Operations Manager

Siyakwazi is a dynamic nonprofit organisation based in KwaNzimakwe, KwaZulu-Natal. Siyakwazi runs a number of programmes dedicated to promoting inclusive education and supporting children with disabilities and developmental delays. We believe in enabling all children, regardless of ability, to participate meaningfully in their communities and to access quality support in homes, ECD centres, schools, and clinics.

Siyakwazi is currently seeking an Operations Manager who will be the third member of the senior management team, working closely with the Executive Director and Programmes Manager. This is a full-time, on-site position, based at Siyakwazi’s Resource Centre, on the South Coast of KZN, near Port Edward.

Siyakwazi is a grassroots organisation which was started in 2011, and has grown to a staff of 33. The position of Operations Manager is a new role which aligns with the organization's growth and expansion over the last years. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who loves operations and is an excellent systems-builder.

This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on management and day to day tasks within the organisation. Core skills required for this role are operations management and the ability to create, refine, and run systems. Our ideal candidate excels at capacity building and upskilling staff.

The Operations Manager needs to be an excellent people manager and able to train and capacitate staff in relevant systems in order to increase efficiency within the organisation, and optimize the reach and quality of Siyakwazi’s programmes.

The Operations Manager will co-ordinate programme logistics including transport, accessible facilities, materials and field support for home visits, workshops and community events. He/ she will also manage procurement, vendor relationships, office infrastructure and logistics to ensure cost-effectiveness and accessibility.

The Operations Manager will also manage and oversee the MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) team in their functions, and will be tasked with improving and streamlining MEL and data collection activities. The ideal candidate for this role will have a solid grasp of MEL and will be good at analyzing data, using it to come up with insights that he/she will share with the teams, as well as making insights available for donor reporting. Knowledge of HR is also helpful, as there will be HR responsibilities and oversight of HR staff and systems within this role.

We are looking for an adaptable person who is a good collaborator, and can problem-solve under pressure. Deep and genuine commitments to inclusion, equity, and community-centred practice are all essential.

We are also very interested in candidates who have experience with and interest in finance and donor reporting.

We envision the initial six months in the role to focus on optimising operations - creating, improving operational systems across all programmes and teams within the organisation. The focus of this initial period will be on training and upskilling staff in these systems.

Following this initial period, the Operations Manager will continue to oversee the running of these newly established systems, and will then be expected to progressively take on aspects of donor reporting, finance, and MEL analysis, much of which falls under the Executive Director at present.

Our ideal candidate would also have narrative and financial reporting skills, and be able to contribute to funder reports and proposals as a whole.

A smaller aspect of this role will also be liaison with the communications team and communications consultant, ensuring that relevant data, stories, and qualitative data is shared with those responsible for internal and external communications.

Siyakwazi works with external consultants for disciplinary issues and HR functions. The Operations Manager would need to work with these consultants where appropriate, and oversee and manage internal team members who handle HR related aspects of the organisation. Knowledge of HR would be helpful, but we are also open to quick learners in this area.

It is essential that the person in the role of Operations Manager is an independent worker who is able to handle a complex workload without frequent oversight. As such, excellent time-management, organisational and coordination skills are extremely important for this role, and this person needs to be extremely reliable and accountable.

This is a full-time in-person position. This position is ideal for someone who lives on, or is willing to relocate to, the beautiful KZN South Coast. This position is not available remotely or partially remotely. This is an opportunity to be part of a passionate, values-driven organisation that is making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families. For the right person, there are opportunities for growth within the organisation, and we hope to find someone who will be on the team long term.

Core Responsibilities of the Role:

• Creating, establishing and refining systems across teams and the organization as a whole (strong emphasis in the initial 6 months)
• Managing and overseeing daily operations and managing operations team
• Managing and overseeing MEL and Data collection activities and managing MEL team
• Oversee MEL function as whole, ensuring that all necessary monitoring and evaluation data is collected and is available.
• Providing MEL analysis and insights for internal and external use
• Oversight of HR systems and HR team members, and liaison with HR consultants, as appropriate
• Ensuring effective use of organisational resources (financial, material, and human).
• Procurement and supplier relationships
• Providing performance management for all people managed and overseen (HR, Operations, MEL teams)
• Active capacity building of teams and specific upskilling of team members
• Continuously be improving systems and procedures, which should be well documented and user friendly
• Working closely with the Executive Director on various projects

Other Responsibilities of the Role:

• Liaison with the communications team and external communications consultants
• Payroll and loading payments onto banking platform
• Oversight of petty cash systems and managing person responsible for pretty cash
• Budgeting processes in collaboration with the Executive Director and programme leads
• Progressive involvement in finance and financial strategy within the organization
• Progressive involvement in donor reporting and proposal writing (narrative and financial)

Qualifications, Experience & Proficiencies

• Bachelor’s degree or National Diploma in a relevant field (required)
• Strong knowledge and proven experience in operations (required)
• Excellent Manager (required) with demonstrated experience in staff supervision and capacity building (required), preferably working in rural or under-resourced communities.
• Skills and experience building and running systems
• Strong understanding of, or interest in, inclusive education, early childhood development, and community-based disability support
• Minimum of 3–5 years of professional work experience (required), preferably in the disability, education, or community development, or non profit sectors
• Strong analytical skills (required) and Knowledge and understanding of Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks (preferred)
• Adaptable personality
• Good collaborator
• Excellent time-management, organisational and coordination skills
• Extremely reliable and accountable person
• Budgeting knowledge and experience (preferred)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel (required)
• Ability to use, or learn relevant systems ( CommCare and Power BI)
• Proficiency English (required) and Zulu (preferred)
• Drivers license (required)
• Drivers license (required)

Remuneration: R22 000 - R35 000 CTC per month, depending on skills, qualifications, and experience.

To apply: Please