careers
KOMAZA is a not-for-profit social enterprise working to permanently and sustainably end rural poverty by developing economic opportunities for smallholder farmers living in Africa’s infertile and drought-prone regions.
Founded in 2006 and based in Kenya, the organization’s innovative grassroots model dramatically boosts household income for rural families by equipping them with resources, knowledge and market linkages to produce high-value climate-appropriate crops on their previously degraded land.
We are constantly seeking talented individuals who are interested in working with KOMAZA.
Select a link to view details of available opportunities:
KOMAZA is seeking a world class candidate to serve as Country Director for our Kenya operations. The Country Director will develop and lead all business functions in Kenya required for rapid growth, reporting directly to our President and working closely with our Founder/CEO both which are based in San Francisco, USA. This is a big opportunity for a superstar candidate. The role of the KOMAZA Country Director will be the management of all Kenya operations. This includes:
- Project Management: Supervise managers as they plan, organize, staff, and direct activities. Coordinate major activities overseen by other managers into a cohesive work plan
- Finance: Direct short-term and long-range budgeting; provide oversight to management team on financial planning and reporting; oversee monthly/quarterly/annual financial management.
- Human Resources: Manage HR team in recruiting and training all levels of staff
- Partnership Development: Liaise with local and Nairobi government officials and other businesses to build relationships that will facilitate the quality and scaling of our operations
- High-Level Strategic Planning: Work with founder/CEO, President and other corporate leadership to develop long-term, annual and quarterly goals and prioritize areas of focus and resource allocation
- Education: College degree; MBA or similar preferred
- Work: 15+ years in senior management with international corporation including full P&L responsibility
- Financial Management: Experience owning P&L: revenue/sales growth and expense/margin control
- Technology: Internet & MS Office fluency required; demonstrated passion for technology integration (project management software, bar coding for chain of custody, GIS mapping, etc.)
- HR: Experience hiring and firing all levels of staff – from frontline workers to senior managers
- Project Management: Strong background managing complex projects; passion for building slick systems to scale high-quality operations; strong attention to key performance indicators
- Training & Mentorship: Experience training all levels of staff from managers to field staff
- Communication: Excellent writing/verbal, interpersonal, public speaking, and presentation skills
- Willingness to Travel: Some travel will be required within Kenya, e.g. to Nairobi or to Western/ Nyanza Province; also possibly occasional international travel
- Entrepreneurial: Comfortable with ambiguity; flexibility, self-motivation, and keen to lead a fast-paced, rapidly-growing program; interested in a work environment that is creative and data-driven
Big Pluses:
- Experience in farm extension: Experience building farmer extension networks, consolidating produce from small holders and moving it through entire value chain
- Forestry and Wood Processing: Growing, harvesting & processing trees for high-margin wood products
- Organizational Growth:Proven ability to build and substantially grow an organization; start-up experience is even better
Please send CV and cover letter to Country_Director@komaza.org
Wanted: Early-mid career professional to lead technology strategy for a young, international NGO
Industry: Social Business / International
Development / Start-Up / Non-profit
Employer:
KOMAZA
Position: Technology Manager
Function: Technology
Location:
Kilifi, Kenya
Comp/Benefits:
Competitive, provides for a comfortable standard of living in
Kilifi, Kenya
Application Deadline: Open
until filled
Start Date: As soon as avaliable
As a Technology Manager, you will be responsible for leading technology strategy for KOMAZA. You will partner with other functional teams to drive KOMAZA operations forward by developing appropriate technology solutions. This is a dynamic position that requires a creative mind combined with a proven ability to get projects up and running. Technology Manager responsibilities will include:
- Identifying technology trends and opportunities and turning them into impactful projects for all aspects of KOMAZA operations
- Recommending, developing and deploying mobile tools and applications for use by our field staff
- Maintaining and improving KOMAZA's farmer database while creating & managing resulting data-driven tools and analysis for operations' monitoring & evaluation
- Developing KOMAZA's GIS system to widen our base points and build mission-impactful applications on top of our geographic data
- Managing our web strategy - website, blog, wiki and social media channels - with a view to improving visibility, fundraising and recruiting
- Handling day-to-day IT needs at head office and helping to design and roll-out KOMAZA's network infrastructure for rural offices
- Being an enthusiastic, hands-on technology enthusiast and evangelist with an interest in social enterprise and development
- Education: Top performing undergraduate and/or graduate background in Computer Science, Engineering or related fields
- Relevant work experience: 3-5 years of relevant experience in technology with some project management
- Computer skills: At least one programming language in current use, working knowledge of web technologies and languages (eg PHP, HTML/CSS, JavaScript), experience with databases and/or a major Relational Data Management System (e.g. MySQL, MS SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, DB2)
- Analytical skills: Exceptional problem solving and analytical skills with impeccable business acumen
- Strong and proactive communicator: Personable yet persistent; developing detailed and high-quality work output materials
- Independent manager: Self-managing; managing multiple projects and deadlines; taking ownership over independent projects; budgeting; developing work plan, goals, and deadlines
- Problem-solver – at a high- and granular- level: Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills and impeccable business judgment; ability to think “big picture” and dig into details
- High-quality execution: Executing projects/tasks and implement recommendations – quickly and with flawless accuracy, with great systematic attention to detail
- Preferred:
- Kiswahili
- Experience with hardware maintenance
Please send CV and cover letter to TechManager@KOMAZA.org
How to apply
Thank you for your interest in joining the KOMAZA team! We look forward to learning more about you.
Our process is selective at each stage, and not all applicants are invited to an interview. Our application process includes at least two rounds of phone interviews and may include an assignment to better assess your skill set.
How to apply:
Step 1: Apply online
Please submit your
application in the Apply section (the link on the right side of
the page). KOMAZA will review applicants on a continuous basis
until the recruiting team identifies a strong match. For
this reason, serious applicants should apply as soon as
possible.
Please be aware that the length of the application process depends on the specific position and its start date. Please communicate in your cover letter if you require an accelerated application decision due to competing job offers and other time-sensitive conflicts.
To submit, you’ll need:
- Personal, academic, and/or professional information
- CV (one page strongly recommended, two page limit)
- Cover letter
- Work sample (a requirement for some positions)
Step 2: Round 1 phone interview
Once the recruiting team reviews all submitted materials, strong applicants will be notified of an hour-long phone interview via email. Only 10% of applicants advance to this step. Applicants will be able to sign up online for an interview timeslot. These interviews are opportunities for us to learn more about you and for you to learn about KOMAZA.
Certain positions may require applicants to develop sample operational tools which are relevant to our work in Kenya. These assignments allow us to better gauge applicants’ skill sets.
Step 3: Final round phone interview
Select applicants will be invited to an hour-long phone
interview for the final round. These interviews are typically
conducted by the hiring manager or future supervisor.
Note: KOMAZA may request additional phone interviews if the
applicant will be working closely with multiple staff members or
to gauge overall fit.
Step 4: Final decision and further communication
KOMAZA will communicate our decision after conducting all final round interviews for the position. If the applicant is offered a position, the recruiting team will be happy to introduce the applicant to other employees to help answer further questions that will help them make their final decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if
KOMAZA is right for me?
KOMAZA is a close-knit start-up family, with many Kenyans and ex-pats who have moved to coastal Kenya to help achieve the organization’s goals. In many ways, “work” and “life” overlap here. Fit is crucial to ensure that all employees get along and have profound and enjoyable experiences. Further, work and life attitudes are extremely important to handle the day-to-day challenges inherent to living in a developing country.
Candidates would be best-served if they seriously consider whether they would succeed – and enjoy – an experience with KOMAZA.
The recruiting team looks for individuals who fit the following criteria:
- Natural leader and strong communicator who thrives in team-based environments – for example, engaging others to brainstorm, soliciting feedback, resolving conflicts or persuading colleagues to adopt a recommendation
- Self-starter mentality, with ability to do what needs to be done – designing projects and executing them independently
- Extraordinary patience to work in an environment where things move slowly and can often be frustrating from a Western perspective
- Flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances, and deal with setbacks – which can be out of one’s control (e.g. power outages, water shortages)
- Happiness to undertake significant field-based work
- Ambition and willingness to work beyond business hours when necessary, fitting into a hardworking professional culture; KOMAZA exhibits an “American-style” professional culture, with employees who all work to build an sustainable organization that will transform the lives of extremely poor families
- Easy going personality, humble approach to service, and interest in contributing to KOMAZA’s social culture outside of work
What opportunities exist for cultural
immersion and learning?
Employees collaborate with local Kenyan staff on a day-to-day basis, and beyond that they have plenty of opportunities to engage in the local culture and language. Swahili lessons are offered twice-weekly to encourage foreign employees to improve their language skills. Quarterly homestays with KOMAZA farmers are coordinated for each employee. This forty-eight hour immersion into the everyday life of a rural subsistence farming family improves each employee’s ability to carry out KOMAZA’s mission. Families typically live in traditional mud one-to-two room houses with no running water or electricity.