further by hiring a Junior Salesforce Administrator in Q4 of 2027. 
• This is a hands-on role. The successful candidate should expect to spend approximately: 
• 50% Salesforce administration and functional system work 
• 25% requirements gathering, user engagement, and governance 
• 25% project and implementation management 

This role must be based in Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role, existing and permanent work rights for the location of work required. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES  

Salesforce Administration & Continuous Improvement 

• Administer, configure, maintain, and optimize TREES’ Salesforce environment, including objects, fields, automation, validation rules, reports, dashboards, permissions, and access controls. Troubleshoot system issues, monitor system performance and data quality, and maintain accurate configuration documentation. 

Requirements Gathering, Solution Design & Implementation 

• Work with MEL, Programs, Carbon, Fundraising, and other teams to understand operational needs, translate them into clear requirements and acceptance criteria, and develop practical Salesforce solutions aligned with TREES’ established data model and technical standards. 
• Manage assigned Salesforce enhancements from scoping through deployment, coordinating deliverables, timelines, dependencies, stakeholders, and external developers. Track progress, resolve implementation questions, and proactively communicate risks, delays, and outstanding actions. 
• Work collaboratively with technical partners to evaluate proposed solutions, identify unnecessary complexity, and escalate significant architectural or advanced development decisions to the Director of Data Systems. 

Testing, Quality Assurance & Release Management 

• Coordinate user acceptance testing (UAT), develop test cases, track issues through resolution, verify fixes, and obtain user sign-off. Ensure changes are appropriately tested in sandbox environments, required approvals and documentation are complete, and release readiness criteria are met before production deployment. 
• Document releases and communicate changes, user guidance, and known limitations to affected teams. 

Reporting, Integrations & Systems Harmonization 

• Develop and maintain accurate, user-centered Salesforce reports and dashboards that support operational and management decisions. Work with stakeholders to define reporting requirements and support TREES’ broader business intelligence and analytics strategy, including Power BI. 
• Support reliable integrations and consistent data flows between Salesforce and connected platforms, including TaroWorks, fundraising and communications tools, and BI and analytics systems. Document integration requirements, investigate synchronization and data-flow issues, coordinate resolution, and escalate complex integration and architecture decisions to the Director of Data Systems. 
• Support consistent data structures and business processes across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and other TREES operations while accommodating legitimate country-level program differences. 

Data Governance, User Support & Technical Collaboration 

• Support TREES’ data governance and change-management processes for assigned work, maintaining clear records of requirements, decisions, enhancements, dependencies, and outstanding issues. Ensure system and process changes are documented and communicated clearly to affected users. 
• Develop practical user guidance and training materials, support Salesforce superusers and other key users, and use feedback and recurring support issues to improve functionality, usability, and adoption. 
• Work effectively with external developers and consultants to ensure solutions address business needs and remain maintainable, while recognizing the limits of the role’s technical authority and escalating decisions appropriately. 

WHO YOU ARE 

• A hands-on Salesforce professional who enjoys solving real operational problems through thoughtful system configuration. 
• A strong Salesforce administrator who understands how Salesforce objects, relationships, automation, security, reporting, and data structures work together. 
• A practical and entrepreneurial problem solver who can take an ambiguous business problem and turn it into a clear, implementable solution. 
• A strong project manager who follows commitments through to completion and proactively communicates status, risks, and delays. 
• A disciplined tester who understands that “built” does not mean “ready for production.” 
• A strong communicator who can work effectively with both technical and non-technical colleagues. 
• A reporting and dashboard specialist who builds automated, decision-oriented Salesforce reports and dashboards and understands how to use BI platforms such as Power BI to support broader analytics needs. 
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple concurrent priorities. 
• Comfortable working across multiple countries, teams, and time zones. 

QUALIFICATIONS 

Required 

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Management, Business Systems, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience. 
• 5–7 years of progressive Salesforce administration and data systems experience, with demonstrated ability to independently configure Salesforce, including objects, fields, flows, validation rules, reports, dashboards, permissions, and related functionality. 
• Salesforce Administrator certification (ADM 201) or equivalent demonstrated expertise. 
• Experience gathering business requirements, analyzing operational needs, and translating them into practical Salesforce solutions, including automated reports and dashboards that support decision-making. 
• Demonstrated project or implementation management experience, including coordinating deliverables, timelines, dependencies, and stakeholders to ensure work is completed as agreed. 
• Experience coordinating user acceptance testing, resolving issues, and managing controlled system releases, with a strong commitment to quality assurance and system reliability. 
• Experience working with external developers, consultants, or technical implementation partners, as well as familiarity with data governance, change management, and integrations between Salesforce and other systems. 
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or comparable advanced visualization platforms. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational and analytical abilities, attention to detail, and demonstrated follow-through. 

Preferred 

• Advanced Salesforce certifications (ADM 211, Platform App Builder, or others). 
• Experience with Salesforce NPSP (Nonprofit Success Pack). 
• Experience with TaroWorks or other mobile data collection platforms (ex: CommCare, ODK, KoboToolbox). 
• Technical skills in APIs, SQL, Python, or other data analysis/integration tools. 
• Familiarity with online communications and fundraising applications (e.g. HubSpot, Fundraise Up, Wealth Engine) 
• Professional experience working within international development, climate, agriculture, or social impact organizations, with familiarity navigating programmatic and donor-driven data environments. 
• Experience in supporting monitoring and evaluation frameworks and impact measurement in nonprofit or international development settings.