Chief Operations Officer – Pan-African Youth Development Organisation

Cape Town, South AfricaFull-timeExecutiveOn-sitePosted 23 Oct 2026

Job Overview

Zeal HR is recruiting a Chief Operations Officer (COO) for a well-established pan-African youth development organisation that works through grassroots organisations, community partners and stakeholder networks to equip young people with the skills, leadership capabilities and opportunities to participate meaningfully in society and the economy (CareerJunction 2646511; Cape Town CBD; the incumbent can be based in South Africa or Rwanda).

Working closely with the CEO and Executive Team, the COO builds the operational backbone required for sustainable growth across Africa. This is not a maintenance role: it calls for a systems builder and leadership multiplier who translates strategy into disciplined execution, provides executive leadership to National Managers and country teams, strengthens accountability across multiple countries, leads restructuring and change, and supports the CEO with strategic partnerships, donor engagement and stakeholder relationships across government, civil society and the private sector.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate strategy into clear operational plans, priorities and measurable outcomes across countries and functions

• Lead pan-African operational execution and integration across impact, growth, finance, people, technology and field operations

• Lead operational improvement and restructuring initiatives to prepare the organisation for sustainable scale

• Build simple, scalable systems, SOPs, dashboards, KPIs and performance accountability mechanisms

• Oversee operational budgets, forecasts and performance with Finance; identify and mitigate operational risk

• Provide executive leadership to National Managers and country teams across multiple African markets

• Strengthen collaboration with grassroots partners, governments, civil society and community stakeholders

• Develop senior, country and functional leaders and strengthen culture, roles and decision rights

• Oversee training, resource development and capacity-building functions for teams and implementing partners

• Support the CEO with strategic partnerships and donor engagements; represent the CEO when required

Required Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Business Administration, Public Policy or related discipline (equivalent senior experience may be considered)

• 12–15+ years’ leadership experience in community development, youth development, social enterprise or systems-level NGO environments

• At least 5 years in a senior leadership or executive management position

• Demonstrated experience leading operations across multiple African countries and in grassroots development contexts

• Proven experience designing operational systems, performance frameworks and leading restructuring or transformation

• Strong financial and operational management, and experience engaging donors, governments and multi-stakeholder partners

• Fluent English and fluency in an African language (essential); willingness to travel regularly across Africa

Skills & Requirements

Executive Operations LeadershipPan-African OperationsStrategy ExecutionOrganisational RestructuringChange LeadershipPerformance ManagementKPI DashboardsBudgeting & ForecastingDonor EngagementStakeholder ManagementYouth DevelopmentCapacity BuildingLeadership Development