Tostan is recruiting a Chief Operating Officer.About TOSTAN
Tostan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Dakar, Senegal and currently operating in five West African countries.
Strategically, the organization is committed to continuing to develop its core competency of empowering education and to documenting and scaling the sustainable impact it creates across a range of issues. Tostan’s flagship model, the 3-Year Community Empowerment Program
(CEP), has already reached thousands of communities in both West and East Africa since 1991.
Outcomes in governance, education, health, economic empowerment, and the environment are currently tracked, and Tostan has been particularly proud to play a significant role in the large-scale empowerment of women and girls and the community-led abandonment of harmful practices such as female genital cutting and child marriage.
New models for building partnerships with communities after the CEP, and for sharing Tostan’s approach with a range of local and global audiences, have joined powerful additions to the ever-evolving CEP to create a unique and exciting strategic moment.

The position
With a revised strategy in place for 2019-2022 and a clear opportunity to go to scale, Tostan is now seeking a dynamic, inspirational, grounded and experienced leader in operations management to serve as the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the second most senior position in the organization. Reporting to and working closely with the Chief Executive Officer the COO also serves as a member of the Executive Team.

The COO will lead, plan, implement, monitor, refine and evaluate all operational and administrative aspects of the organization to help bring maximum impact to the communities served. In particular, it is expected that the COO will ensure operational efficiency, creativity and innovation in order to lead the organisation through the next stages of the scaling approach.
S/He will be responsible for overseeing the management of the Internal Audit, Administration & Logistics, IT, departments and functional areas, in addition to managing the National Coordinations (5) and the Tostan Training Center. As part of the senior leadership team, the COO will be responsible for helping develop and implement the strategic direction of the organization. The COO is also responsible for supporting effective relationships with Board members, and other partners – mostly operational ones, as relevant. The COO will coordinate with the Country teams and with the Finance, Global Mobilization and Program Departments at Tostan International in the development and management of programs and annual budgets in order to ensure that the services and programs provided meet the quality standards and fulfil Tostan’s mission.
This position is located in Tostan’s headquarters office in Dakar, Senegal and some travel
(30%) is expected.

Responsibilities:
Operations Management
Ensure that the mission and values of Tostan are consistently reflected in all policies, practices and operations
Drive key change and transformation initiatives to optimize operations systems and
practices
Recommend and implement appropriate system of policies, internal controls, quality criteria and standard operating procedures that align with the values and priorities of Tostan
Ensure that the organization complies with external and internal audit recommendations, as well as with other contracting requirements including grants compliance (document management, risk mitigation, and legal oversight)
Facilitate the strategic planning, monitoring and reporting process for the organization and ensure all operations are properly implementing activities in accordance with the current strategic plan
Strategy & Executive Leadership
Represent the operations of the organization to the Board of Directors
Work with the leadership of each department to set impact-oriented objectives, KPIs and required budget for the year that align with the strategic plan
Oversee the systems of collaboration and timelines to ensure all departments are delivering on organizational commitments with board, funders, CEO, government entities and other stakeholders
Advise on best practices, tools and latest innovations in his/her field of expertise and give strategic direction to the CEO, Board, and Departments under his/her responsibility to align operability and strategic ambitions.
? Provide strategic direction, communicate efficiently and take responsibility as part of the executive team
Team Management & Leadership
Mentor and train the various Tostan leaders under his/her direct responsibility toward best-in-class teamwork and achieving their individual aspirations and potential
Support the information technology, administration & logistics, internal audit departments, National coordinations and TTC in ensuring the staff has the necessary equipment, training and resources to excel at their positions
Conduct regular meetings to support/coach for success and transform challenges to
meeting these objectives and fulfill strategic priorities
Qualifications:
All senior leadership team members:
Passionate belief in and commitment to Tostan’s mission to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights
Deep commitment to and first-hand experience with participatory communities, organizations, or education
Shares our values and has leadership experience bringing similar values to life in organizations and/or communities
Brings some unique and aligned gift(s) that contributes to Tostan’s long-term success
Skilful at communicating and bridging understanding to forward strategic priorities and fulfill Tostan mission and vision
Ability to work in a collaborative, co-creative team, bringing value to the team’s outcomes enriching, respectful, beneficial
Sense of humour
Ability to learn and to receive feedback
Chief Operations Officer specifically:
Master’s level required in the field of business operations, logistics or other relevant domain. Master’s in Business Administration strongly preferred
Understanding of project management in West Africa
Experience with the operations of a complex international not for profit with diverse funding sources and operations in multiple countries
Deep industry and market knowledge
Excellent interpersonal communications skills, networking with peers, detail oriented and inspirational leader
1+ years of experience with at least 5 years in a senior management position and supervisory role
Experience in finance or accounting will be an asset
Understanding of human resource management and ability to position as a manager-coach with experience in talent maximization
Proven track record of collaborating and maintaining relations with an engaged Board
Capacity building know-how and ability to effectively mentor key staff
Out-of-the-box thinking & ability to generate transformational conversations at various levels of leadership within the organisation
Ability to weigh alternative actions and to take decisions
Fluent in verbal and written French and English (required) – language skills in an additional local language of West Africa (preferred)
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Location: The position is located in Dakar, Senegal, at Tostan’s International Office.

The post will also require occasional travel to Thies, Senegal, as well to Tostan’s national and/or regional offices in Tostan’s five countries of presence.