Director – Business Services and Operations

Background/Job Purpose

The Director, Business Services and Operations is a strategic partner to the Executive Secretary and a member of the senior management team, responsible for leadership and oversight of the Foundation’s core operational and fiduciary functions. The role directly supervises five key service units: Finance, Procurement, Information Technology (IT), People and Culture, and Corporate Services.
 
The Director ensures these functions operate as a cohesive, client-oriented platform that enables effective delivery of ACBF’s programs and impact agenda. The role serves as a central coordination point across the organization, working closely with Programs & Impact, Legal, and other units, as well as external stakeholders.
 
The incumbent ensures that operational systems, financial stewardship, and people management practices support efficient grant management, high-quality reporting, and full compliance with donor, legal, and regulatory requirements. The role also leads engagement with internal and external auditors, ensuring robust internal controls, risk management, and compliance frameworks across the organization. This position will be based in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Leadership and Integrated Service Delivery

• Provide strategic direction and leadership to five core units: Finance, Procurement, IT, People & Culture, and Corporate Services, ensuring alignment with ACBF’s strategy and priorities.
• Maintain an integrated business services model that promotes collaboration, efficiency, and service quality.
• Ensure seamless operational support to program teams across the project lifecycle, including planning, implementation, and reporting.

2. Cross-Functional Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a central coordination point between Business Services and:
  • Programs & Impact teams for grant management, budgeting, and donor reporting;
  • Legal function for contractual matters relating to procurement of good and services and staff employment;
  • Senior management and the Executive Board on financial, operational, and risk matters.
• Ensure that financial, procurement, contractual, business services and HR processes are compliant, efficient and aligned with legal and policy requirements.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with donors, partners, service providers, and financial institutions, ensuring operational credibility and responsiveness.

3. Financial Stewardship, Risk, and Compliance

• Provide overall leadership for financial management, fiduciary oversight, and risk management, ensuring robust internal controls and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee coordination with internal and external auditors, ensuring timely audits, effective implementation of audit recommendations, and continuous strengthening of control systems.
• Ensure that risk and compliance frameworks are embedded across all supervised units, not only Finance, fostering a culture of accountability and transparency.
• Lead organizational compliance with donor requirements, statutory obligations, and internal policies across procurement, HR, IT, and administration.

4. Operational Excellence and Service Efficiency

• Ensure efficient delivery of core services, including :
  • Procurement and contract management;
  • IT systems reliability and security;
  • Human Resources management and staff lifecycle support;
  • Administrative and logistical support.
• Promote a service-oriented culture across all business service units, ensuring responsiveness to internal and external stakeholders.
• Strengthen systems, processes, and digital solutions to enhance operational performance and data-driven decision-making. 

5. Team Leadership and Organizational Capability

• Lead and manage a multi-disciplinary team across five functional areas, fostering collaboration, accountability, and high performance.
• Ensure clear role definition and coordination across units to avoid silos and duplication.
• Build capacity within teams and across partner organizations, particularly in financial, procurement, and operational management systems.
• Drive performance management, continuous learning, and professional development across all supervised functions.

Qualification and Experience

• Advanced degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or related field (professional accounting qualification preferred).
• Minimum of 12–15 years of relevant experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Strong experience in financial management, donor-funded programs, and fiduciary oversight.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams (IT, People and Culture, Procurement and corporate services) and manage complex operations.
• Experience working with international organizations or development institutions is an advantage.
• Bilingual (English*/French) is an advantage.

Core Competencies:

• Strategic thinking and leadership
• Financial and business acumen
• Risk management and governance expertise
• Stakeholder engagement and partnership building
• Operational excellence and results delivery
• Strong communication and influencing skills

Caractéristiques personnelles

• An intellectually curious but humble leader with a high degree of compassion, able to engage, enable and inspire.
• Une approche concrète de toutes les activités, avec une réelle passion et un dynamisme exceptionnel. Agile et à l'aise, il s'adapte facilement à différents environnements.
• Créatif et inventif pour surmonter les obstacles et les imprévus. Courageux d'esprit, il impulse le changement par l'innovation.
• An authentic leader who intuitively engenders an inclusive environment, enabling program to reach its ambitious goals.
• Possesses high personal standards of ethics and integrity towards employees, stakeholders, and beneficiaries.
• Leadership axé sur le service, profondément engagé à servir et à écouter les autres. Aptitude naturelle à nouer des relations solides et à favoriser la collaboration grâce à l'empathie et à l'authenticité.

Durée et rémunération

• The contract is for a period of three years, to be extended based on performance and availability of funds.
• The African Capacity Building Foundation offers competitive compensation commensurate with experience.

À propos de la Fondation pour le renforcement des capacités en Afrique

La Fondation pour le renforcement des capacités en Afrique (ACBF) est l'agence spécialisée de l'Union africaine pour le développement des capacités. Depuis 1991, l'ACBF a formé plus de 100 000 professionnels des secteurs public et privé, de la société civile et du monde universitaire, tout en contribuant au développement institutionnel de plus de 40 États membres. Grâce à des partenariats stratégiques et à des programmes performants, la Fondation renforce les capacités humaines et institutionnelles, et produit et diffuse des connaissances pour promouvoir le développement durable de l'Afrique, conformément à l'Agenda 2063 et aux Objectifs de développement durable (ODD).

Le plan stratégique actuel de l'ACBF se concentre sur des domaines d'impact clés tels que le changement climatique et l'énergie à des fins productives, l'agroalimentaire et la souveraineté alimentaire, le commerce comme moteur du développement économique, et la gouvernance économique et sociale. La Fondation a son siège à Harare, des bureaux régionaux à Accra et à Nairobi, ainsi qu'un bureau de liaison auprès de la Commission de l'Union africaine à Addis-Abeba.

To apply for this position please submit in confidence a resume and a cover letter that details why you are a good fit for this position to recruitment@theacbf.org with the subject Director Business Services and Operations on or before 7 August 2026.

Seuls les candidats présélectionnés seront contactés.

La Fondation pour le renforcement des capacités en Afrique est un employeur garantissant l'égalité des chances