Background

Our client, Stawi Experiences, is a leading provider of experiential learning, corporate events, and team-building experiences across Kenya. They design and deliver transformative experiences that engage, inspire and develop teams, helping organizations unlock their people’s potential. They are seeking to hire an Operations Manager who will oversee all operational, commercial and strategic aspects of Stawi Experiences. This includes managing budgets, leading teams, ensuring operational excellence and fostering client and vendor relationships. The ideal candidate combines commercial acumen, people leadership and operational discipline with a passion for experiential learning.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic & Commercial Management

• Take ownership of P&L, budgets, pricing, profitability, and cost optimization across multiple projects
• Drive business growth by creating repeatable, scalable revenue streams through upsells, retainers, and partnerships
• Stay ahead of market trends in experiential learning, corporate events, and engagement to position Stawi competitively

2. Leadership & People Development

• Lead and inspire cross-functional teams, including creative, operations, facilitators, and vendors
• Mentor and coach staff to foster independence, accountability, and professional growth

3. Operations & Systems

• Implement and enforce operational discipline using SOPs, CRM/ERP systems (e.g., Odoo), and performance dashboards
• Plan and allocate resources efficiently across multiple events to ensure smooth execution
• Maintain Stawi’s signature experiential quality while scaling operations

4. Client & Relationship Management

• Strengthen relationships with existing clients while actively identifying new opportunities
• Manage vendor relationships in line with Stawi’s Vendor Policy, ensuring quality and value
• Represent Stawi professionally in pitches, debriefs, and storytelling sessions

5. Innovation & Product Development (Growth Area)

• Collaborate on designing new team-building activities, hybrid formats, and experiential learning frameworks
• Keep the product line fresh by integrating technology, learning design, and creative storytelling

6. Character & Values Fit

• High integrity, dependable, emotionally mature, and decisive
• Growth-oriented but grounded, respecting structure while contributing creativity
• Passionate about people and experiences beyond logistics or sales metrics

Required Specifications:

• Proven experience managing operations, events or experiential teams in a corporate or agency setting
• Strong commercial and Profit & Loss management skills
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and mentoring staff
• Familiarity with SOPs, CRM/ERP systems, and resource planning
• Strong client and vendor relationship management skills
• Strategic thinker with the ability to execute plans effectively

• Take ownership of P&L, budgets, pricing, profitability, and cost optimization across multiple projects
• Drive business growth by creating repeatable, scalable revenue streams through upsells, retainers, and partnerships
• Stay ahead of market trends in experiential learning, corporate events, and engagement to position Stawi competitively
• Lead and inspire cross-functional teams, including creative, operations, facilitators, and vendors
• Mentor and coach staff to foster independence, accountability, and professional growth
• Implement and enforce operational discipline using SOPs, CRM/ERP systems (e.g., Odoo), and performance dashboards
• Plan and allocate resources efficiently across multiple events to ensure smooth execution
• Maintain Stawi’s signature experiential quality while scaling operations
• Strengthen relationships with existing clients while actively identifying new opportunities
• Manage vendor relationships in line with Stawi’s Vendor Policy, ensuring quality and value
• Represent Stawi professionally in pitches, debriefs, and storytelling sessions
• Collaborate on designing new team-building activities, hybrid formats, and experiential learning frameworks
• Keep the product line fresh by integrating technology, learning design, and creative storytelling

• Commercial acumen
• People leadership
• Operational discipline
• Passion for experiential learning
• P&L management
• Budget management
• Pricing strategies
• Profitability analysis
• Cost optimization
• Business growth strategies
• Upselling
• Retainer models
• Partnership development
• Market trend analysis
• Competitive positioning
• Team leadership
• Mentoring
• Coaching
• Operational discipline
• SOP implementation
• CRM/ERP system usage
• Performance dashboard utilization
• Resource planning
• Client relationship management
• Vendor relationship management
• Professional representation
• Innovation
• Product development
• Learning design
• Creative storytelling
• Integrity
• Dependability
• Emotional maturity
• Decisiveness
• Growth mindset
• Creativity

• Proven experience managing operations, events or experiential teams in a corporate or agency setting
• Strong commercial and Profit & Loss management skills
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and mentoring staff
• Familiarity with SOPs, CRM/ERP systems, and resource planning
• Strong client and vendor relationship management skills
• Strategic thinker with the ability to execute plans effectively