Operations Analyst

KOMAZA is a not-for-profit social enterprise working to permanently and sustainably end rural poverty by developing economic opportunities for smallholder farmers living in Africa’s infertile and drought-prone regions. Founded in 2006 and based in Kenya, our innovative grassroots model dramatically boosts household income for rural families by equipping them with resources, knowledge and market linkages to produce high-value climate-appropriate crops on previously degraded land. For a complete list of our current openings, please visit our website.

Position Overview:

We are looking for an early career (0-3 years experience) professional to help scale our field operations. As an Operations Analyst, you will support Associates in the design and implementation of systems, tools, and processes to support KOMAZA’s rapid expansion. Because KOMAZA is a start-up with quickly evolving needs, you will contribute to various projects as they come up.

Main Function: Crop Production 

This role, while based in the Kilifi town office, may have a field component - which can be challenging but highly rewarding. This work will involve: long, dirty and uncomfortable bus/motorcycle rides, basic facilities, work in areas far from infrastructure (stores, electricity, paved roads), and hours spent outside in the equatorial sun and heat. KOMAZA is constructing its first dedicated field operations office in Ganze, which will facilitate any field work. 

Responsibilities: 

You may be involved in: 

• Collaborating closely with field staff to capture “on-the-ground” needs and best practices: Consult with field staff to understand field challenges and bottlenecks to build out effective and efficient systems 
• Designing systems and processes to enable KOMAZA operations: Design and implement procedures and processes that will ensure an efficient field extension system that can be adapted as KOMAZA scales 
• Designing operational tools to support overall operational goals: Create easy-to-follow project, logistics, and human capital management documents and checklists to build an operational model that can be transferred to local staff ownership 
• Contributing materials to an optimal operational “blueprint” for future rural cells: Create supporting documents (written content, photos, diagrams) that will train and empower an operations director to build out operations in a new rural cell (this is a mission-critical and complex long-term project) 
• Staff Management: Troubleshoot day-to-day operational challenges and in some cases, directly oversee a field project to ensure high-quality execution 

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will possess: 

• Education: Top-performing undergraduate background 
• Strong organizational skills: Ability to balance multiple projects, work across all aspects of operations, and take ownership of projects to achieve targets in a highly independent capacity 
• Strong team orientation: Collaborative work ethic and ability to perform on a multidisciplinary team and across multiple departments 
• Analytical thinking -at a high and granular level: Excellent problem-solving skills and business judgment; ability to think “big picture” (e.g. milestone setting to plant with 10,000 farmers) and dig into details (e.g. how to quickly get 100 barrels to farmers with no vehicles and poor road infrastructure) 
• Strong communication skills and commitment to: Being personable yet persistent; building consensus and influencing decision-making; adapting to local cultural norms and communication styles given close collaboration with local staff 
• Commitment to excellence: Dedication to producing high-quality work and executing tasks with great accuracy and systematic attention to detail 
• Patience and a sense of humor: Please see KOMAZA recruiting website for a more detailed description of important “fit” criteria 

Preferred: 

• Relevant work experience in field-based operations, research, scientific, environmental, or agricultural field 
• Kiswahili 
• Knowledge of forestry and plant production 

Compensation: Analysts receive a food and housing stipend that provides for a comfortable standard of living in Kilifi, Kenya. Travel, health and personal expenses are not covered, though costs are generally low (e.g, a one hour bus ride from Kilifi to Mombasa costs 100 KSH/1.25 USD). Analysts who perform well may be eligible for Associate compensation and benefits (see Associate job description for details).

Commitment: 6-12 months 

Application Deadline: 1 November 2010 
Start Date: 1 January 2011