Head of Operations / Chief Operations Officer Job at Klasha

Klasha makes it easy for African consumers to shop online. We build technology that allows African consumers to easily access the goods they want on the continent. We enable payments online in local African currencies and can handle the last-mile logistics for our retail partners too. Statistically, Africa is the future, so we believe consumers on the continent should have the same frictionless access to the global e-commerce economy as consumers in the West.

Klasha was founded in Lagos, Nigeria in 2018 and is backed by Techstars, Ginco Investments and a group of notable angel investors. Klasha is run by 20-somethings from five nationalities that speak six different languages between them. Klasha has offices in Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: Head of Operations / Chief Operations Officer

Job Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full Time

About the Role

• As the Business Operations Lead at Klasha, you will be a driving force behind our daily operations, ensuring they run smoothly and efficiently.
• This role is dynamic and multifaceted, requiring a proactive approach to foster positive change across the organisation.
• You'll have the unique opportunity to take ownership of various aspects, wear multiple hats, and embrace a bias toward action, all while working on long-term strategic initiatives and immediate operational enhancements.
• You will most likely exhibit the ability to be a natural influencer and dot connector, capable of untangling and simplifying complex matters into actionable and defensible actions. 

Key Responsibilities

• Process ownership: Take charge of end-to-end process ownership, ensuring operational efficiency and effectiveness across various departments and functions across the business.
• Function building: Establish and lead new functions within the organisation, fostering cross-functional collaboration and driving continuous improvement.
• New territory opening: Strategically identify and assess opportunities for expanding into new territories, overseeing market entry strategies, and executing expansion efforts.
• Partnerships: Cultivate strategic partnerships and alliances to support Klasha's growth and market penetration.
• Investor-facing elements: Act as a key point of contact for investors and lawyers, providing them with insightful operational updates and information.
• Operationalization and automation: Lead initiatives to operationalise and automate workflows, reducing manual effort and enhancing productivity.
• OKR and KPI cascading: Develop and implement an OKR framework and ensure it is cascaded throughout the organisation, setting clear objectives and key results for each team and individual.
• Robust reporting: Build robust reporting processes, leveraging data analytics tools and methodologies, to provide real-time insights into team performance and KPI tracking.
• Team leadership: Build and lead a high-performing operations team, providing guidance, mentorship, and training to team members.
• Budgeting and finance: Looking at the company’s P&L alongside the finance and c-suite, optimizing opex, making recommendations where needed and analyzing MoM spend to optimize for growth.
• Stakeholder management: Act as the point of contact for banks, lawyers and government bodies and set up strategic partnerships with these bodies as required.
• Strategic planning: Contribute to the development of strategic plans and objectives, aligning them with the company's mission and vision.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product development, sales, marketing, and customer success, to identify operational needs and opportunities for improvement.
• Data analysis: Utilise data analysis techniques to extract insights, identify areas for enhancement, and make data-driven decisions.
• Reconciliation and payment operations: lead a team tasked with reconciling, implementing processes 

Reporters:

• Reconciliation and payment operations team
• Talent team
• Customer care team
• Legal and compliance team

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in a senior operations leadership role, preferably within the technology or fintech industry.
• Proven track record of successfully building and scaling operations, including process optimisation and automation.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to process complex data and draw meaningful conclusions.
• Exceptional leadership and team management capabilities.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Strategic mindset, with the ability to align operational efforts with broader organisational goals.
• Must be an excel and metabase whiz