Are you as passionate about changing the world as you are about a good gantt chart?
Code for Africa (CfA) has an immediate vacancy for a full-time deputy Chief Operating Officer (COO) to join our Secretariat team.
The position is based at one of our hubs in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal or South Africa. We’re also open to exceptional applicants from elsewhere in Africa.
Candidates must have demonstrable experience in steering the internal systems and overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions at organisations in the civil society, technology or media sectors. They should be systems thinkers, who enjoy context switching on a diverse portfolio with teams and partners across Africa.
CfA is a 10-year-old pan-African network of digital democracy and journalism technology labs, registered as a public benefit non-profit organisation that has full-time staff in 22 African and European countries. The headquarters are in South Africa, with major hubs in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal. Our Secretariat team supports the entire organisation and all of its programmes, overseeing operations and governance, as well as handling all financial and HR matters.
The successful candidate will work as part of a small and agile management team, using digital collaboration tools to create impact for international partners ranging from the World Bank and European/North American government agencies, to human right defending philanthropies and global media organisations.
Required: minimum requirements include:
- At least five years of experience in an operational, programme management or high-level administrative role.
- Organised, systems thinker who is comfortable with both executing and fine-tuning established system/processes as well as creating new ones as needed
- Proven ability operational management ability, such as project management for complex projects or administrative/office management of mid-sized organisations
- Proactive, solutions-oriented approach to problem solving
- Ability to work under tight deadlines with good prioritisation and time management skills
- Ability to work with minimal instruction in a teamwork environment
- Excellent communication skills (oral and written)
- Strong organisational, analytical and interpersonal skills
- High professional standards and ethics
Preferred: candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:
- Proven experience as deputy COO or similar role
- Solid experience in the civil societyy, technology and/or journalism sectors will be highly advantageous
- Experience of working in cross-cultural and complex environments
- Experience working in a digital-first environment (i.e. proficiency Google Suit, Slack and other digital platforms)
Language and Location Requirements:
- Location: CfA has labs located in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. However, exceptional candidates from elsewhere in Africa will be considered.
- Languages: English
- Preferred but not required: Arabic, French, KiSwahili or any other major language spoken in Africa.
About the Role:
The successful candidates will join CfA’s core Secretariat team. The Secretariat team is a small and agile team of experts who are responsible for operationally supporting CfA’s 90+ staff across 22 countries, helping them achieve their best potential.
As deputy COO, you will report directly to the COO. Your role will be to support the COO in the operational and administrative management of the organisation so that they are freed up to focus on broader strategic objectives.
In your role, you will be responsible for operational management of the organisation (such as managing in-country labs as well as creating, implementing and managing systems and processes that enable the smooth and efficient running of the organisation). You will also be responsible for managing the activities in both the logistics team (such as overseeing the procurement process;) and HR team (such as overseeing the recruitment in order to build out core teams according to the organisational strategy).
As part of a multinational team within a growing organisation, you must be agile and must thrive in a multicultural environment where you will work with people of different backgrounds who may speak different languages. You will be a digital native who instinctively takes initiative and is able to juggle several tasks at a time .
Responsibilities: Your daily responsibilities will include:
- Lead, with the support from the COO, on developing and implementing protocols and processes such as timesheets and the use of our digital tools
- Lead and manage applications & negotiations for discounts/coupons for organisational software and tools
- Lead on governance processes as needed, such as updating of registrations, tax-exemptions, statutory registrations etc
- Lead on the creation, maintenance and implementation of document templates, such as partner contracts and letterheads
- Source and manage relationships with prefered service providers
- Manage the six CfA labs across the continent, including acting as liaison with the landlords, ensuring offices meet the needs of the teams and that all leases are kept up to date
- Manage the operation coordinator in their role, including supporting the procurement, importations and event logistics processes
- Manage the HR Assistant in their role, including supporting the recruitment process as well as the development and implementation of HR policies
- Support the finance and HR teams to ensure all financial and HR policies are adhered to
- Cultivate the values of CfA within the organisation, creating a workplace culture that people want to be part of
- Create and maintain relevant Secretariat playbooks, how-to guides and guides to document organisation processes and protocols
What We Offer:
- A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
- A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
- Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
- A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.
How to apply:
Please fill in this form by 06 May 2022
About Us:
Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest network of indigenous African civic technology and investigative data journalism laboratories, with over 90 staff in 22 countries, who build digital democracy solutions that are intended to give citizens unfettered access to actionable information that empowers them to make informed decisions and that strengthen civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability.
This includes building infrastructure such as the continent’s largest open data portal, open.AFRICA, and largest open source civic software portal, commons.AFRICA, as well as the largest repository of investigative document-based evidence, source.AFRICA, as well as incubating initiatives as diverse as the africanDRONE network that gives citizens their own ‘eyes in the sky’, the PesaCheck fact-checking initiative in 12 African countries, and the sensors.AFRICA remote-sensing citizen science initiative to combat air/water pollution.
CfA also incubates the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR), as an association of the continent’s best investigative newsrooms, ranging from large traditional mainstream media to smaller specialist units. ANCIR member newsrooms investigate crooked politicians, organised crime and big business. The iLAB is ANCIR’s in-house digital forensic unit, with teams in east, south and west Africa. ANCIR uses its resources to strengthen newsrooms’ own internal capacity, by providing access to the world’s best whistleblower encryption and investigative semantic analysis technologies, as well as skills development, and seed grants for cross-border collaboration.
At CfA, we don’t just accept differences – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. CfA is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
To all recruitment agencies: CfA does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our employment application line, CfA employees or any other CfA contact. CfA is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.