Head of Operations, Kenya – Specialized Outreach and Knowledge Establishment (SPOKE) at African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

Project Planning & Strategy

Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, and ensure alignment with programme goals.
Develop a comprehensive project plan, setting clear objectives, deliverables, timelines, and milestones
Enxure all team members know their expectations
Lead the planning, initiation, and execution of the project.
Support the team in developing detailed project plans, including timelines, budgets, resource allocation, and risk management strategies.
Generate project technical and financial reports in collaboration with the team lead.

Project Delivery Coordination:

Oversee daily project activities, assign tasks to team members, and conduct weekly check-ins and report to team lead.
Encourage collaboration, troubleshoot issues, and provide guidance to keep the team aligned with project goals.
Ensure project tasks are undertaken in line with developed processes and procedures and compliance with regulations.
Coordinate cross-functional teams including logistics, supply chain, IT, and technical teams to ensure project milestones are achieved.
Oversee the development of the engagement and training plan and tools for the farmer community and farmers
Manage third-party vendors, suppliers, and contractors involved in the cold chain setup and operation.
Ensure team members are adequately trained in cold chain management best practices and procedures, safety, and compliance requirements.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication:

Ensure active communication and engagement with internal and external stakeholders including team members, c vendors, clients), including NGOs, community representatives, suppliers, and government bodies.
Prepare reports on project progress, and challenges to senior management and stakeholders.
Communicate effectively with all project stakeholders to manage expectations, provide updates, and resolve concerns.

Resource Management and Budget Oversight:

Coordinate with the team lead, finance team, to monitor expenditures.
Work with the Kenya team lead and the international project management team to adjust resource allocations when necessary, and ensure all financial activities comply with donor requirements.

Risk Management and Problem Solving:

Identify potential risks, develop mitigation strategies, and monitor implementation in close coordination with the ACES Senior Quality Management Specialist and other team members.
Address project challenges proactively to minimize delays or resource waste.
Compliance and Quality Assurance:

Coordinate the development of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) policy, Standard operating procedures (SOPs) and other quality assurance frameworks for the SPOKE.
Ensure all project activities adhere to the standards and protocols outlined in Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) policies, SOPs, and regulatory requirements, working in close coordination with the ACES Senior Quality Management Specialist and other team members.
Conduct regular audits to uphold quality standards in the implementation of the project.

Reference and Replication

Ensure all documents are properly managed including version control to create a complete “playbook” to support replication

Key Competencies

Qualifications and Experience

Master’s degree with a combination of two of the following fields: – Mechanical/Agricultural/ Electrical Engineering/HVAC and business/finance.
A Bachelor’s degree in the above fields with exceptional experience may be considered.
Have a minimum of five (5) years of demonstrable industry experience in operations management/supervisory levels with a proven track record of delivering projects on time and within budget and ensuring fully documented processes, ideally to include experience of setting-up a project or new facility from the ground-up
Strong understanding of sustainable cold chain technologies, systems, and regulatory requirements and its role in the supply chain especially in value chains such as horticulture,
Experience in temperature sensitive horticultural agribusiness or fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) is an added advantage
Good understanding of business process and management, requirements and dynamics, especially for complex projects or systems
Good understanding of H&S
Experience working with smallholder farmers, especially through cooperatives or farmer group structures.
Have demonstrable experience in training / mentoring in relation to processes in cold chain and food businesses processes
Experience with budgeting, financial modelling, tracking and management, business development and related duties