Senior Manager, Operations (ESA region)

About Evidence Action

At Evidence Action, we deliver data-driven interventions that transform lives at an unprecedented scale. We identify neglected global health issues and deploy proven solutions, forging healthier futures for generations.

Our model operationalizes leading academic research (including from Nobel-winning economists). We measure progress and outcomes at every stage to ensure we’re making a real impact for people living in poverty and suffering from preventable or treatable health issues. Operating across 9 countries, our team of 800+ has reached over 500 million people, working closely with governments to scale these interventions.

• Our Deworm the World program has delivered over 2 billion treatments, significantly reducing worm prevalence and generating more than $23 billion in lifetime productivity gains.
• Through Safe Water Now, we’ve saved the lives of over 15,000 children.
• Our Accelerator explores untapped opportunities in global health, testing low-cost interventions with the greatest potential to save and improve lives.

At Evidence Action, your colleagues are your greatest asset. You'll partner with high-caliber colleagues in an environment blending innovation, autonomy, and teamwork. Our team excels in disruptive thinking and believes in rolling up our sleeves to get things done. If you're looking to work flexibly and with purpose, join a team that delivers measurable change for millions.

The Role 

The Senior Manager, Operations, (East and Southern Africa (ESA) position will be responsible for leading and overseeing the ESA Sub-region operations function at Evidence Action.  Countries of operations include but not limited to ( Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and any other country within the ESA regions)

This will include providing vision and direction to the sub-regional operations, procurement and IT teams. It will also involve liaising closely with country leads and country operations and IT capacity to promote effective service delivery as well as leading the identification and mitigation of operational risks throughout the sub-region. 

Many of the organization’s locations are field offices whose varied challenges and circumstances require creative problem-solving. The ability to promote efficient and compliant systems and processes which account both for varied country level needs and experiences as well as regional and global requirements and perspectives will be essential. With the organization in an exciting period of rapid growth, this role will play an important role in ensuring the organization's policies, processes, and systems are up-to-date, understood, and roles and responsibilities clear. 

The incumbent will interface with Evidence Action’s regional leadership team and key global team stakeholders in designing and advocating for strategic approaches to managing operations, procurement, and IT in the region. A keen appreciation for implementing strong systems and processes at scale and cost-effective solutions will be key. 

Direct reports

• Logistics and Operations lead - ESA region
• Procurement Manager - ESA region
• IT Manager – ESA region

Responsibilities

General Management & Leadership

• Lead in incident management, information management, safety and security, support on policy development/training, and all operational needs on program expansion and New country entries. 
• Lead in the development of the sub-region’s operations strategy, with a particular focus on enabling growth and mitigating operational risk in close coordination with country leads.  
• Lead the development, review, and maintenance of sub-regional operations, IT, and procurement goals, objectives, and operating procedures ensuring that these include clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
• Provide leadership, direction and functional guidance to the sub-region operations team including setting team and individual objectives.
• Ensure quality staff hires in the unit with high performance of direct reports 
• Promote a culture of high performance, high quality and continuous improvement that values learning and feedback;
• Responsible for developing/refining and regularly reporting on key performance indicators and metrics to management concerning the regional operations support activities and capacity/gaps.
• Work in close coordination with the country and departmental leadership and remain responsive to their needs;
• Provide leadership in identifying, evaluating, and recommending operations related projects to improve process efficiency. 
• Foster a culture that encourages creativity, proactive solutions, accountability, and results.
• Ensure team and individual recognition.
• Direct the training of country office administration and operations teams to ensure they remain up-to-date on best practices and company policy and procedure requirements.
• Provide timely inputs to senior management on team performance and highlighting challenges with any team members.

Operations

• Actively working with regional leadership, country leads, and global operations to assess the operational needs in the region and develop appropriate plans and budgets to address any gaps in consultation with the global operations team
• Ensure staff are proactively trained on all key operational policies, systems, and processes required to effectively and appropriately conduct their roles and responsibilities. These include policies and practices on information management, inventory management, etc. Seek opportunities to reinforce and monitor adherence to operational policies, systems, and processes as needed. 
• Actively work with regional leadership, country leads, and the sub-regional operations manager to assess risk and develop mitigation strategies to operational risks in accordance with the organization's risk framework and practices. 
• Provide leadership in managing sensitive relationships and negotiations with key vendors, including landlords, key service providers, etc.
• Guide and support the Sub-regional Operations and Logistics Manager in liaising with country leads and country operations capacity to ensure:
• Office lease agreements are being tracked and effectively managed 
• Office budgets are being tracked and adhered to 
• Asset registers are being actively and appropriately managed 
• Requisite company insurances are in place and reviewed/updated regularly
• Vehicle pools are actively being managed in a cost-effective manner 
• Administrative services are provided efficiently and effectively 
• All requisite workplace safety and security are being adhered to
• Emergency management and threat monitoring protocols are in place
• Work closely with the Regional Director, Finance and Operations to track and actively manage country level registrations and governance requirements  
• Work closely with country leadership to review, update, or establish operations systems for all country offices and provide appropriate training on those systems

 IT (Information Technology)

• Provide leadership to the IT Country Managers in ensuring understanding of and compliance to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, IT Risk Management, and Global IT policy across the region. 
• Provide leadership in reviewing and establishing regional IT SoPs for the provision of IT support and maintenance in the region and monitoring their implementation.  
• Provide leadership in reviewing and updating SoPs for service and maintenance of IT equipment in the region  
• Actively working with regional leadership and country leads to assess the IT needs in the region and develop appropriate plans and budgets to address any gaps in consultation with the global IT team.

Procurement 

• Oversee the Procurement Manager in the formulation and updating of existing procurement policies and procedures, and monitoring their implementation.
• Provide leadership in reviewing and establishing robust vendor due diligence procedures. 
• Provide guidance to the regional and country operations teams in sourcing cost-effective services and holding vendors accountable. 
• Provide leadership and guidance in management of annual procurement planning with a focus on ensuring cost-effectiveness and efficiency. 
• Provide leadership in managing sensitive relationships and negotiations with key vendors, including landlords, key service providers, etc. to ensure excellent service provision and cost-effectiveness. 
• Provide leadership in continually assessing the organization’s procurement needs for the Africa region and developing plans and budgets to address any gaps. 

Requirements

• Minimum Master’s degree in finance, Business Administration, IT  or related field
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a similar role within an international or multinational organization, including managing a mid-size team of experienced professionals across multiple locations
• Experience in the of Google Suite applications as well as in handling of web-based management systems is desirable
• Self-directed and self-motivating personality, with proven ability to manage demands from multiple clients while adhering to deadlines and priorities
• Highly motivated to achieve exceptional quality of results, and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously

Preferred Product Knowledge

• Windows 10, 11
• Microsoft Office preferably Microsoft 365
• Microsoft Licensing
• Google Enterprise Apps
• Box cloud storage
• Cloud infrastructure AWS or Microsoft Azure
• Risk Management
• Working knowledge of Cyber Security
• Concept of Artificial Intelligence 

Position Location 

This role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of a Kenyan employment visa at this time. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the Kenya for roles based in Kenya.

Other Working conditions

• Primary work hours and location must include business hours (9:00 am-5:00 pm), Monday to Friday, in Evidence Action’s Nairobi, Kenya office, adjustments in agreement with the Director, Finance and Operations, Africa.
• Off-hour work may be required as necessary for overseeing/completing planned maintenance, participating in international conference calls across time-zones, or responding to technical emergency response.
• Some travel-The Senior Manager, Operations will visit offices across East and Southern Africa (ESA) for technical support and for purposes of oversight, training, project management, and meetings of program and country staff.

Benefits

Evidence Action provides a comprehensive benefits package for employees worldwide. Benefits include:

• Comprehensive health insurance
• Pension/ Retirement savings options
• Paid leave
• Avenues for engagement and recognition.

Evidence Action is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to representation and inclusion. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply.