Innovations Manager – Freshlife

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About Sanergy

Sanergy is an award-winning social venture based in Nairobi, Kenya. We undertake three exciting lines of work:

• We provide safe, sustainable sanitation services to residents living in urban informal settlements of Nairobi and Kisumu using end-to-end non-sewered sanitation solutions. Watch here!

• We implement a circular economy model to sustainably manage sanitation and organic waste generated in cities. Using technologies developed in-house, we upcycle the waste into insect-based protein for animal feed, organic fertilizer, and biomass fuel. We operate the largest organics recycling plant in East Africa. Watch here!

• We partner with cities to develop and deliver safe sanitation and waste management for urban residents. Using a systematic methodology, we match cities’ sanitation and waste management needs with technology and service delivery models, and then offer clear guidance on the steps that governments, funders, service providers and technology developers can take to develop and implement integrated service delivery systems.

Operational since 2011, Sanergy serves over 140,000 urban residents with safe sanitation services every day. Sanergy collects and treats over 12,000T of waste per year, and successfully sells its agricultural end-products to farmers in over 20 counties in Kenya, who see improved yields and increased incomes. At the same time, we have built a team of over 400 employees from diverse backgrounds who solve diverse problems, but all embody the drive, creativity, teamwork, and passion that make us achieve our goals. For our work, we have been recognized by the Gates Foundation as one of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals accelerator; by Fast Company as one of the 10 most innovative companies in the world doing social good and one of the 10 best companies in Africa,by Earthshot Prize as a Finalist a and the Food Planet Prize for our innovative circular economy approach.

About the role

We are seeking to hire an Innovations Manager for the Innovations team which is responsible for designing citywide sanitation products and services for scaling Sanergy’s operations, with the goal of maximizing the number of people served through cost neutral or profitable solutions. To achieve these goals, the Innovations team supports two key work streams:

1. New Products & Services – Identify and pilot new sanitation products and services that enable us to reach more people and safely manage more waste.

2. Existing Product, Services and Processes – Improve existing product, services and processes in line with evolving market needs and internal growth and efficiency targets.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Work directly with the Director of Innovations and in close coordination with the senior leadership team to develop a strategy for the new product and services workstreams to meet our growth and efficiency targets.

• Define key evaluation metrics to determine which innovation initiatives should be prioritized based on cost effectiveness, feasibility, and opportunity for scale

• Pilot and operationalize opportunities to optimize revenue streams through existing channels and/or new channels and through partnerships

• Pilot and operationalize opportunities to optimize product and service costs through incremental innovations

• Drive improvements in customer insight by combining existing data with a deep understanding of user needs, habits, and perceptions developed through targeted interviews, usability studies, and customer feedback

• Support development of framework and analysis to determine market expansion priorities and timelines

• In close collaboration with Sales, Logistics, Strategic Projects, and Finance, design and implement tests that generate the necessary data to make strategic decisions about our innovations strategy

Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree in a relevant subject or an equivalent combination of Bachelor;s degree with 4 years experience in a technical discipline (Science, Engineering)

• 3+ years of related industry experience to include product management/development, R&D, operations management and/or field-level implementation

• Applied experience in human centered design implementing innovative solutions to technical challenges

• Leads by example and sets the environment for taking risks within the organization by addressing constraints and enabling resources.

• Inspires others and takes accountability for an innovation pipeline by championing and discerning new and creative approaches.

• Experience leading a team

• Strong facilitation, consultation and convening skills and experience. Training experience is a plus

Job Location

Nairobi-Hybrid