About the position
Bridge has done what many people thought was impossible. We have given families living in poverty access to the high-quality education that will allow their children to have a better life. We are now expanding our services to include retail offerings including lunch programmes, uniforms, books, and more. We’re looking for someone to help us launch this programme and – overnight – run the largest retail chain in Africa!
This is an incredibly exciting position: you will feed the stomachs, clothe the backs of, and fuel the mind’s of over 100,000 pupils across nearly 500 academies, and growing. We presently have a lunch programme piloting at a few dozen academies and will be launching our uniforms programme in the coming weeks. You will take both to scale, improving our menu and nutrition for the lunch programme and focus on finalizing that business model as well as handling factory relations and negotiations, shipping and importing, storage and distribution, pricing and tracking, and training and sales for uniforms. None of this has done before – neither at Bridge, nor in Africa – at this scale. This is a great opportunity for an entrepreneur, ready to take on new challenges and new milestones as you work with legal on VAT exemption, Operations on building retail infrastructure, Tech on building a payment platform, Marketing on a sales strategy, and more. This will be hard, but it will be worth it. In providing Bridge pupils with higher-quality uniforms, you will inspire confidence and discipline in pupils’ self-confidence and ensure their safety (uniforms have been linked with greater child safety), in addition to distributing the best marketing materials Bridge has ever used (uniforms will be branded).
A background in retail operations, with understanding around logistics/supply chain ideal, particularly in emerging economies. Strong analytical and organizational skills are required, both from a data modeling/analysis perspective as well as physically developing the infrastructure necessary to run a retail chain. Above all, we’re looking for ambition, organization, drive, intellect, problem solving, and respect for others. This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Travel throughout Kenya and other parts of Africa and Asia may be required.
Who should apply
- Detailed doers – You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
- Smart hustlers - You have the brain power but also the pragmatism to get stuff done in a chaotic context. You are focusing on winning, and will do just about anything (with integrity of course) to get to the people and places that you need to succeed.
- Networking masterminds – You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates. You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network of public relations contacts from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
- Creative problem-solvers – Bridge is still a start-up: hands-on and scrappy. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand, which may be less than you’re used to. Every dollar you spend is a dollar our customers, who live on less than $2 a day, will have to pay for.
- Customer advocates – Our customers – these families living on less than $2 a day per person – never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like. Every decision you make considers their customer benefit, experience, and value.
- Life-long learners – You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.
Who shouldn’t apply
- 9-to-5ers – If you like the comforts of an office job – be it short and consistent hours, you won’t like it here. Hours are long, there are no freebies, and you’re going to spend most of your time in the field.
- Narcissists – If you’ve ever finished the statement, “I didn’t go to university to ______,” you won’t like it here. Your degree, age, lineage, and past experience don’t matter. Only your current output, and how it benefits our customers, does.
- Hand-holders – We love teamwork, but sometimes we get busy. You need to work well independently and have the self-motivation to never slow down. Of course, you’ll be very responsive and constantly update us on your status.
About Bridge
Bridge International Academies is the world’s largest chain of primary and pre-primary schools. We democratize the right to succeed by giving families living in poverty accesss to the high-quality education that will allow their children to live a very different life. We leverage experts, data, and technology in order to standardize and scale every aspect of quality education delivery, from how and where academies are built to how teachers are selected and trained, and how lessons are delivered and monitored for improvement. We are vertically-integrated, tech-enabled, and on our way to profitability.
The post Bridge International Academies Job Vacancy : Retail Operations Director appeared first on Jobs in Kenya.
