Managing Director

Embark In Knowledge; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Embark In Knowledge is seeking a Managing Director to lead strategy for its STEAMI youth centres in South Africa and drive measurable outcomes while ensuring financial health and HPF compliance.

The role requires building a high-performing organisation, scalable operations, strong governance and impactful partnerships with government, academia and donors to deliver meaningful community transformation.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification preferred in management, education, science or development studies.
• 10+ years of leadership experience, including 5+ years at senior/executive level.
• Proven track record leading multi-site operations and teams through growth.
• Experience managing budgets and government or donor funding, including compliance and reporting.
• Experience working with boards and government partners.
• Valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel regularly.
• Clear criminal record and safeguarding clearance requirements for roles with children.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refine EIK’s short and long term strategy for STEM-driven youth development.
• Build a culture of impact, learning and innovation with measurable outcomes.
• Design scalable operating models and robust SOPs for quality across sites.
• Lead budgeting, financial planning and long term sustainability with value-for-money principles.
• Manage governance, risk, audits and safeguarding framework.
• Represent EIK with government, universities, donors and partners; ensure compliance and reporting.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Governance & compliance

Financial stewardship

Change management

Data-driven decision making

Education

Postgraduate qualification in management/education/science/development studies

Job description

Direct reports: General Managers (Cape Town and George); Head Office team (currently the HR Manager and Finance Manager)

• Purpose of the Role

The Managing Director (MD) leads EIK’s strategy and turns it into the structures, systems and results that deliver measurable impact across EIK’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and Innovation (“STEAMI”) youth centres. The MD is accountable to the Board for the organisation’s performance, financial health and compliance, including all obligations to the Hasso Plattner Foundation (HPF).

The role calls for a leader who can drive ambitious growth while keeping compliance and financial management rigorous. The MD will build a resilient, high performing organisation that delivers high quality programmes, runs efficient and scalable operations, and strengthens EIK’s network of partners.

1.Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Develop, own and regularly refine EIK’s short and long term strategy, positioning EIK as a benchmark for STEM-driven youth development in South Africa.
• Build a culture of impact, learning and innovation, ensuring that pilots and rollouts are tied to clear, measurable outcomes.
• Design and run an operating model that delivers consistent quality across all sites and can scale as EIK grows.
• Establish and maintain the policies, processes and standard operating procedures needed to meet deliverables.
• Integrate STEM programming with health, wellness and youth development initiatives to deliver holistic, measurable community outcomes.
• Lead annual budgeting, financial planning and long term financial sustainability, applying value for money principles.
• Maintain robust internal controls, procurement policies and audit readiness, with accurate and transparent financial reporting.
• Manage funding agreements, ensuring that milestones and reporting requirements are met on time.

Partnerships & External Relations

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with government departments, universities, industry partners, potential donors and international networks.
• Act as EIK’s principal ambassador, representing the organisation as a credible leader in STEM education, youth development and community transformation.
• Ensure full compliance with Board and HPF requirements, statutory regulations and EIK’s ethical standards.
• Lead governance processes, including regular Board reporting, risk management and audits.
• Own EIK’s safeguarding framework, ensuring that policies, training and reporting procedures protect every child and young person in EIK’s care.

People, Culture & Capability

• Build and sustain a high performing, values driven organisation, with leadership development and succession plans for key roles.
• Promote staff wellbeing, inclusion, equity and professional development.
• Implement effective performance management, talent pipelines and regular, constructive feedback.
• Ensure that every team member clearly understands their role, responsibilities and reporting lines.

Communication, Brand & Internal Alignment

• Protect EIK’s brand and maintain a consistent external narrative.
• Ensure clear, timely communication with the Board, HPF, partners and the public.
• Drive alignment and collaboration across programmes, operations, finance and partnerships.
• Strategic and visionary leadership
• Systems thinking, with the ability to turn plans into working processes at scale
• Operational excellence and skilled change management
• Sound financial judgement and stewardship
• Stakeholder engagement and influence at all levels, from community to government
• Data-driven decision making, strong in monitoring and evaluation will be extremely beneficial
• Strong grounding in safeguarding, ethics and compliance
• Digital fluency and openness to innovation
• Integrity, collaborative leadership and excellent communication
• A passion for STEM and youth development

3.Qualifications & Experience

• A relevant postgraduate qualification (e.g. in management, education, science or development studies) is preferred.
• At least 10 years’ leadership experience, including at least 5 years at senior executive level, ideally in the non-profit, education or youth development sector.
• A track record of leading multi-site operations and teams through periods of growth.
• Proven experience managing budgets and government or donor funding, including compliance and reporting.
• Experience working with a board of directors and with government partners.
• A valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel regularly between sites.
• A clear criminal record and clearance against the National Child Protection Register, as required for roles working with children.