Chief Operating Officer - Entertainment Industry

About the role

A Pan-African creative and media group, described as a vertically integrated network covering music, live experiences, content and media, is seeking a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to run one of its most ambitious creative enterprises. The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and is advertised by Q-Sourcing, a manpower management solutions firm operating in the East African region.

Key responsibilities

• Work with the Group CEO to turn the group's strategic vision into operational plans and objectives, and drive operational integration across business units.
• Lead, manage and optimize the operations of all group entities across markets, including business processes, performance metrics and operational budgets.
• Provide leadership to country and business unit managers, foster accountability and collaboration, and mentor talent to build an operational leadership pipeline.
• Identify, document and implement standardized procedures across markets to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance service delivery.
• Monitor performance against KPIs and financial targets, work with finance teams on budgets and give insights to the CEO and the board.
• Facilitate collaboration between business units and markets so operations support commercial, creative and strategic goals.
• Ensure compliance with local regulations, industry standards and internal policies, and identify and mitigate operational risks.
• Frequent travel to Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and Rwanda for business reviews, meetings with local teams and market assessments.

Required profile

• 15+ years of leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a senior operations role (COO, GM, MD or equivalent).
• Proven track record running multi-market or multi-brand organizations across Africa or similar emerging markets.
• Strong experience in media, entertainment, FMCG or other brand-driven industries.
• Experience creating or scaling systems in high-growth environments.
• Confident managing budgets, P&Ls and governance processes.
• People leader able to motivate and hold senior teams accountable, resilient and decisive in fast-paced environments.