CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Kijani Forestry seeks a dynamic and experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to oversee the day-to-day operations of our agroforestr organization. The COO will play a pivotal role in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations, driving sustainable land management practices, and overseeing large-scale agroforestry projects. The ideal candidate will bring operational excellence, strategic thinking, and strong leadership skills to help us achieve our mission of promoting sustainable land use and environmental stewardship.
REPORTS TO: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
LOCATION: GULU, UGANDA
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Strategic Leadership: Partner with the CEO and leadership team to define and execute the organization’s long-term goals, ensuring alignment with our mission to promote sustainable agroforestry practices and address extreme poverty.
- Operational Oversight: Oversee the daily operations of the organization, including field operations, agroforestry project implementation, and resource management. Ensure the efficiency, scalability, and sustainability of projects from planning through execution.
- Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop department heads and operational staff to ensure a high-performance, collaborative culture. Implement leadership development programs to strengthen the team’s skills and capabilities.
• Sustainability & Compliance: Promote
sustainable
practices across all areas of the business, ensuring that operations minimize environmental impact and contribute to long-term ecological and social responsibility.
• Financial & Budget Management: Oversee the financial health
of the organization,
including budgeting,
forecasting, and resource allocation. Ensure financial performance aligns with operational objectives while
maintaining cost efficiency.
- Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate operational, financial, and strategic risks across the organization, ensuring that potential risks are proactively managed to minimize disruption and protect the company’s assets.
- Cross-Department Collaboration: Work closely with other departments, including research, community engagement, advocacy, and policy, to ensure the successful
implementation of agroforestry projects and organizational goals. Encourage cross-functional collaboration for shared success. - Innovation & Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives by fostering a culture of innovation, encouraging teams to experiment with new ideas, refine existing processes, and adopt emerging technologies that optimize performance.
- Reporting & Communication: Regularly report on operational performance, key performance indicators (KPIs), and progress to the CEO and board of directors.
- Maintain transparent communication with internal and external stakeholders.
- Project & Resource Management: Supervise large-scale projects and ensure proper resource allocation, budget adherence, and progress tracking.
CORE VALUES
- We Get things Done
- We are Always Growing (Grow or die)
- We Strive for Greatness / Excellence
- We lead through Service, we’re never above picking up a hoe to Help
- We DO the Right Thing even when No one is
Watching
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the bigger picture and take proactive steps to achieve company goals.
- Problem Solving: Strong analytical skills to identify challenges and implement effective solutions.
- Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact with both internal teams and external stakeholders.
- Project Management: Expertise in overseeing large projects and initiatives with cross-functional teams.
- Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including communities, government bodies, NGOs, and environmental organizations.
- Leadership Style: Strong communicator with an inclusive leadership style. Able to inspire and lead cross-functional teams towards common goals.
QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS
- Minimum 10 years of senior leadership experience with track record of managing teas and overseeing complex operations, ideally within forestry, agriculture or manufacturing sectors
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resource Management or related field. A Master’s degree (MBA) is highly preferred.
- Professional certifications are an added advantage.
- In-depth knowledge of data analysis and performance/operation metrics.
- Strong knowledge of corporate finance and erformance/operation metrics.
- Ability to develop and manage budgets and financial strategies
- Exceptional leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.
