Chief Operating Officer – Kenya
Location: Kenya — relocation required; relocation support provided
Reports to: Global COO (functionally) and Country Manager (administratively)
Functions reporting into the role: Agronomy, AgOps, REP Program
Employment: Full-time
About FinAgra
FinAgra is building a new model for commercial agriculture in emerging markets. We combine financing, agronomy, technology, and farm operations to turn underperforming farmland into professionally managed, productive farming businesses.
About the Role
FinAgra is looking for a Chief Operating Officer – Kenya, to lead execution of our operating model as we scale our network of farms and REPs (Rural Entrepreneurial Partners) across the country.
This is a broad COO role responsible for translating company strategy into disciplined execution on the ground. The COO will directly lead Agronomy, Agricultural Operations, and the REP Program, while coordinating closely with Procurement, Finance, Commercial, Product, Technology, and other functions.
The role combines operational leadership, cross-functional coordination, organisational development, and execution discipline. A key part of the mandate is to build the systems, standards, and culture required for FinAgra Kenya to scale effectively.
This is a Kenya-based leadership role requiring full-time relocation. We welcome candidates currently based internationally who are ready to build and lead operations on the ground.
What You Will Do
Operational Leadership
Translate company and seasonal priorities into executable plans across teams, regions and farms.
Identify operational bottlenecks, resolve cross-functional dependencies, and ensure issues are escalated and addressed quickly.
Build scalable processes that allow FinAgra to grow across more REPs, farms and regions without losing execution quality.
Cross-Functional Execution
Lead Agronomy, AgOps, and the REP Program, and ensure these functions operate as one integrated system.
Coordinate execution across Operations, Procurement, Finance, Commercial, Product and Technology.
Ensure operational requirements are clearly defined and communicated to supporting functions.
Drive strong seasonal planning and alignment across functions.
Establish management routines, KPIs, reporting and escalation processes that provide visibility into execution.
Standards, Safety & Culture
Establish high standards of operational discipline, safety, ethics, transparency and accountability.
Build and enforce clear SOPs, management standards and operational controls.
Ensure strong standards around worker safety, machinery use, chemical handling and responsible farm operations.
Develop local managers and create a culture of ownership, problem-solving and professional management.
Build an organisation that can operate with increasing independence and consistency as FinAgra scales.
What We Are Looking For
7+ years of operational leadership experience, ideally as a COO, General Manager, Head of Operations, or similar.
Strong experience managing complex, distributed or multi-site operations.
Proven ability to build management systems, processes and operational discipline in a growing organisation.
Experience leading multiple functions and coordinating execution across teams.
Strong understanding of agriculture, and commercial farming operations.
Sufficient understanding of agronomy, mechanisation, and irrigation to effectively lead specialists and make informed operational decisions.
Sufficient experience in working with digital systems like ERP, farm management systems, etc.
Strong people leadership, performance management, and problem-solving skills.
Highly structured and execution-oriented, while able to operate at a strategic leadership level.
High standards of integrity, accountability, and professionalism.
Experience working across cultures, and in complex operating environments is highly desirable.
Willingness to relocate to Kenya, and spend significant time across FinAgra’s operating regions and farms.
Who Will Thrive in This Role
You combine operational leadership experience in distributed agricultural operations or commercial farming with proven expertise in building management systems, SOPs, and cross-functional controls. Structured, resilient, and highly execution-oriented, you bring strong problem-solving ability, high integrity, and a culturally adaptable leadership style suited to managing diverse teams on the ground. You're motivated by the opportunity to build FinAgra Kenya's operating backbone — driving execution discipline across a scaling network of farms and REPs.
Skills Required
- At least 7 years of operational leadership experience, ideally as a COO, General Manager, Head of Operations, or similar
- Experience managing complex, distributed, or multi-site operations
- Experience building management systems, processes, and operational discipline in a growing organization
- Experience leading multiple functions and coordinating execution across teams
- Strong understanding of agriculture and commercial farming operations
- Understanding of agronomy, mechanisation, and irrigation sufficient to lead specialists and make operational decisions
- Experience with digital systems such as ERP and farm management systems
- Strong people leadership, performance management, and problem-solving skills
- Structured, execution-oriented approach combined with strategic leadership capability
- High integrity, accountability, and professionalism
- Willingness to relocate to Kenya
- Willingness to spend significant time across operating regions and farms
- Experience working across cultures and in complex operating environments
What We Do
Finagra builds profitable farms and strengthens food systems in emerging markets. It combines financing for inputs, equipment, and infrastructure with agronomy, technology, local entrepreneurship, and buyer connections. Through partnerships with rural operators, Finagra provides crop plans, operating systems, and digital tools to help farms produce reliably, profitably, and at scale, while sharing results with local farm managers.
