Your mission

The Head of Operations will lead KAYA’s project implementation efforts in Angola. It is a national role reporting to the Country Head. They will be a hands-on leader who will help build KAYA’s portfolio of conservation and restoration projects in a landscape over more than five million hectares spread across different provinces.  In this process, they will soon be leading a team of over twenty employees consisting of professionals working on procurement, logistics, project infrastructure establishment as well as both biophysical and socioeconomic activities in the projects. They will work very closely with the Country Head, the Head of HR, Finance & Legal and Cultural & Public Relations Manager at KAYA Angola and with members of the Climate Department in KAYA Germany.  It is a Luanda-based role with lengthy deputations and frequent travel expected in the project areas.

Your responsibilities

• Set-up the project implementation system under budgetary framework agreed with the Finance Department and account for operations across all the projects 
• Build and lead the procurement, logistics, site management and community engagement teams in Luanda and in the project areas 
• Lead the planning, scheduling, management, and reporting of project activities in close cooperation with the AFOLU Project Development Specialist and Community & Livelihoods Specialist 
• Account for high quality and timely environmental compliance in on-site activities including but not limited to appraisal of land management plans and impact studies  
• Account for integrity and social compliance in community engagement activities 
• Manage vendors, procurement, and customs in a timely manner, and ensure successful reporting to the Finance Department at KAYA Angola and Climate Department at KAYA Germany 
• Ensure timely and cost-effective management of logistics and infrastructure establishment 
• Support Country Head in the identification of landscapes and gathering information for new project development 
• Support the AFOLU Project Development Specialist in the certification standard-mandated third-party validation and verification process  
• Contribute to the documentation process through the life cycle of the project 

Your profile

• Over eight years of experience leading wide range of operations in agriculture, forestry, or other land use businesses 
• Experience of leading multiple teams while having a strong understanding of the duties of those teams 
• Track record of having managed large-scale procurement and logistics on the African continent 
• Basic understanding of national laws and regulations concerning labour, agriculture, forestry, fire management, environment, land use 
• Ability to relate with and manage relationships with government at provincial and municipal levels 
• Familiarity with market-based conservation and restoration programmes, like carbon market, biodiversity protection mechanisms, and commodity supply chain conservation mechanisms, is a plus 
• Willingness to be based in Luanda or a mutually agreed location in Angola 
• Willingness to undertake long deputations or frequent travel to different parts of the country 
• Openness to co-creating structures, processes and culture at a start-up while being patient through the developmental phase 
• Possibility to contact former employers 
• In addition to Portuguese fluency, working proficiency in English and other indigenous languages is a must 
• Higher education in environment, or business administration is a plus 

What we offer

• Offer of a job with purpose 
• Opportunity to work for the planet and people. 
• Opportunity to work on and learn more about climate change mitigation and adaptation from first-hand experience. 
• Global exposure through international colleagues and intercontinental work travel 
• Possibility to become part of an organisation in its developmental phase. 

 
How to apply 

Please send us your latest CV along with a summary on why you would like to work at KAYA.  In case of any questions to aid your application process, please write to Yevheniia Fastryha at work@kaya.global. 

We at KAYA stand for equal opportunities and recruit based on capability and performance. We welcome everyone who shares our passion and cares about contributing to our vision to hand in their application.

About us

KAYA is an environmental organisation started in 2023 by purpose-driven professionals with different cultural backgrounds and with several years of experience in nature conservation, clean energy, rural development, real estate, and e-commerce. KAYA’s vision is to mitigate climate change by working with nature. In doing so, it also aspires to support the impacted communities and societies in accessing new livelihoods and becoming more resilient. KAYA's mission is to develop multi-year landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects in terrestrial ecosystems. It will bring the developed projects upon maturity to the market for payments for their ecosystem services.