Office Manager

Summary

Based in Nairobi, the Kenya Office Manager will provide office management and top-notch support to the Kenya-based staff. The position holder will be responsible for ensuring organization compliance in accordance with country laws. The position offers a great opportunity for leading and managing a country office set up. They will develop and implement the necessary policies and guidelines, manage office budget, provide support in processing of staff work permits and visa. The successful candidate will lead country level procurement and support regional level processes. Responsible for day to day office management, the Office Manager will keep record and manage organization assets, provide staff travel support, events and conferences management support and act as the office wellbeing ambassador.  

The Office Manager will have sound judgment; be extremely organized, proactive, and flexible; able to meet multiple deadlines and set priorities; and have superior communication skills. The ideal candidate for this role will be a problem-solver who is responsive, thorough, and excited about helping people. If you're energized to support a dynamic mission-driven organization that transforms health care delivery, we encourage you to apply for this position.

Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

Administrative and Facilities:

• Serve as the first point of contact for VillageReach Kenya Office. Oversee guest experience, manage and direct office mailing and communication.
• Develop and implement contextually appropriate and necessary office policies and guidelines alongside appropriate partners (Finance, People, IT, etc.).
• Work closely with People team to prepare for and be ready to promptly respond to emergent situations. Serve as Kenya Office Wellbeing Ambassador.
• Support in the onboarding process for new staff
• Responsible for arranging and coordinating in-house and off-site conferences, retreats and other official staff events. Support the Head of Office in the coordination of staff meetings.
• Maintain regular and timely communication with global teams on Kenya administrative and operational matters.

Compliance and Registration:

• Work with the designated Head of the Kenya Office to ensure all VillageReach activities adhere to the laws and regulations of Kenya, requirements of the Ministry of Health, and meet overall operational standards of VillageReach and its funders.
• Ensuring VillageReach remains compliant and maintains the necessary registrations and licensees with bodies like OSHA, NITA, county permits and the government.
• Work closely with the appointed immigrations consultant to manage Other Country Nationals visa and work permit processes. Keep record of staff visa and work permits timelines and renewal dates.

Procurement, IT Support, and Asset Management. 

• Manage safe storage and keep record of updated organization assets and work closely with IT in procurement of equipment, appliances and furniture. Support regional procurement and shipping processes.
• Oversee the administration and management of service provider contracts and management of office supplies.
• Oversee screening and conducting due diligence for all pre-qualified suppliers and vendors.

Staff Travel

• Work in tandem with VillageReach travel agency to support travel arrangements for VillageReach employees and guests. Administer VillageReach’s internal travel approval process and act as a liaison for the coordination of travel with travel agent and employee.
• Be the focal point person for visa application processes, accommodation and local transportation for VillageReach visiting staff
• Contribute to ongoing improvement of travel policy and processes.

Finance Support:

• Manage office budget. Keep track of purchases requests, maintain procurement and financial documents and supporting files including approvals and coding.
• Manage bank and credit card reconciliations and ensure timely reporting.
• Work closely with finance team to ensure timely payments for office space and to service providers.

Competencies:

The following competencies reflect what is expected of all VillageReach employees; including examples of how one might demonstrate each of these competencies in one’s role.

• Personal Motivation and Drive: Is self-directed in one’s approach to work, but asks for help when needed; holds oneself accountable; undertakes self-development activities; seeks to build and master new skills; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities within the organization
• Collaboration & Effective Communication: Establishes and maintains effective relations with coworkers, partners & stakeholders and external parties; works collaboratively with others to accomplish organizational and team goals and objectives; works actively to resolve conflicts; expresses ideas and thoughts effectively; selects and uses appropriate communication methods and maintains meaningful communication with virtual coworkers and other parties to keep them informed
• Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Takes personal responsibility for and supports others across the organization in creating and sustaining a diverse work environment where individuals are welcomed, valued, respected and supported; personally committed to attaining cultural competency including self-awareness of one’s own attitudes about culture and cross-cultural interactions; exhibits the willingness and ability to engage openly and respectfully around issues of race, colonialism, identity and culture; upholds equity in access to sharing of information, ideas, and opportunities throughout VillageReach
• Commitment to Excellence: Produces a high output of work, both in terms of quality and quantity; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; monitors work to ensure quality; has a personal commitment to the mission of VillageReach
• Solution Orientation & Innovation: Focuses on results and desired outcomes and how to best achieve them; gets the job done; sees opportunities for creative problem-solving while staying within the parameters of good practice; sees old problems in new ways and has novel approaches to solving those problems; contributes original and/or resourceful ideas to their area of responsibility; is able to consider and articulate risks and consequences of proposed innovations and factor these into decision-making

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position may supervise one Office Assistant.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Administration, project management, finance and accounting or a related study or equivalent education and experience.
• 5- 7 years of relevant experience is required with at least 1-2 years working in an international organization in a similar role preferred.
• Good experience and understanding of registration and compliance regulations in Kenya.
• Good understanding and knowledge working with immigration department on staff work permit and visa processes preferred.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to multitask, prioritize and meet deliverables.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating staff travel, event planning and coordination
• Experience in accounting and expense management.
• Experience managing procurement processes, asset management and vendor contract management.
• Excellent written and verbal professional communication abilities.
• Fearless in embracing office technology, including demonstrated ability to easily adopt and train others on new tools and processes.
• Flexible and patient with ability to respond quickly to changing priorities.

Other Qualifications:

• Comply with VillageReach’s COVID-19 vaccination policy which requires full vaccination for in-person work or travel.
• Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups.
• Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment; familiarity with Dropbox, Microsoft 365 Admin Center, and Concur a plus.
• Fluent in English; proficiency in French or Portuguese preferred.