Head of Operations at Educate! Tanzania

Africa has the world's youngest and fastest-growing population. By 2035, the continent is poised to contribute more young people to the global workforce each year than the rest of the world combined.

At Educate! we're obsessed with impact. We leverage iterative learning to build highly scalable youth employment solutions aimed at unlocking the potential of the world's youngest continent.

Educate! prepares youth in Africa to learn, earn and thrive in today's economy by:

• Introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary and
• Delivering livelihood boot camps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalized rural girls and young women.
  

To date, more than 500,000 youth have been meaningfully impacted across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, and along the way, Educate! has become the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa.

Educate! is a team of over 300 largely African staff and 300 volunteer youth mentors. We prioritize building an engaging, fulfilling and growth oriented work environment. 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over 5 years, 10+ alumni have started their own organizations, and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows.

We have been backed by top foundations such as Imaginable Futures, Livelihood Impact Fund, Jack Dorsey's #startsmall, CIFF and Echidna Giving. Educate! won a 2018 Klaus J. Jacobs Prize and a 2015 WISE Award, and has been highlighted by the World Bank's S4YE's Impact Portfolio, an Al Jazeera documentary, BBC, The Brookings Institution as one of 14 case studies on scaling education, and the Gates Foundation as a Goalkeepers Accelerator. In 2022, we received a catalytic investment from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to scale our systems change work.

Educate!'s long-term vision is to design solutions that measurably impact millions of youth across Africa each year.

Good to note: To Our Awesome Applicants!

We know that incredible candidates sometimes hesitate to apply if they don't meet every requirement. If this role excites you, we encourage you to apply!

We're looking for passionate individuals who believe in our mission and can bring unique perspectives to our team—not just those who check every box. We value diversity and strongly encourage women and individuals from all backgrounds to apply.

Position Overview

Educate!, an award-winning non-profit social enterprise, is seeking a Head of Operations to lead operational excellence across our programs and support functions in Tanzania.

The Head of Operations provides strategic and operational leadership to ensure efficient, compliant, and scalable operations that support program delivery and organizational growth. This role oversees operational strategy, systems design, risk management, and compliance, ensuring the organization has the structures, processes, and resources necessary to achieve impact at scale.

What You Will Do:

Operational Strategy and Team Leadership - 35%

• Lead the development and execution of the operations strategy aligned with organizational goals.
• Translate strategy into actionable plans for logistics, procurement, and resource management at scale.
• Manage and coach a high-performing operations team to ensure clarity of roles, accountability, and professional growth.
• Collaborate closely with program and field operations teams to ensure operational systems fully support implementation needs.
• Oversee procurement and logistics strategies that balance cost-effectiveness, quality, and scalability.
• Provide leadership with timely, data-driven operational insights to inform decision-making.
• Build strong relationships with external stakeholders (vendors, government bodies, partners) to ensure smooth operational execution.

Systems Build and Process Optimization - 40%

• Design, implement, and continuously improve operational systems, workflows, and policies to support scale and efficiency.
• Oversee logistics and distribution systems for training materials and resources, ensuring timely delivery and accountability.
• Establish robust procurement systems, including vendor evaluation, contracts, and performance management.
• Build and maintain databases, dashboards, and operational reporting systems to track performance in real-time.
• Leverage technology and AI to optimize workflows, automate routine processes, and enhance efficiency.
• Implement inventory management systems to ensure accurate tracking and accountability of assets and materials.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the operations team to adapt systems in response to feedback and evolving needs.

Budgeting, Risk Management, and Compliance - 25%

• Partner with the finance team to lead annual and quarterly operational budgeting processes.
• Monitor operational expenditures against budget, ensuring accurate reporting and cost optimization.
• Develop and maintain a risk register with mitigation strategies and contingency planning.
• Ensure compliance with national laws, MCF Foundation requirements, and internal policies.
• Implement internal controls, conduct periodic reviews, and follow up on audit findings to maintain accountability.
• Build organizational capacity in compliance awareness and risk management practices across departments.
• Provide regular reporting on financial, risk, and compliance status to senior leadership.
• Collaborate with departments to implement and assess compliance with the Child Protection and Safeguarding policies

Who You Are:

We are seeking a dynamic operations leader with 8+ years of progressive operations experience, including 5+ years in operational management and/or leadership, and you thrive in fast-changing, mission-driven environments. You'll have a proven track record of building high-performing teams, streamlining systems, and leveraging technology to drive scale and impact. With expertise in financial management, compliance, and stakeholder engagement, you'll play a key role in shaping operations and influencing change across the organization. This is an exciting opportunity to lead with purpose and make a lasting difference.

You fit our Five Cultural Tenets (see What is Educate! About? below); Learn more by looking at Educate!'s culture deck here

Terms

• Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience
• Benefits include medical insurance, paid time off,
• This position will be based in Dar Es Salaam with frequent travels to operational regions as needed

What We Offer

• A vibrant, mission-driven environment with a supportive and fun team.
• Flexible work environment.
• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Healthcare coverage for you and your dependents, work laptop, Internet & call stipend
• Learning & growth opportunities

PLEASE NOTE THE ABOVE BENEFITS DO NOT APPLY TO TEMPORARY, CONTRACT OR INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS.

Application Process: Rolling basis, interviews happening soon!

Our Culture & Tenets(Values)

We're ambitious. Are you? Educate! is growing fast, so new opportunities are opening up and expanding all the time. We're inspired by people with drive, and we love to help them reach their full potential. We expect everyone at Educate! to contribute above and beyond their job description, grow their skills, and advance their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey of their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey.

• We put Youth First, Impact-Obsessed - We are purpose-driven, focused on impact, and prioritize what truly matters. We listen to youth, design our efforts around their needs, and ensure every dollar creates transformative experiences they value.
• We Exceed Expectations - We take pride in going above and beyond to achieve the best results—proactively identifying problems and seeking solutions without waiting or stopping at what's requested.
• We Are Always Learning - We are committed to seeking and applying new knowledge and ideas. We stay open-minded and continuously try new things, experiment, grow, and improve. We invest in learning for ourselves and our teams.
• We are One Team, Many Views - We value all individuals, believe diverse ideas and open dialogue drive excellence, foster a supportive and respectful environment where everyone can freely express themselves. We work as one team and prioritize the organization's mission over personal or team interests.
• We have the Startup Mindset - We innovate relentlessly to grow our impact, we never think "we have arrived" or "we're done."We constantly challenge the status quo, embrace change, and move quickly toward our vision. Unafraid of failure, we question anything that hinders progress.

Every person at Educate! — from interns to the executive director — is evaluated by how they live up to these five cultural tenets. They are at the core of how we achieve our mission and why we work as well as we do. Educate is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact in our community. In creating this environment, we encourage people from a variety of cultures, backgrounds and life experiences to join our diverse team.

We're committed to ensuring all candidates are screened for child and youth safety. As part of the process, you'll need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct. Educate! reserves the right to withdraw employment offers if any risks to youth are identified.