City Program Manager

Are you someone who excels in navigating complexity and fostering collaboration? Do you possess a keen ability to connect the dots and drive impactful outcomes? Are you passionate about optimizing program success from inception to completion? 

Well, this might just be the role for you! We're seeking an experienced Program Manager who will oversee the execution of all City Team objectives across the entire value chain. As part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to lead cross-functional initiatives, problem-solve, remove bottlenecks to execution, and drive impactful outcomes.

ABOUT US

Africa has an untapped talent pool that is increasing exponentially, with a projected workforce that will exceed India and China by 2035. Fuelled by this, our mission is to create work opportunities for millions of Africa’s youth and solve the world’s shortage of technology talent. 

Our company SAND has 450+ staff members from 48+ countries with plans to acquire several companies around the world to become a multi-billion dollar global technology services provider that employs over 100K employees across the globe.

We have 2 brands represented in our ecosystem:

• With ALX, we're cultivating the fastest-growing pool of technology talent globally, training aspiring professionals in software engineering, cloud computing, data science, and Salesforce across over 60 countries. ALX fosters a vibrant community for top tech talent, igniting transformative careers by connecting top technology talent with extraordinary opportunities for impact.
• Through Sand Technologies we support enterprises and scale-ups around the world to develop world class technology products, build great technology teams, generate more revenue, and deliver outstanding customer experience. Our clients include one of the largest cloud computing providers in the world as well as Bestseller A/S (Denmark), Create Prime (New Zealand), Stanbic Bank (Kenya), and Tamara (Dubai). 

With varying levels of expertise in software development, data, cloud, machine learning, artificial intelligence, UX design, web development, etc, we provide unparalleled opportunities to technology talent worldwide while reshaping industries, disrupting traditional business models, and creating new opportunities for innovation and growth.

We do hard things!

ABOUT THE CITY TEAMS

The City Teams are startups within a larger startup. Run as a “standalone” business and led by a General Manager (GM), each City Team is responsible for the recruitment of exceptional talent into the ALX programs, fostering community and engagement to enhance retention, graduation and ultimately unlocking jobs and opportunities for impact. In pursuit of our mission, we encourage autonomy, creativity, and experimentation. We embrace risks and failure. We seek those that have a beginners’ mindset, are lifelong learners, thrive in uncertain circumstances and uncharted territory, and have a deep passion for driving impactful outcomes. If you're excited about working in a hyper-growth, hard-working but fun and collaborative environment, you are in the right place.

ABOUT THE ROLE

In the role of a City Program Manager, you will be responsible for enabling the seamless execution of all City deliverables in alignment with set objectives. This role requires a strategic thinker, with high business acumen and strong project coordination expertise. You should be motivated by a desire to optimize productivity and nurture program success from inception.

Objectives of this role

• Develop and execute program initiatives that align with organizational goals.
• Establish evaluation protocols for ongoing program enhancement.
• Ensure adherence to organizational standards for satisfaction, quality, and performance
• Oversee program coordination of Cities, and other key stakeholders across the organization to drive the identification and resolution of critical issues, ensuring program objectives are achieved

More specifically your role will include:

End to End Program Management:

• Work closely with the VP of Operations, and City GMs to scope deliverables, required resources, work plan, budget, and timing for new initiatives
• Develop a detailed program journey and stakeholder map,  identify innovative ways to improve program delivery, and facilitate execution in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
• Identify risks and opportunities across the program journey, analyze, evaluate, and propose risk mitigation steps.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to reengineer processes, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and enhancing overall program effectiveness and performance.
• Develop and integrate best practices and innovative solutions into program operations to drive continuous improvement and achieve strategic objectives.

Data & Reporting:

• Work closely with Operations and City GMs to define the data points and key metrics that need to be tracked throughout the program.
• Create, implement, and manage robust reporting systems to track program performance, ensuring timely and accurate data collection, analysis, and dissemination.
• Produce periodic detailed reports and dashboards that provide insights into program metrics, trends, and outcomes to Cities, VP of Operations, and Senior Leadership to enable informed decision-making and strategic planning.
• Translate data findings into actionable recommendations to enhance the program's overall quality and impact, communicating these insights clearly to stakeholders and Senior Leadership.

City Coordination:

• Enhance collaboration across Cities and central teams ensuring seamless communication handoffs and amplifying the voice of the Cities.
• Drive cadence and agenda for GM meetings, following upon on action items to ensure execution.

REQUIREMENTS:

• 4-5 years  of work experience in operations program management or technical management background in a fast-paced, high-growth environment;
• Ability to own driving the execution and reporting of the operational KPI, OKR and metrics for allocated areas;
• Strong knowledge of business processes and experience leading people-related functions;
• You have a high level of accuracy and a strong attention to detail you pay close attention to all of the small particulars when working on a task or project;
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, and comfortable presenting in large groups and handling high-pressure communication with senior management;
• Experience with managing large cross-functional complex projects coupled with a detailed understanding of the risks and milestones to cross when engaged in projects;
• A demonstrated ability to self-motivate and follow through on projects;
• Strong collaborative capabilities: you are an epic team player and can influence your peers to drive results;
• Ability to use data to drive decision-making;
• Humility and openness to feedback: you proactively seek feedback for improvement and have an insatiable curiosity and hunger to grow;
• You have a starter mindset and are comfortable with ambiguous, ever-changing situations;
• Fast-paced working delivery with tight precision;
• Tech Savvy with a good understanding of the technological aspects relevant to Program Management is a nice to have.

We would also like to remind you that this is a remote job, which means that you can work from anywhere in the world. However, we have a preference for a GMT to GMT +4 time zone.