Head of Operations, Tanzania
Who We Are!
🌍 Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. By 2035, the continent is poised to contribute more young people to the global workforce each year than the rest of the world combined.
At Educate! we're obsessed with impact. We leverage iterative learning to build highly scalable youth employment solutions aimed at unlocking the potential of the world’s youngest continent.
Educate! prepares youth in Africa to learn, earn and thrive in today’s economy by:
- Introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary and
- Delivering livelihood boot camps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalized rural girls and young women.
To date, more than 500,000 youth have been meaningfully impacted across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, and along the way, Educate! has become the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa.
Educate! is a team of over 300 largely African staff and 300 volunteer youth mentors. We prioritize building an engaging, fulfilling and growth oriented work environment. 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over 5 years, 10+ alumni have started their own organizations, and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows.
We have been backed by top foundations such as Imaginable Futures, Livelihood Impact Fund, Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall, CIFF and Echidna Giving. Educate! won a 2018 Klaus J. Jacobs Prize and a 2015 WISE Award, and has been highlighted by the World Bank’s S4YE's Impact Portfolio, an Al Jazeera documentary, BBC, The Brookings Institution as one of 14 case studies on scaling education, and the Gates Foundation as a Goalkeepers Accelerator. In 2022, we received a catalytic investment from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to scale our systems change work.
Educate!'s long-term vision is to design solutions that measurably impact millions of youth across Africa each year.
Good to note: To Our Awesome Applicants! 🚀💫
We know that incredible candidates sometimes hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. If this role excites you, we encourage you to apply!
We’re looking for passionate individuals who believe in our mission and can bring unique perspectives to our team—not just those who check every box. We value diversity and strongly encourage women and individuals from all backgrounds to apply.
Position Overview
Educate!, an award-winning non-profit social enterprise, is seeking a Head of Operations to lead operational excellence across our programs and support functions in Tanzania.
The Head of Operations provides strategic and operational leadership to ensure efficient, compliant, and scalable operations that support program delivery and organizational growth. This role oversees operational strategy, systems design, risk management, and compliance, ensuring the organization has the structures, processes, and resources necessary to achieve impact at scale.
What You Will Do:
Operational Strategy and Team Leadership - 35%
- Lead the development and execution of the operations strategy aligned with organizational goals.
- Translate strategy into actionable plans for logistics, procurement, and resource management at scale.
- Map a high-performing operations team to ensure clarity of roles, accountability, and professional growth.
- Collaborate closely with program and field operations teams to ensure operational systems fully support implementation needs.
- Oversee procurement and logistics strategies that balance cost-effectiveness, quality, and scalability.
- Provide leadership with timely, data-driven operational insights to inform decision-making.
- Build strong relationships with external stakeholders to ensure smooth operational execution.
Systems Build and Process Optimization - 40%
- Design, implement, and continuously improve operational systems, workflows, and policies to support scale and efficiency.
- Oversee logistics and distribution systems for training materials and resources, ensuring timely delivery and accountability.
- Establish robust procurement systems, including vendor evaluation, contracts, and performance management.
- Build and maintain databases, dashboards, and operational reporting systems to track performance in real-time.
- Leverage technology and AI to optimize workflows, automate routine processes, and enhance efficiency.
- Implement inventory management systems to ensure accurate tracking and accountability of assets and materials.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the operations team to adapt systems in response to feedback and evolving needs.
Budgeting, Risk Management, and Compliance - 25%
- Partner with the finance team to lead annual and quarterly operational budgeting processes.
- Monitor operational expenditures against budget, ensuring accurate reporting and cost optimization.
- Develop and maintain a risk register with mitigation strategies and contingency planning.
- Ensure compliance with national laws and internal policies.
- Implement internal controls, conduct periodic reviews, and follow up on audit findings to maintain accountability.
- Build organizational capacity in compliance awareness and risk management practices across departments.
- Provide regular reporting on financial, risk, and compliance status to senior leadership.
- Collaborate with departments to implement and assess compliance with safeguarding policies.
Who You Are:
We are seeking a dynamic operations leader with 8+ years of progressive operations experience, including 5+ years in operational management and/or leadership, and you thrive in fast-changing, mission-driven environments. You’ll have a proven track record of building high-performing teams, streamlining systems, and leveraging technology to drive scale and impact. With expertise in financial management, compliance, and stakeholder engagement, you’ll play a key role in shaping operations and influencing change across the organization. This is an exciting opportunity to lead with purpose and make a lasting difference.
You’ll fit our Five Cultural Tenets (see What is Educate! About? below); Learn more by looking at Educate!’s culture deck here.
Terms
- Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience
- Benefits include medical insurance, paid time off
What We Offer
- A vibrant, mission-driven environment with a supportive and fun team.
- Competitive salary based on experience.
- Learning and growth opportunities.
Application Process: Rolling basis, interviews happening soon!
This position was originally posted by Educate! and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link below. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.
