Company Overview:

Pharo Ventures is the commercial, for-profit arm of The Pharo Foundation and has been set up to harness the power of a vibrant private sector by investing in enterprises across a variety of sectors within the East Africa region. The objective is to build and grow, commercially and environmentally sustainable businesses, with a focus on maximizing the creation of economic value and jobs for the local communities. We have a vision of an economically vibrant and inclusive Africa. Matching that vision is our ambition to create a portfolio of sustainable business ventures that by the end of 2025, will deliver more than five thousand direct jobs across the region. We believe we can achieve our vision and ambitions by investing in the human and physical capital of Africa. For each target country in the region, Pharo Ventures will innovatively build a portfolio of businesses that will be financially sustainable, create value for the local communities and be environmentally responsible. Headquartered in Nairobi (Kenya), Pharo Ventures has country offices in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and Somaliland (Hargeisa).

Position Summary:

We are looking for an ambitious and self-driven Operation Manager to join our team! The Operation Manager is a senior leadership role based in Addis Ababa. The role reports to the Head of Pharo Ventures in Ethiopia.

 Tasked with leading and overseeing the conceptualization, development and operation of businesses in Ethiopia, the incumbent will be responsible for ensuring that Pharo Ventures achieves its objectives.

 The role requires a seasoned and experienced operations and commercial leader, with significant experience in setting up and running businesses and operations across different sectors. They will bring on board relevant operations experience and will be comfortable with the financial, commercial, operational and strategic aspects of Pharo Ventures ET operations. In addition, the incumbent will be a strong team leader and an excellent relationship manager, both internally and externally, with various stakeholders.

Functional Relationships:

• Pharo Ventures  core team in Ethiopia

• Leaders of the portfolio companies in Ethiopia.

• Pharo Ventures  team in Nairobi

External Relationships:

• Federal, regional and local authorities in Ethiopia.

• External legal and regulatory teams.

• Suppliers, service providers and consultants.

• Other stakeholders.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

General

• Lead the development of operations strategy and financial management for each line of business once identified by in-country senior management and approved by the board

• Oversees and coordinates the operations and finance functions of the organization.

• Negotiations with contractors, suppliers, and vendors to ensure a fair bargain for goods and services.

• Support stakeholder management including Federal, regional and local government stakeholders

• Analyze supply market, anticipate changes and drive associated procurement activities.

• Strategically plan and manage logistics, warehouse, transportation and customer service

• Management of procurement process and ensure KPIs are met

• Follows up on the overall performance of the portfolio companies and ensures they meet the set objectives.

• Prepares and presents periodic reports and analysis of the performance of the companies, risks and challenges.

• Manages the internal and external relationships to support the companies.

 Specific

Strategy development and execution

• Collaborate  with senior management to formulate operational strategies for new ventures

• Drive the planning, implementation and monitoring of the company’s operation strategy and financial management, working closely with a variety of stakeholders.

• Support the development of enterprise-specific business plans prior to the launch of the company and as required for company growth and expansion.

• Design and implement efficient operational and finance related process management and coordinate resource allocation

• Monitor the legal and regulatory environment, advise, and make amendments as necessary to the business’s operations as and when needed.

 Performance management, reporting and learning

• Through quantitative and qualitative impact data and financial analysis, identify the strengths and opportunities to improve the overall performance of the portfolio companies

• Work with the company leadership to develop annual key performance indicators and targets. Ensure the portfolio companies meet the planned targets, performance standards and report on overall performance, at periodic intervals or as and when required.

• Perform extensive analytics on historical performance, and develop forecasts on the short and long-term performance of the portfolio companies.

• Ensure that the portfolio companies and in-country Pharo Ventures teams operate on approved budgets, monitor their implementation and update the Head of Pharo Ventures regularly.

• Ensure accuracy, consistency and timeliness of financial and performance-oriented reports (quantitative and qualitative, financial) for internal and relevant external stakeholders

• Achieve superior growth and market performance through entrepreneurial approaches to implement innovative business concepts.

• Develop and apply enterprise development best practices and approaches to new investments and promote cross linkage opportunities for enterprise development.

Relationship Management

• Manage contracts and relationships with customers, vendors, partners and other stakeholders

• Develop and nurture relationships with key stakeholders internally and externally, including major partners.

• Follow-up, coordinate, and supervise project studies and implementation as undertaken by external consultants and contractors;

• Represent the organization at designated meetings and at conferences when necessary

 Leadership of team

• Provide overall leadership for the operation and financial management of portfolio companies

• Manage team performance and drives a culture of excellence in the organization.

• Provide input in the development of employee policies to ensure attraction and retention of skilled staff.

Risk Management

• Continuously and proactively, assess high-level risks to the companies and to the overall organization. Communicate the risks and manage the risks by developing mitigation measures.

• Ensure the protection of company assets, premises and employees; manage and approve insurance and other appropriate risk mitigation measures.

• Develop a risk profile and regularly report on risk to the investment portfolio.

Job Requirements

•  Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Engineering, Law, Business Management or related fields is mandatory. An MBA is strongly preferred.

• At least 8 years of relevant experience, with at least 5 years at senior managerial level leading early and growth stage investments in Eastern Africa.

• Proven experience as Operations and Finance head or equivalent position

• A solid understanding of the Ethiopian business environment, investment guidelines and requirements.

• Understanding of necessary legal and regulatory export documents.

• Ability to develop, implement, and review policies and procedures.

• Ability to prepare and oversee budgeting, reporting, planning, and auditing.

• Strong financial analysis skills.

• Commercially astute and with deep experience in the for-profit sector and a solid understanding of businesses across various sectors.

• Demonstrable skills in project management - implementation, including performance monitoring, budget preparation and tracking.

• Ability to priorities and handle multiple tasks, familiar with and able to operate in a fast-paced international and multi-cultural environment.

•  In depth knowledge of diverse business functions and principles

• Excellent communication (writing, listening and presentation) skills coupled with the ability to analyze and explain relevant data. Excellent spoken and written English.

• Strong team player that can work cooperatively with internal and external stakeholders.

• Experience in developing business/investment and/or marketing plans required.

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage a multiplicity of stakeholders.

• Solid negotiation, coaching and interpersonal skills.

• Attention to detail and a flexible approach to work. A self-starter, capable of working independently.

• Positive outlook and outgoing personality with solid interpersonal and diplomatic skills.

• Ability and willingness to travel as required within Ethiopia and in the region.

 Behavioral Competencies:

• Ability to combine strategic thinking and the capacity to operationalize the strategy.

• Very structured, process-oriented and a logical thinker.

• Excellent time-manager who can balance multiple priorities.

• Motivated to learn and perform and not afraid to ask questions.

• Willing to challenge the status quo and add value by introducing positive change.

• Good communicator and comfortable working in a team environment.

• High professional and ethical standards.

How to Apply

Interested applicants who meet the MINIMUM requirements can send a detailed Cover Letter and CV (preferably as a single PDF file) via email: recruitment.pv@pharoventures.com

Note: Review of applications will be on a rolling basis. In the event that we identify an outstanding applicant early in the search process, we reserve the right to appoint before the deadline. For this reason, we encourage interested candidates to apply at the earliest possible time. Due to the high volume of applications expected, we regret that we will only be able to contact short-listed candidate