Overview

GVI is one of the world’s leading, high-quality sustainable development and experiential education organisations.

We are a social enterprise, and our mission is to build a global network of people who together can make a long term positive impact on the world around us, while also generating profits.

We operate in 13 countries globally, employ 150+ staff and understand that the quality of us as an organisation and of our work will only ever be as high as the quality of the staff we employ. We are committed to employing, training and retaining the very best people in their chosen fields.

To join us on our journey of growth, learning and impact, we are looking for an experienced, passionate professional whose strengths lie in global people management and operations.

This person will be based in our Cape Town office and will have the challenging task of overseeing the delivery of world-leading programs in a number of destinations around the globe. They will interact closely with the managers of the hubs in those regions, to deliver the vision laid out by the team who design our participant experience.

Responsibilities:

  1. Provide input to the GVI Experience team as they define the experience for each program for each hub.

  2. Provide through the Hubs the projects, staff, resources, consumables, assets and infrastructure to deliver the GVI Experience as defined by the Experience team.

  3. Work with the GVI Experience team and Hubs to address any issues arising from the quality assurance process.

  4. Ensure that all Hub project work generates the maximum possible impact, and is consistent with GVI’s ethical framework.

  5. Ensure that Health and Safety protocols are followed on each Hub to ensure the safety of all participants, staff and other visitors to all GVI sites in their region.

  6. Optimise the commercial and operational structures by which the projects, staff, resources, consumables, assets and infrastructure are provided, so that the cost of providing the programs is minimised.

  7. Ensure successful implementation and reporting of project Impact measurement processes and work with the Impact and Ethics team to refine projects to maximise Impact.

  8. Ensure the successful implementation and delivery across hubs of all GVI marketing and internal communication initiatives.

  9. Prepare for and ensure the successful management of any issues which arise across the Hubs, including on-the-ground management of customer complaints, medical issues, natural disasters etc.

  10. In conjunction with the People and Field Operations functions, ensure the availability of full- and part-time skilled, fully-trained and motivated field staff to meet the requirements outlined in the hub’s field model staffing plan.

  11. Work with the Cape Town team to ensure in country legal compliance and maintain desired legal status through accurate and timely reporting.

Requirements

  • Proven track record successfully managing geographically-distributed teams.

  • 5+ years operational experience, in development, travel, tourism, or any other field which requires commercial and operational management of a complex geographically-distributed service.

  • Exceptional communication, problem solving and time management skills.

  • Strong financial management experience.

  • Flexible with working hours and open to traveling 3-4 times per year, each trip being a week or more in duration.

Salary: R480 000 – R780 000 subject to experience.

To apply, please email stephanie.toewater@gviworld.com.