Chief of Staff, Africa

CIFF operates a hybrid working policy across all locations, which means employees work some of the time in the office and some of the time from home. We are happy to provide more information on this as part of the recruitment process.

The salary for this role is KES 13,200,000 per annum.

Main purpose of the role

The Chief of Staff, Africa provides operational and strategic support to the Executive Director (ED), Africa, the Africa Pillar Leads, the Africa Leadership Team (ALT) and the Africa team as a whole.

The role includes supporting effective operations of the Africa team & the ALT, managing internal and external partnerships and taking responsibility for cross-functional projects and tasks whilst acting as a confidante and advisor to the ED, Africa.

The role leads a small team of talented colleagues in delivering high quality confidential support to the ED, Africa, the Africa Pillar Leads and the ALT

The role also manages a dedicated team of business administration staff to effectively execute business objectives.

Role’s responsibilities

Providing direct support to the ED, Africa

• Prioritise the ED’s responsibilities with a strategic lens to ensure the effective management of the ED’s time, looking at the short and long-term travel calendar, evaluating opportunities and determining appropriate fit with priorities to ensure the ED is effective in their leadership of the Africa team and in their board roles externally.
• Prioritise, manage, and steer the flow of information and insights to the ED, Africa.
• Develop excellent internal relationships with staff in the Africa team and regularly feedback/escalate emerging issues to the ED Africa to enable the ED to maintain a pulse on the team and initiate relevant action as and when necessary.
• Develop and maintain excellent external relationships, supporting the ED, Africa to manage strategic partnerships including at Principal level, acting at all times as a corporate ambassador for CIFF, to help build the organisation’s reputation and profile as a professional, visionary and collaborative philanthropy.

• Preserve and enhance team connectivity and foster excellent collaboration with other sector and functional teams, notably EME, Finance and People, Culture & OD.
• Act as the key focal point for the CEO’s office and represent the Africa team in organization-wide initiatives as required
• Work with the FBP to track monthly disbursements and monitor MYV against Business Plan.
• Manage the flow of information through the ED, Africa’s office in preparation for key meetings including Board Meetings, offsite, PIC & Pre-PIC meetings, ET meetings and TRMs.
• Coordinate the preparation of inputs required for Board reports and the CEO report.
• Work with the Head of HR, Africa to ensure all elements of CIFF’s people strategy are prioritized and managed effectively.
• Manage the Africa team’s operational budget including travel, consultancy and DCA budget.
• Manage the flow of information through the ED, Africa’s office in preparation for key meetings including Board Meetings, offsite, PIC & Pre-PIC meetings, ET meetings and TRMs
• Work with the Head of HR, Africa to ensure all elements of CIFF’s people strategy are prioritized and managed effectively.
• Coordinate the preparation of inputs required for Board reports and the CEO report.

As a member of the Africa Leadership Team (ALT)

• Provide up-to-date, professional advice to the ED and Africa Directors, to support the development of strategies, policies and initiatives drawing on their in-depth knowledge of the ED’s priorities.
• Take the lead on cross-cutting initiatives and projects, as required by the ED Africa or as agreed by the ALT.
• Provide compelling, consistent, and united leadership which role models and creates clarity for all staff in the team and builds a sense of shared accountability for its success and that of the team.
• Develop and maintain excellent external relationships within the region, acting at all times as a corporate ambassador for CIFF, to help build the organisation’s reputation and profile as a professional, visionary and collaborative philanthropy.
• Take ownership of and work in collaboration with respective pillar leads, sector teams and other members as appropriate to prepare/review internal communication like key reports (presentations / projects, team takeovers, Year-End team presentation, materials for board meetings, etc.), and updates.
• With the support of the EA to the ED, Africa, act as Secretariat to the ALT including managing the cadence of meetings, agendas, and the flow of information to the ED, Africa while ensuring the efficient and smooth running of the ALT.
• Work with the Africa EA team and other teams to plan, prepare and where appropriate lead elements of team retreats and offsite events.

Strategy & planning

• Oversee and coordinate cross-functional/cross pillar strategy projects.
• Work with the Head of Finance, Africa to manage the team’s Business Planning process while ensuring timely inputs and conclusion
• Work with the pillar leads to prepare the teams to regularly track progress and ensure the team remains on track and within the defined timelines and where achievement may not be possible, flagging early for course correction.
• With the support of the EA to the ED, Africa, manage the end-to-end PIC process for the Africa team including yearly planner of IM’s and Strategies, scheduling pipeline committee slots, writing the PIC agenda, managing ED’s review time, managing dispatch of final documents.

Sector knowledge and profile-building

• Oversee high-quality, strategic briefs, talking points, presentations, event materials and briefings ahead of external engagement and events for the ED and where relevant, the CEO.
• Contribute to the development and promotion of high-quality thought leadership, PR and marketing materials to raise awareness about CIFF’s work in Africa ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s communications and advocacy strategies.

Leadership of the team

• Offer inspiring and motivational leadership that role models CIFF’s values and behaviours and empowers and enables staff to deliver excellence.
• Adopt a coaching approach with colleagues which instils a culture of openness and trust, embraces diverse thinking, and encourages continuous improvement and learning.
• Provide ongoing support to all direct reports ensuring high performance is enabled through objective setting, clear accountabilities, and regular review.

Requirements

Skills & Experience

• Confidential and discreet with experience operating in roles that have confidentiality at their core
• A proven track record of organized efficiency and effectiveness
• A self-starter, with resilience, pace and interpersonal flexibility
• An innovative thinker with pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset
• Strong influencing skills
• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the international development sector
• Excellent people leadership skills and proven ability to motivate, develop and hold to account a small- to medium-sized teams of professionals
• Effectively champions and promotes causes – credible and professional, they always present the foundation’s programmes in a compelling way to engage the audience
• Proven success in building and maintaining strategic relationships and working in partnership; has highly developed influencing and negotiation skills, and effectively collaborates to deliver maximum impact
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness
• Able to think critically and analytically to draw sound conclusions on the basis of complex data
• Experience of identifying and delivering business process improvements
• High-level of financial literacy

Benefits

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a generous benefits package here at CIFF that includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Annual leave - 25 days per annum. Increasing by 1 day after each year of service, to a maximum of 30 days.
• Bonus - CIFF currently operates a discretionary bonus scheme.
• Pension
• Private medical insurance
• Training allowance
• Wellbeing allowance
• Life insurance

Please submit your application on or before 27 September 2023.