Position Title: Volunteer, Operations Associate
Organization: Scouts Healing Invisible Wounds (SHIW)
Reporting to: Executive Director
Location: Remote, Nairobi-based
Terms of Engagement: 6 Months Contract, Renewable with a modest monthly stipend provided.
About Us:
Established in 2020, Scouts Healing Invisible Wounds (SHIW) is a mental health initiative committed to enhancing the mental resilience of young people and communities by offering youth-friendly, youth-centric and community-based mental health and psychosocial support interventions. Our mission is to provide innovative, evidence-based, and user-friendly services that address challenges young people and communities are predisposed to.
Purpose:
The Operations Associate will work directly with SHIW’s Executive Director and staff on a full-time, remote, volunteer basis. He/She will lead the planning and execution of tasks across various departments with lots of behind-the-scenes work. He/She will provide regular updates to the Executive Director and staff on program highlights and directly work with the existing leadership, Mental Health Ambassadors, and Partners to support activities across contexts in line with the approved workplans.
Key Responsibilities:
Program Coordination/Implementation (40%)
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Provide technical assistance to the Programs Director, including day-to-day coordination for the implementation of our Calendar of Events, Workplans, and donor-funded programs.
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Prepare periodic program and financial update reports documenting progress against the set KPIs for internal use and as per donor requirements.
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Provide support to the Finance team by monitoring and tracking expenditures in line with approved budget lines, ensuring proper documentation for all expenses.
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Monitor planned activities to ensure implementation constraints receive timely corrective actions.
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Identify and map out strategic partners and potential donor opportunities to support SHIW’s Programs and Activities.
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Provide support in developing sustainable resource mobilization strategies in line with SHIW’s resource mobilization strategy.
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Strengthen the partnership between SHIW and all the partners, ensuring seamless implementation of SHIW programs in communities and schools.
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Identify risks to SHIW programming and devise mitigation strategies.
Event Coordination (30%)
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Lead the planning and delivery of activities, including venue identification, site visit assessments, venue bookings, and all logistics coordination.
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Support the Social Media Manager in developing promotional content to market events and maximize participant sign-ups and engagement.
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Manage participant communication and coordination, including responding to enquiries, overseeing sign-ups, maintaining attendance records, and collecting feedback using survey tools.
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Update internal program trackers as well as dashboards with key activity data for easy access and reporting.
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Assist in gathering required supporting documents, such as photos, testimonials, and success stories, and work with Program Staff to ensure reporting deadlines are met and all required information is captured in the correct format.
Knowledge Management & Safeguarding (10%)
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Creation and sharing of knowledge by synthesizing and documenting lessons learned, success stories, best practices, strategies, and approaches with support from the Monitoring and Evaluation staff.
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Track best practices and maintain a breadth of knowledge about current trends, emerging issues, opportunities, and thematic areas in youth mental health that are key to SHIW.
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Research and identify appropriate stakeholders and cost-effective program components and put their implementation to practice.
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Support implementation of safeguarding procedures during activities, including ensuring facilitators and staff follow safeguarding practices.
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Assist in documenting safeguarding incidents or concerns and ensuring they are escalated appropriately through the organization’s reporting structure.
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Support staff and volunteers to follow professional conduct guidelines, especially when working with adolescents and vulnerable populations.
Other General Responsibilities (20%)
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Maintain routine communication internally and across teams for effective delivery of programs as per schedules.
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Plan and coordinate regular SHIW internal teams’ virtual and in-person meetings, documenting discussions, capturing key decisions, and developing action trackers to monitor progress on agreed action points.
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Spearhead the management of a centralized database for our mental health champions Network and the Lived Experience Council, ensuring members are consistently engaged, supported to implement their locally led initiatives, and meaningfully involved in shaping SHIW’s program design through structured feedback.
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Support organizational communications across digital platforms by sharing regular updates with SHIW’s email subscribers, engaging our audience through the WhatsApp channel, monitoring social media activity to maintain vibrant pages, and ensuring the website remains updated with relevant content for partners, young people, and stakeholders.
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Strengthen SHIW’s external engagement and visibility by mapping out opportunities and representing the team in multi-stakeholder spaces, including conferences, summits, and partner meetings, and sharing key insights back internally to inform programming and collaboration.
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Any other duties may be assigned from time to time.
Minimum Qualifications and Experience:
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Undergraduate degree in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Community Development, Public Health, Project Management, or a related field from a recognized institution.
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At least 1 year of relevant experience (can include volunteer experience) in program coordination, operations, administration, or project support in a mental health, youth development, NGO, or community-based setting.
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Demonstrated experience supporting youth-centered mental health or psychosocial support (MHPSS) initiatives.
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Proven ability to support the full project cycle, including planning, implementation, documentation, reporting, and sustainability.
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Experience coordinating events and trainings, including logistics, registration, attendance tracking, and feedback collection.
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Experience working in multi-stakeholder environments, including engagement with schools, community structures, youth networks, and partners.
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Basic experience supporting budget tracking and expense documentation, including receipts, approvals, and reporting.
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Demonstrated understanding of safeguarding, ethics, and confidentiality, especially when working with adolescents and vulnerable populations will be an added advantage.
Key Competencies:
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Excellent written and verbal communication in English and Kiswahili.
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Strong ability to coordinate across teams, maintain routine internal communication, and follow up on action points consistently.
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A strong ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, maintain trackers and dashboards, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
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Ability to compile periodic programs and financial updates aligned to KPIs and donor requirements.
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Proficiency in Google Workspace or Microsoft Office, especially Docs/Word, Sheets/Excel, Forms, and PowerPoint.
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Comfortable using online survey and engagement tools (Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, etc.)
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Basic skills in Canva or other design tools for supporting promotional content.
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Ability to handle sensitive situations appropriately and escalate concerns through the correct reporting channels.
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Able to provide timely, well-written, and analytical reports to the project team as required.
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Self-motivated with a passion for the work and keen to learn as well as share knowledge and new innovative ideas.
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Able to coordinate and network with partners to build synergies that enhance the sustainability of the project outcomes.
Desirable:
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Prior volunteer or leadership experience with SHIW, including as a mental health champion or related role, will be an added advantage.
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Training or certification in Psychological First Aid (PFA), mhGAP, suicide first aid, QualityRights, or related mental health training.
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Experience coordinating youth networks, lived experience groups, or peer support structures.
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Experience supporting resource mobilization, donor mapping, partnership development, or proposal support, and familiarity with Kenya’s youth development and mental health ecosystem.
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Strong digital communications skills (email marketing tools, WhatsApp community engagement, basic website updates).
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Be based in Nairobi, with an ability to work fully remotely and travel outside Nairobi occasionally when required.
Benefits for this Role:
The role offers a meaningful opportunity for a motivated individual to contribute to youth mental health programming while gaining hands-on experience in project cycle management, organizational operations, event coordination, stakeholder engagement, and program delivery.
The selected candidate will benefit from:
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Structured support and mentorship, including regular check-ins with the Executive Director and team members to guide performance, learning, and progress.
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Practical experience in project management and program delivery.
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Professional development opportunities, supported through identified and mutually agreed on courses and learning opportunities.
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Growth opportunities over time within the role and the team, based on performance, availability of resources, and organizational needs.
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Operational support for work-related engagements, including facilitation of transport and logistics for approved travel required for program activities.
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A supportive and well-being-centered working culture, with flexible working arrangements when needed, including reasonable time off and rest days.
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A diverse, youth-led, and mission-driven team that knows how to work hard and play hard, that also values collaboration, feedback, creativity, and shared learning.
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A chance to be part of a community that not only delivers impactful programs for young people and communities but is also intentional about individual well-being, teamwork, and healthy work practices.
Equal Opportunity:
SHIW believes in fair and equal opportunities. We value diversity and encourage applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of gender, nationality, race, or disability. Please note that applications generated or heavily assisted by AI tools will not be considered, as we want to hear from your unique perspective and experiences.
We sincerely appreciate the time and effort of everyone who applies for this role. If you do not meet the qualifications at this time, we warmly encourage you to still reach out and express your interest in volunteering or contributing to our programs, and we will match you with the right opportunity.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit their CV and Motivation Letter on or before Monday, 9th March 2026. Visit www.shiw.org to learn more about our work.
Please note appointments will be done subject to satisfactory references and verification of academic credentials, only be asked for at the last stage of the recruitment process. Due to the high volume of applications expected, we may not be able to give personalized feedback to each applicant. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.