Chief Operating Officer (COO)

About the role

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will act as the CEO’s principal operating partner, ensuring Malala Fund has the people, systems, resources, and capacity to execute its strategy effectively and sustainably. This senior leader will sit on the Executive Leadership Team, collaborating across functions and geographies to turn strategic vision into coordinated action.

Key responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO, providing independent judgement and practical recommendations on strategic choices.
• Partner with the CEO and ELT to shape organisational strategy and translate it into integrated multi‑year and annual plans, budgets, and resource allocations.
• Act as the principal enterprise integrator, aligning functional and country priorities with overall strategy and surfacing cross‑functional dependencies.
• Establish and lead enterprise planning and operating rhythms, including performance reviews and decision‑tracking systems.
• Identify and help resolve organisational bottlenecks, competing priorities, and capacity constraints, strengthening decision rights and accountability.

Required profile

• Proven experience in senior operational leadership, preferably at the executive level.
• Strong judgement, analytical thinking, and collaborative leadership style.
• Ability to work across diverse functions and geographies, aligning priorities and driving integrated execution.
• Excellent communication skills for candid partnership with the CEO and executive team.

Required skills