Senior Manager Operations and Allocations

Position overview
SNV is building a commercial markets accelerator, built to close the gap between capital and impact where both are urgently needed. This is a lean unit with a single P&L, a break-even mandate, and a team that spans two revenue streams, multiple geographies, and a mix of hires and consultants. The Senior Manager for Operations and Allocations is the engine room. This person owns the financial backbone of the Accelerator, keeps a constant eye on profitability and spend, manages how team members and partners are allocated across assignments, and ensures the internal systems and processes work well enough to create commercial speed rather than administrative drag.
The right profile is someone with the financial rigour of a management accountant, the operational instincts of a COO, and the interpersonal skills to manage resource conversations in a small, fast-moving team where everyone has competing priorities. This is not a support function. It is a strategic role that directly determines whether the Accelerator reaches break-even.
Who you are
You are a commercially minded operations leader who thrives in building and scaling new ventures. You combine strong financial and analytical skills with the ability to design practical operating models, processes, and systems that enable teams to perform at their best.
You are naturally curious and challenge the status quo. Rather than accepting existing processes as given, you assess whether they are fit for purpose and look for opportunities to improve efficiency, decision-making, and client experience. You bring an external, commercially focused perspective and are comfortable questioning established ways of working when a better approach exists.
You are equally comfortable working with numbers, people, and systems. You understand the financial drivers of a business and can translate financial insights into operational decisions that improve profitability, resource utilization, and performance. At the same time, you build strong relationships, navigate competing priorities, and influence stakeholders with confidence and credibility.
You enjoy operating in ambiguity and are energized by creating structure where little exists. You take ownership, work independently, and proactively identify opportunities to improve how work gets done. As a trusted partner to senior leadership, you help shift operational responsibilities away from others by bringing sound judgement, practical solutions, and a strong bias for action.
Most importantly, you are motivated by building something new. You have the mindset of a problem solver, the rigor of a financial operator, and the confidence to create systems and ways of working that allow a fast-growing commercial venture to deliver impact at speed and scale.
Key Responsibilities
Financial management
Own the Accelerator's P&L — monthly tracking of revenue, costs, and contribution margin by stream and by engagement.
Maintain actuals vs forecast on a rolling basis. Flag variances to the Director within the week they emerge.
Manage invoicing: raise invoices on time, track payments, chase overdue receivables.
Negotiate and manage consultant and sub-contractor contracts — day rates, scope, payment milestones.
Prepare the quarterly financial report for the steering committee.
Own the budget reallocation process — track what has been spent, what remains, and flag when lines are at risk of overrun before they overrun.
Support the Director on financial inputs to stage gate dossiers. You will own a significant portion of each dossier: P&L actuals, budget variance, headcount status, and pipeline financial summary. This is not a supporting role on stage gates — it is a delivery role.
Resource allocation
Maintain a live allocation view: who is on what engagement, at what percentage, and through to when.
Identify capacity constraints before they become delivery problems — flag to the Director when team members are overcommitted.
Manage the transition of team members between engagements: close-out on one, mobilisation on the next.
Coordinate with the Director and stream leads on consultant sourcing when engagements require specialist inputs the core team cannot cover.
Track billable time across the team — ensuring the right proportion of staff time is recoverable against client engagements. Own the time-tracking system: select, set up, and maintain the tool. Billability data is only as good as the data behind it.
Partner and sub-contractor network
Own the onboarding process for consultants and sub-contractors: vetting, due diligence, SNV compliance checks, contract execution.
Maintain a curated roster of preferred partners by specialism and geography — available and pre-qualified when an engagement needs them. Framework agreements with preferred partners are the default contracting model: commercial terms, liability, and quality standards agreed in advance so the unit can issue call-offs rather than negotiate from scratch on every bid.
Own the internal sub-contracting mechanism with other SNV teams: budget transfer process, accountability structure, quality standards, and escalation path.
Manage ongoing partner relationships: performance tracking, rate reviews, framework agreement renewals.
Build new partner relationships proactively — particularly in geographies or technical areas where the Accelerator's coverage is thin.
Internal systems and operations
Own the CRM — ensure it is live, accurate, and used. The pipeline data is only as good as the discipline behind it.
Maintain operating systems: project management tools, document management, reporting templates. Resolve the IT boundary question with SNV ICT: establish which tools sit inside SNV’s environment and which do not, and under what governance conditions.
Own the data governance framework: who owns data in each system, who has access, what categories of information can be processed through AI tools, and what must remain within SNV’s controlled environment.
Run the monthly internal review: pipeline status, allocation, financials. Prepare the materials; run the meeting.
Manage ongoing compliance requirements — procurement processes, finance reporting, HR administration.
Identify and flag any internal process that is creating drag on the team's commercial activity. Propose and implement fixes.
What you bring
To be considered for this role, you bring:
At least 8 years in operations, finance, or management roles — with direct experience managing a P&L or project budget in a commercial or consulting context.
Experience in resource allocation or capacity planning in a professional services or consulting environment.
Track record of managing consultant or sub-contractor networks — sourcing, contracting, and performance management.
Experience working in or with development organisations, international NGOs, or similar — familiarity with donor compliance, reporting requirements, and the operational constraints of internationally dispersed teams.
Experience building and running internal operating systems from scratch, not just inheriting and maintaining them.
Experience establishing or managing framework agreements with external suppliers or delivery partners.
Additionally, we value:
Strong financial management skills — comfortable with P&L tracking, margin analysis, and budget forecasting.
Proficiency with CRM tools, project management software, and financial tracking systems.
Exceptional organisational skills. You track many things simultaneously without dropping any.
Good negotiator — with consultants, with suppliers, and internally when competing priorities need to be resolved.
Comfortable evaluating and selecting operational tools — CRM, time tracking, project management, pipeline management. You can assess options against the team’s actual workflow rather than defaulting to what is already available.
English required. French or Portuguese an advantage.

Employment type
Full-time

Work arrangement
Yes