SunnyMoney Operations Director Job in Mzuzu Malawi

This is a unique opportunity to join an innovative, ambitious organisation which plans to sell solar lights at scale across Malawi, bringing electricity to rural households and reducing reliance on fuels such as kerosene. 

You will be a leader capable of running a fast growing business with excellent project management and people skills and experience of running commercial operations in Africa.
 

Job Title: Operations Director, Malawi
 

Location: Mzuzu (possible relocation to Lilongwe), with frequent travel to rural Malawi
 

Reporting to: SunnyMoney Managing Director
 

About SunnyMoney
 

SunnyMoney is an innovative, fast-growing, a social enterprise, owned by the charity SolarAid, working in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia which focuses on business based solutions to poverty.

Our aim is to enable the world’s poorest people to have access to clean, renewable power. We do this by selling solar lights to rural households and building a vibrant solar market. 

Our overarching goal in Malawi is to eradicate the use of kerosene and candles for lighting and help create a genuine solar lighting market. 

Our mission is to eradicate the kerosene light from Africa by the end of this decade. 

To find out more, go to www.solar-aid.org
 

Mission for this post
 

We are looking for a dynamic, business minded individual to lead our operations in Malawi. 

Responsible leading and growing our existing team, you will drive forward the implementation of our business, selling solar lights and chargers and helping create a viable and vibrant solar market in off grid communities. 

We plan to sell over 30,000 lights in Malawi this financial year and then scale up further.
 

Objectives for this post for first 6 months

• Lead the implementation and scale up of our ambitious SunnyMoney school campaign in accordance with our business plan and donor targets
• Work closely together with senior management in the SunnyMoney Global team to develop sales channels in accordance with the ‘SunnyMoney Way,’ developing a robust, sustainable and scalable solar retail business
• As necessary, recruit and lead a team of A-player staff who will successfully implement the programme
• Ensure that all financial and narrative reports are submitted internally and externally on time, in the correct format and to a high standard

Duties and Responsibilities
 

Project Management

• Build and lead a SunnyMoney team which consistently hits and exceeds sales targets.
• Where necessary, develop strong relationships with partners, local and national governments to enable us to meet and exceed targets
• Proactively engage and collaborate with senior management team
• Ensure the organisation is complying with all legal requirements
• Ensure that end of year targets are met and within budget
• Responsible for ensuring that all reporting deadlines are met.

Team Management

• As necessary, recruit A-player staff and interns.
• Supervise the performance of team staff through agreeing staff development plans and setting performance targets, regularly reviewing both with staff.
• Implement strong Human Resources management system as set out in our staff handbook, dealing quickly, firmly and fairly with all HR issues.

Person Specification Skills/ knowledge

• Strong business planning and commercial skills
• Substantial staff management skills (recruiting, developing, performance managing large teams, motivating staff)
• Strong financial ability (prepare budgets and to monitor expenditure against budgets)
• Strong communication skills, including representing the team at meetings and conferences and writing regular, comprehensive reports
• Able to make decisions, take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the decisions made
• Excellent oral and written English
• Computer literacy (project planning, spreadsheets, word processing, email/internet)
• Educated to degree level (or considerable professional management and operational experience)
• Five years experience of leading successful commercial or social enterprises, preferably in Africa
• Experience of managing human and financial resources that demonstrates ability to set objectives, monitor and evaluate progress and outcomes

Other

• Commitment to our mission and developing the solar market
• Participative and collaborative working approach
• Self starting, passionate, trustworthy, dependable and decisive leader who communicates effectively and consistently works efficiently to high standards

Terms and conditions

• Full-time, Permanent
• Notice period: one week within probationary period, three months thereafter.
• Annual leave: 25 days (Calculated over 12 month period)
• Salary commensurate with experience
• Opportunities for training and personal development will be made available.
• The employee will have a contract of employment containing more details of the terms and conditions relating to the post.

How to apply
 

Interested applicants please email CV together with a covering letter addressed to John Keane which explains how you meet the criteria in this job description to recruitment@sunnymoney.org
 

Important: Please entitle your email subject line with: Your Name SunnyMoney Malawi Operations Director and save letter together with CV in one attached file. 

Deadline for applicants: 12th July 2013