Director, Operations at NewGlobe

About The Role

The Director, Operations is responsible for setting up the processes, systems and staff to ensure operational performance of the entire network of schools under management. This includes Programme Management, Supply Chain, IT Operations and the Resolution Team.

• Programme Management - programme management includes but is not limited to inventory management at both the warehouse and in schools, pupil enrollment and attendance confirmations and analysis to ensure accurate pupil data, and instructional systems oversight to ensure school staff have necessary tools available to them, and are using them.
• The Resolution Team - The Resolution Team is the principal team that leads the resolution of all issues that a school leader, teacher, or parent might encounter. The team acts as a support hub, ensuring that multiple channels of communication are available for school staff, support staff, and parents to communicate what they observe at a school, as well as ensuring that critical operational updates get communicated outwards. The team oversees the complete resolution of all issues reported, either through direct resolution at the point of interaction, or by working with other departments if further technical support or expertise is needed. The team also acts as an early warning system to the programmes, through escalating emergency situations, looking for patterns among issues reported and bringing them to the notice of the management. It is the nexus of all problem-solving, and is critical to ensuring that all issues in service delivery are handled effectively and transparently.
• IT Operations - ensures last mile delivery of Technology, meaning that all school staff, field staff, and support staff have the functioning Technology that they need to excel at their jobs, including IT asset management and technical support for software and hardware issues. IT Operations also oversees the technical infrastructure that enables and connects our support offices. It is also the only Technology department with a direct presence in each of our programmes, meaning that it is also the key conduit and primary advocate for all aspects of Technology at NewGlobe, ensuring the work done by the other Technology departments delivers on its potential and helps coordinate with the Technology shared services teams.
• Supply Chain - ensuring procurement of needed materials for school programs, and the shipment of those materials to schools. Depending on program needs and program year, this need may be extensive or very light. The majority of procured materials are print materials, where primary coordination is managed by the Print Production team within Shared Services, with whom Operations collaborates for program needs.
• Across all functions within Operations, it is critical that continuous data collection and analysis is used to quality assure and drive process innovation and improvements.
• This is a high-impact role for someone who loves standing up systems and processes from the ground up and taking on challenges on a large scale.

What will you do

• Research and determine optimal supply chain networks in new territory (logistics, materials warehousing and distribution channels, and then manage this supply chain.
• Set up the Resolution Team and Program Management Operations, including hiring and training personnel as needed.
• Manage our core programme of work within Operations, including inventory management across all schools, pupil enrollment and attendance data and confirmation, and various systems for ensuring instructional excellence at schools, which is dependent on hardware and software access and support.
• Manage a diverse support team.
• Work with and leverage team support from the global teams to ensure operations are aligned to global processes and systems.
• Be responsible for all operational performance indicators of our academies, including but not limited to:
• Improving adherence and compliance to existing systems and processes
• Striving for operational excellence in a resource-constrained environment
• Continually iterating and improving systems
• Building a zero-tolerance environment for fraud and shrinkage
• Learn, reinvent, optimize and manage every aspect of the operations of the program and the necessary headquarters support, from supplies management to classroom instruction to cleaning to query resolution
• Create highly-structured, insightful processes, systems and recommendations with a data-driven approach; and, alongside senior executives, critique and modify the operational components of the current operating model.
• Do or lead every job in the entire academy operations and support to some extent. No job is too big or too small.

What you should have

• At least 8+ years of post-undergraduate, full time work experience in a highly operational role where process engineering and operational support were core to the work.
• Work experience managing a multi-unit or distributed location service.
• Work experience in emerging markets.
• Work experience in a fast-paced environment with dynamic priorities and demands.
• Work experience developing and managing a culture of total focus on service delivery.
• Work experience in improving the productivity and reducing cost of a product or service to suit the Organization..
• Experience in process design, development and implementation.
• Work experience managing and coordinating several teams to deliver on a tight schedule.
• Record of building data-driven operational systems. Strong analytical skills and extensive experience in providing actionable insight to data.
• Record of engaging in and leading cross-functional teams and initiatives.
• Record of strong academic performance from a leading undergraduate and, if attended, graduate institution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational, leadership, analytical problem solving and strategic thinking skills
• High integrity with zero tolerance for any unethical business practice.

You’re also

• A detailed doer – You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
• A networking mastermind – You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates. You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network in Nigeria from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
• A creative problem-solver – Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, NewGlobe works in often fragile, sometimes volatile low-resource communities and with complex government systems. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand.
• A relentless advocate –The children we serve and teachers we empower never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like. Every decision you make considers their benefit, experience, and value.
• A malleable learner –You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.
• A curious investigator – You ask why a lot. You don’t just take what you see and accept it. You wonder why it is that way, and are aware that the world we see is created by human choices and actions – and it could be different. You wonder, and see the world as wonderful even when you want to change a part of it that is unjust.