JOB DESCRIPTION
Title: Operations Manager, Kenya
Reports to: Operations Director
Employment Type: Full-time
About Impact Water
Want to help make safe drinking water a reality for every student, everywhere?
Impact Water is a nonprofit that provides point-of-use water treatment systems and safe water education to public schools in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. Today, we support more than 24 million students in over 60,000 schools.
Our model is simple and practical. We install point-of-use water treatment systems in schools, keep them resupplied, and maintain them so they keep working year after year. Our field teams visit schools regularly to train teachers on safe water practices, check that water is actually being treated, and teach students why they should only drink treated water.
We work closely with national and subnational governments, and over the next five years we are supporting them to take greater ownership of safe water in their schools, from budgeting and procurement to delivery and monitoring. Our goal is for every public school in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda to have safe drinking water by 2030, provided as a routine government service.
Position Overview
We are seeking an Operations Manager to coordinate field implementation, support county-based Field Coordinators and ensure effective, consistent delivery across our school programme in Kenya. Impact Water has been implementing programmes in Kenya since 2017, delivering chlorine tablets with high-quality water tanks. This is supported by school visits, monitoring and behaviour change communication. Impact Water serves over 18,000 schools in Kenya across 40 counties, and works closely with county and sub-county governments toward co-financing safe water in schools.
The ideal candidate has experience coordinating field operations or programmes within a social enterprise, NGO or development organisation. They are comfortable managing geographically dispersed teams, monitoring performance, solving operational problems and ensuring plans translate into effective field delivery. Experience delivering training and working with county or sub-county officials is a strong advantage.
The successful candidate will have strong planning, coordination, communication and data management skills. They will be willing to travel frequently to supervise Field Coordinators, each of whom covers two counties, and to oversee sub-county distribution and school visits across Kenya.
Key Responsibilities
Lead People
Field Coordinator Leadership: Recruit, onboard and supervise county-based Field Coordinators, each covering two counties. Set clear expectations and agree monthly workplans. Review performance against visit quality, system functioning and usage, give regular feedback, and support each FC's development
Field supervision: Spend regular time in the field observing school visits alongside FCs. Verify service quality and follow up on implementation challenges in person
FA coaching through FCs: Ensure FCs coach and supervise Field Agents during school visits, including how they communicate safe drinking water practices to staff and students. Make sure school staff understand their role in maintaining systems and usage
Field Team Coordination: Maintain regular communication with Field Coordinators and support them to coordinate Field Agents' school visits, workloads and field activities effectively
Performance and Capacity Building: Review team performance and field reports, identify capability gaps, and establish practical coaching and retraining plans for Field Coordinators and Field Agents. Escalate persistent performance issues to the Operations Director
Cross-functional Collaboration: Work with People Operations to maintain appropriate Field Agent staffing levels, and coordinate with the Social Behaviour Change team to monitor field execution and programme quality
Lead Impact
Field Agent training: Lead FA training in your region using the standard curriculum and facilitator guides, after completing the training-of-trainers course. Cover school visit procedures, correct system use, behaviour change communication, data collection and field standards. Run both initial and refresher training
Training that changes behaviour: Help improve the FA training with a strong focus on behaviour change and facilitation. Build it on a clear understanding of the barriers to usage in schools, so FAs are ready for real situations, including how school staff should maintain the systems and drive usage
Readiness and follow-up: Test FA knowledge before they start school visits. Observe FAs in the field to check they apply the training, identify gaps, adjust materials or delivery, arrange retraining, and confirm the improvement
School outcomes: Monitor delivery so every school gets its required visits, supplies and behaviour change communication, and systems are functioning and used consistently
Field monitoring and quality assurance: Review FC activity plans and reports. Run spot checks and random verification calls with the call centre to confirm visits happened. Hold FCs to the highest standards of integrity and performance
Government and stakeholder coordination: Keep in regular contact with sub-county education officers and other stakeholders to align on field activities and resolve operational issues. Support county engagement toward government co-financing
Distribution support: Work with the logistics team so FAs and FCs are ready for sub-county distribution. Make sure field teams record deliveries and return unused materials
Systems, Data & Finances
Data quality and reporting: Review visit, training and team performance data for completeness, accuracy and trends. Report on progress against plans accurately and on time
Risk and corrective action: Use data and field observations to identify operational risks and performance gaps. Coordinate corrective action and escalate significant issues to the Operations Director
Operational systems and continuous improvement: Develop, document and improve field procedures, systems and best practices to increase efficiency, accountability and consistency as the programme scales
Budgeting and cost control: Prepare and manage monthly operational budgets and forecasts for your team. Approve FC requisitions within delegated authority, monitor spending, and maintain controls against overspending, loss and fraud
Strategy and planning: Track progress against targets, and use results to adjust plans
Required Qualifications
Experience & Track Record
At least 5 years of proven experience as an Operations Manager or in a similar operational leadership role
At least 3 years of fieldwork experience and demonstrated willingness to travel for extended periods
Proven experience recruiting, training and managing large field teams, with a track record of supervising performance and supporting staff development
Experience reviewing data and reports and using findings to guide operational decisions
Experience preparing or managing budgets, forecasts, requisitions or operational expenditure
Skills & Competencies
Strong people-management, leadership, organisational and delegation skills
Strong written, verbal, interpersonal and presentation skills
Sound personal and professional judgement, with the ability to solve organisational and operational problems
Ability to plan, prioritise and deliver results at scale while maintaining operational control
High integrity, a collaborative approach and a strong commitment to Impact Water's mission
Knowledge & Network
A bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management or a related field
Preferred Qualifications
Experience designing and delivering training
Experience in logistics and distribution
Experience working with schools or government officials
Experience using CRM software (such as Salesforce) or mobile data collection tools (such as SurveyCTO)
Compensation & Benefits
Competitive salary, commensurate with experience
Health insurance for you and up to three dependents
21 days of paid time off (PTO)
Career growth and professional development opportunities
Regular performance feedback and learning opportunities
The opportunity to contribute to improving access to safe drinking water for schoolchildren
Location & Travel
The role is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and requires frequent travel across the country for field supervision, operational planning, stakeholder coordination and quality assurance. The successful candidate should be comfortable with extended field trips, long working days when required, and varying transport and road conditions. Target start date: January 2027.
Reporting Structure
The Operations Manager reports to the Operations Director and works closely with Field Coordinators, Field Agents, People Operations, the Social Behaviour Change team, head-office colleagues, and relevant government and education stakeholders. The role requires clear communication, reliable follow-through, and effective coordination across a geographically dispersed team.
Application Process
To apply, please submit an application here. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Impact Water is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience in our countries of operation.
