Africa’s Voices Job Vacancy : Chief Operating Officer

Africa’s Voices Job Vacancy : Chief Operating Officer

Job description

Africa’s Voices is a non-profit start-up, spun out of cutting-edge research at the University of Cambridge. We harness mobile technology and interactive media to spark inclusive discussions, analyse conversational data, and provide powerful insights to drive greater impact. Our unique methods of data analysis reveal the dynamics of shifting attitudes and beliefs in society, and helps organisations to deeply understand, engage with and respond to target audiences.

To date we have worked with Well Told Story, BBC Media Action, and Unicef, among others, in Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. These organisations tell us that engaging diverse, inaccessible, and disparate communities is a major obstacle to providing effective and responsive services. Fortunately, Africa’s digital revolution offers new opportunities to listen to and converse with ordinary citizens. Through analysing those conversations, our research model delivers real value to our partners. Our platform has yielded insights and engagement with young people on contraception, citizens on political issues, and families living in remote areas.

We now need a senior leader to take us to the next stage, and build the organisation in order to ensure we can sustainably execute on research projects at an ever growing scale.

We are looking for a Chief Operating Officer who will lead our continued growth, based in Nairobi. This is a role to build and lead a startup. It requires a leader with significant organisational, financial, and personnel management experience, but who is not afraid to address unexpected challenges and opportunities with a hands-on approach. Someone who can take decisive action, but will also excited to work with Trustees as well as a senior team in Cambridge in a collaborative style.

The Chief Operating Officer’s responsibilities will include:

• Serve as a senior leader within Africa’s Voices, helping shape the strategic direction of the organisation and serving as Africa’s Voices Foundation’s main representative in Africa.
• Full P&L responsibility reporting to the foundation trustees to ensure the sustainable growth and impact of Africa’s Voices.
• Develop and manage relationships with key partners, funders, and other organisations.
• Recruiting, training, and managing a high-performing staff team, both in Kenya and around the region.
• Working with the Head of Research to ensure consistent delivery of high quality work on all research projects.
• Managing major organisational projects, contracts, expenses, and suppliers
• Planning how Africa’s Voices can work with a range of potential partners including local academic and research institutions, media companies, and public service providers.
• Periodic regional and international travel.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Significant demonstrated organisational leadership and personnel management experience.
• Experience with complex and agile project management.
• Worked with digital media, and have a clear understanding of the ways in which mobile phone, mobile web, and radio are used in Kenya and the surrounding region today.
• A demonstrated understanding of how to manage complex relationships with both partner organisation and clients.
• A drive to help others, and willingness to take on new challenges and opportunities as they arise.
• A talent for networking with people from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.
• A curious, ambitious, and entrepreneurial attitude
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English.
• A proven record of successful organisational financial management.
• Right to work in Kenya.

The salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, physical disability, or length of time spent unemployed.

How to Apply

Submit your CV and Application online : Click Here