Senior Director, Africa - Worldreader

Worldreader seeks a social entrepreneurially minded professional to lead and grow its impact and influence across Africa. You will join the organization with the launch of its new 2025 strategy, building market-based strategic partnerships to enable 5 million more children to become avid readers. This position offers the right candidate an exciting opportunity to deliver transformative impact at scale, with a dynamic organization committed to empowering readers to build a better world.

The Senior Director of Africa will have strategic and operational responsibility for Worldreader’s staff, expansion, and execution of its mission across Africa. They will have deep experience in accelerating edtech solutions across African markets and building public/private partnerships. This individual will be able to lead strategically but also able to support day-to-day operational elements as the organization grows. This position reports to the Chief Growth Officer – Global South and is based in Accra, Ghana or Nairobi, Kenya.

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Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership (50%)

• Represent Worldreader with governments, major corporations, funders and at external Pan-African and Global Leadership gatherings.
• Lead and manage Worldreader Africa operations for impact, capacity and financial health working, in close collaboration with Worldreader’s Executive & Global Leadership Team.
• Identify, recruit, train and develop a talented team of employees who can lead critical departments and manage strategic business functions.
• Serve as a member of the Worldreader Ghana and Worldreader Kenya board of directors, supporting respective chairs in board strategy and engagement toward business objectives.
• Monitor operations and ensure employees and business practices comply with regulatory and legal requirements.
• Develop the organizational culture and promote transparency and collaboration throughout and across Worldreader Africa teams and various global teams.
• Identify potential risks and opportunities within the organization and its environment to protect business interests.

Fundraising & Operations (50%)

• Identify evolving market opportunities and design strategies and execute to grow Worldreader’s mission in Africa.
• Secure and manage strategic partnerships for impact and financial growth of Worldreader Africa operations.
• Deepen and refine regional communications —from web presence to external relations with the goal of creating a stronger brand.
• Ensure ongoing local programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, communications, and systems; recommend timelines and resources needed to achieve the strategic goals.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree, with at least 10 years of senior management experience.
• Demonstrated experience in mainstreaming digital solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate globally while leading locally.
• Proven track record of effectively leading regionally and/or nationally scaling a performance- and outcomes-based organization and staff.
• Ability to point to specific examples of having developed and operationalized strategies that have taken an organization to the next stage of growth.
• Unwavering commitment to quality programs and data-driven business models.
• Excellence in organizational management with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high-performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget.
• Past success working with a board of directors with the ability to cultivate existing board member relationships.
• Strong marketing, public relations, and fundraising experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures.
• Excellent English oral and written communication skills. Proficiency in French, Arabic, or Kiswahili is a plus.
• Previous experience in an entrepreneurial setting or proven ability to effectively operate in such a culture.
• Strong commitment to Worldreader’s mission and values.

Worldreader is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from persons with disabilities, women, and other underrepresented applicants.