Operations Manager

VVOB is an international organisation with programmes in nine countries worldwide. Our head office is based in Brussels, Belgium.

When you join VVOB, you become a key player in VVOB’s mission to ensure quality education. Our teams of national and international experts achieve this by providing technical assistance to governmental and other education actors.

Do you share our ambition to ensure that learners around the world can enjoy their fundamental human right to quality education, without exception? Are you convinced that quality education guarantees equal opportunities for everyone and is the key to a better world?

We are looking for an Operations Manager who will operate from our office in Nairobi, Kenya. Do you want to take on this challenge? Then continue reading!

VVOB in Kenya

VVOB has a long history of working in Kenya and restarted activities in 2022, after almost a decade of absence. Our ongoing project, INCREASE, is supporting the Ministry of Education (MoE) through our operational partner, KEMI (Kenya Education Management Institute). Together, we are piloting an app-based blended training to support school leaders to steer the competency-based curriculum (CBC) reforms in junior schools. The focus of this program is to strengthen the instructional leadership skills of school leaders nationwide, with cost-effectiveness in mind.

Purpose of the function

The ambition of VVOB is to ensure learners around the world enjoy their fundamental human right to quality education, without exception. In striving for that ambition, we place our values ‘engagement’, ‘integrity’, ‘respect’, ‘quality’ and ‘innovation’ central. As Operations Manager you contribute to this ambition and these values by setting up, managing, executing, monitoring and optimizing our operational systems and guiding the operations team in doing so. As a key member of the management team, you know how to inspire direct reports to grow and change with us and you easily navigate between operations and strategy.

The Operations Manager reports to the Country Programmes Manager. You are part of and work closely with the other members of a country’s management team and are responsible for the operations department, thus managing all possible direct reports within this department. Furthermore, you work closely together with the operations departments at the Head office.

You will:

• Maintain, strengthen, and oversee effective systems and procedures for Human Resource (HR) management, aligned with VVOB policies and local law.
• Maintain, strengthen, and oversee effective systems and procedures for financial management, aligned with VVOB policies and local law.
• Oversee the procurement, logistics and administrative functions ensuring value, efficiency, and compliance of the organization to local and global policies.
• Provide strong organizational leadership for your direct reports and foster good relationships with and between partners and teams, supporting a positive organizational culture. Leading by example, you represent our organization towards external stakeholders in your field.
• Foster good relationships with and maintain closer collaboration between country office and Head Office (HO) operations teams, encourage and contribute to cross-countries learning in operations.

If you’re our Operations Manager, your workweek at the office will include the following highlights:

• You have a meeting with the country programmes manager, to highlight key requirements of, and start drafting budgets for multimillion-dollar projects we’re trying to secure.
• You prepare a budget analysis of the past quadrimester and have a discussion with the country team to give an overview and agree on how to prepare the annual forecast and provide the necessary tools and guidance.
• You draft up an annual training plan and share with the team for inputs.
• You log into meetings with potential suppliers to discuss various procurements and prepare the comparison of quotes with recommendations for your manager’s review.
• You have a meeting with your operations team to review the activities plan and agree on the next priorities and timelines.

Your expertise and experience

• Master’s degree in business management, accounting, law, public admin, HR management or related field or equivalent experience.
• At least 5 years of Operational management experience in Finance, Human Resources, and procurement, preferably for the international cooperation sector.
• Experience in leading effective teams.
• Good ICT knowledge of Office 365 and spreadsheet skills.

Nationality: Kenyan national

Location: Nairobi, Kenya (KEMI/Parklands)

Matching competences

VVOB core competences:

• Cooperation
• Result Orientation
• Continuous Improvement

Function specific competencies:

• Reliability
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written)
• Giving direction
• Agility
• Vision building

What we’re offering:

• A one-year full-time contract with the possibility of extension until 31/12/2026
• A dynamic working environment in an international context
• An exciting job in a growing organization with varied responsibilities and opportunities for professional development
• A competitive salary and benefits package. Gross salary range for this position is KES 430,000-550,000 depending on seniority.

Join us: As soon as possible!