Position Title: Operations Manager (RRC)

Working Location: Regional Resource Center- Karen/ Nairobi, Kenya

Region: IOR - Eastern & Southern Africa (ESAF)

Direct Supervisor Position: Director of Karen Resources Centre

Type of recruitment: National recruitment

Direct Reports: RRC Head of Departments

About SOS Children’s Villages RTRC

Established in 2005, SOS Children's Villages Regional Resourcing Center is a SOS Training Center dedicated to support and promote the training of SOS staff members as well as likeminded organizations in specialized programmatic areas. It offers a range of specialized training on site as well as online training. The unique setting in Karen also offers accommodation and conferencing facilities.

SOS Children’s Villages RRC is part of the Eastern and Southern Africa Region of SOS Children’s Villages International and operates under the supervision of the ESAF International Branch Office in Nairobi.

The mission of KRC is to be a resource hub for staff capacity development and networking for Member Associations in the ESAF and other SOS CVI regions, as well as external child care stakeholders.

Mission of the Position

• Manage and direct operations team to achieve business targets

• Providing inspired leadership for the operations team to ensure quality delivery of services.

• To implement the right operational processes and practices across the centre.

• Promote an organization culture that encourages morale and high performance

• Enhance the operational procedure, systems, and principles in the areas of information flow and management, business processes, and enhanced management reporting.

• Ensuring that health and safety regulations are followed.

• Monitor and control expense according to allotted budget.

Key Result performance Areas and Responsibilities

1.Operations Management & Business Development

• Lead the centre's operational activities and personnel to operate efficiently and deliver quality services for the customers.

• Lead the review and alignment of all the centre’s operational areas to become fully compliant to the statuary requirements.

• Develop and manage the execution of operational budget for the centre and ensure proper cost optimisation.

• Guide and supervise the service staff to deliver upon their assigned duties and tasks.

• Organise regular staff meetings and debriefing session to further discuss ways of optimising and improving the centre services.

• Develop and supervise the execution of facility maintenance plans (regular/ preventive).

• Develop marketing and revenue plan to ensure sustainable income for the centre.

• Regularly monitor the centre booking calendar and negotiate with meeting organisers adjustments to ensure optimal use of resources and occupancy of the centre.

• Lead the engagement and organise regular meetings with the contracted suppliers to ensure professional and quality delivery of the contracted services.

2.Operations Optimisation

• Develop SOPs and workflows for departmental coordination activities (guest services, F&B, logistics, finance, ICT) for different types/size events.

• Develop SOPs for unplanned/emergency gaps and logistics/hospitality incidents.

• Organise safety and security assessment and provide recommendations to the management.

• Develop SOP for security incidents reporting and responding.

• Develop SOP for stock management.

• Ensure availability of maintenance spare-parts stock and certified maintenance internal/external labour.

• Analyse the suppliers’ performance and provide formal recommendation to the management on further engagement/disengagement of the business relation.

• Identify need for additional suppliers’ categories for pre-qualification process.

3. Quality Management

• Define service quality standards and measures to ensure the highest guests satisfaction.

• Ensure high standards of food preparation, rooms cleaning services and venue setup.

• Conduct random quality inspection on the different facilities of the centre.

• Interact with the guests/event organiser & ensure their satisfaction & needs fulfilment.

• Serve as escalation point for clients’ grievances. Provide timely & quality resolutions.

• Review and analyse the guests’ feedback and organise post events team debriefing.

4. Events Management

• Supervise the event booking process and authorise final event cost and reservations confirmation to the organisers.

• Lead events coordination meetings with the various department to ensure smooth and professional event preparations.

• Sign off events coordination meeting results, budget, staff roaster and supervise the execution of the tasks through the different departments responsible.

• Supervise the logistics requests and delivery of the event consumables/services (food, cleaning materials, stationary, transport, COVID-19 tests).

• Sign off the room allocation based on the meeting organisers requirements.

• Support the development of (logistics and security) briefing packs for guests and visitors.

• Provide directions and support, on meeting logistics emergency incidents.

• Ensure optimisation of all event consumable materials (food, cleaning materials, stationary) to reduce waste and prevent fraud.

• Maintain overview of the food and beverage stock through the period of the event and ensure constant availability of emergency stock.

• Ensure the events bills and dues are delivered and settled timely.

5. Financial & Risk Management

• Maintain regular overview and monitoring of the operational budget of the centre, and advise the management on any expected shortfalls or unplanned costs.

• Verify and approve local purchase orders and payment vouchers for the facility and event management.

• Supervise the execution of the procurement process in accordance to the organisation's procedures.

• Ensure payables and receivables are cleared timely by the finance department.

• Ensure adequate monitoring of the assets, inventory, stock status for efficient usage and fraud prevention.

• Support the internal and external audit process inclusive providing management response on the audits findings.

• Introduce/optimise anti-fraud/anti-corruption processes and controls, and ensure regular training & orientation for all the staff on them.

6.HR Management

• Recommend/Facilitate training sessions for the staff on the relevant speciality.

• Monitor the staff daily attendance and approve leave and absence permissions

• Address conflicts, performance and grievance issues of the staff

• Conduct annual Performance Appraisal Talks, and Individual Work Planning

• In close cooperation with the HR Advisor, ensure the completeness of the personnel files.

Must Criteria

• Bachelor Degree in Hospitality Management. Additional professional degree is a plus.

• 5-7 years’ proven experience in managing operations of hospitality facilities.

• Strong financial knowledge.

• Strong experience of food and beverages management.

• Proven experience on sales and revenue management.

• Excellent customer service, communication and interpersonal skills

• Excellent leadership skills with hands on, leads by example style.

• Excellent command of written and spoken English. French is a plus.

• Advanced knowledge of statutory and compliance requirements for hospitality facilities.

• Proven skills on emergency/crisis management.

• Professional Digital Skills on Microsoft tools (Word, Excel, Outlook).

Competencies – Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• A strong strategic and business mind-set.

• Self-motivated and managed, service and result oriented and innovative.

• A team leader and team player with excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills.

• Experience in people management.

• Have critical eyes for the details to ensure high quality results.

• Ability to work in stressful situations.

• Availability to step in in unforeseen emergency situations outside regular working hours.

• Ability to receive feedback and accept criticism.

Main Clients:

• Guests from SOS Eastern and Southern Africa region and SOS Children's Village Federation.

• Programme participants from SOS Children's Villages International Federation.

• External Guests/clients.

• Head of Karen Resources Centre.

• Deputy International Director Region, Eastern and Southern Africa.

• Partner organizations/customers

• Suppliers

• Other actors in the hospitality sector

Special authority and representation:

• Approval of local purchase orders and procurement requests per the authorised sealing/level.

• Signatory of the Karen Resources Centre bank account

“SOS Children’s Villages International holds strict child safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy for conducts of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring decisions will give due emphasise to assessing candidates value congruence and thorough background checks, police clearance reference check processes”.

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

How to apply

How to Apply

If you believe you are the right candidate for the above position, please send your application letter, detailed curriculum vitae (CV), and photocopies of academic certificates, and names and contact details of three referees .

Applications that are late, or do not have CV or certificates attached, will be disqualified. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications including at least three traceable referees should be sent electronically via iCIMS using this link https://bit.ly/3Wv5VgY

All applications should be submitted not later than February 02nd, 2023.