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Chief Strategy and Operations Officer
Sustainable Seas Trust
Operations
Cape Town, South Africa
Posted on Mar 28, 2026
Chief Strategy and Operations Officer
Cape Town
Executive
About The Position
The CSOO is responsible for translating SST’s strategic ambition into disciplined, resourced execution. This role operates horizontally at executive level to ensure alignment between strategy, delivery capacity, capital commitments and performance discipline.
The CSOO strengthens institutional coherence, reduces executive concentration risk, elevates the strategic positioning of SST’s research and programme architecture, and embeds sequencing, forecasting and performance integration across the organisation.
For the full list of deliverables and outputs, please view the full job description here.
Enquiries and Applications
Given the seniority and strategic nature of this role, SST welcomes both direct expressions of interest and introductions of potential candidates.
Please direct all enquiries and expressions of interest to:
Janine Osborne (CEO)
Email: janine@sst.org.za
This is a senior executive role, and SST is seeking candidates with demonstrated experience in integrating strategy, capital and organisational execution.
All submissions must include the following:
- A comprehensive CV
- A letter of motivation outlining the candidate’s alignment with the role and relevant experience
- Proof of relevant qualifications
Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.
Responsibilities
The CSOO is accountable for ensuring that SST’s strategic ambition is translated into disciplined, sequenced and resourced organisational execution.
1. Strategy-to-Execution Integration
- Translate SST’s approved organisational strategy into an integrated organisational execution framework, across all portfolios, including clear sequencing of initiatives, resource allocation and delivery timelines.
- Develop and maintain a consolidated organisational implementation roadmap linking strategic priorities, programmes, research outputs and funding commitments.
- Ensure that all major organisational initiatives are assessed against strategic fit, available capacity and funding commitments before approval.
- Provide the CEO with clear visibility on organisational priorities, sequencing trade-offs and execution risks.
2. Capital Architecture and Fundraising Alignment
- Design and maintain a diversified fundraising framework aligned with SST’s strategic priorities and delivery capacity.
- Work with the CEO to identify, prioritise and sequence funding opportunities aligned with organisational strategy.
- Ensure that all major funding proposals are grounded in realistic delivery capacity, required financial modelling and discipline, clear human capacity considerations, and implementation timelines.
- Establish internal processes that link programme planning, research outputs and fundraising pipelines to avoid overcommitment and execution risk.
- Support the CEO with the development of major funding proposals at a strategic level, including programme design, scaling pathways and funding sequencing.
3. Performance Systems and Forecasting Discipline
- Design and implement an integrated organisational performance management system linking strategy, programme delivery, research outputs, finances and fundraising pipelines.
- Establish forecasting and scenario planning processes to anticipate capacity constraints, delivery risks and funding gaps.
- Develop and oversee executive dashboards providing the CEO and Board with clear insight into organisational performance, resource allocation and execution progress.
- Establish clear decision-making processes to prioritise the initiatives that matter most and ensure resources are used effectively.
- Monitor organisational execution performance and implement forecasting systems that enable early identification and correction of misalignment between ambition, resources and delivery.
4. Cross-Portfolio Coordination and Executive Integration
- Establish structured coordination mechanisms across programmes, research initiatives, fundraising activities and operational functions.
- Support the Executive Team in aligning priorities, clarifying responsibilities and improving decision-making discipline.
- Identify and address structural and operational bottlenecks that hinder organisational performance or programme delivery.
- Support senior leaders in shifting from operational execution toward strategic leadership and team delegation where appropriate.
- Facilitate executive-level decision processes where trade-offs between resources, priorities and timelines are required.
5. Organisational Risk, Sustainability and Strategic Resilience
- Identify and monitor institutional risks related to organisational growth, funding concentration, delivery capacity and leadership structure.
- Support the CEO and Board in developing long-term organisational sustainability scenarios, including diversified funding pathways.
- Ensure that organisational ambition, capital commitments and operational capacity remain aligned as the organisation evolves.
- Strengthen institutional systems, delegation structures and decision processes that reduce key-person risk and build organisational resilience.
6. Strategic Research Integration and Elevation
- Work with the Head of Marine and Coastal Impact Programmes to ensure SST’s research agenda is strategically aligned with organisational priorities and long-term positioning.
- Support the development of a clear organisational research strategy that links scientific outputs to policy influence, programme design and funding opportunities.
- Ensure that SST’s research outputs are positioned and communicated in ways that strengthen the organisation’s credibility, partnerships and regional influence.
- Identify opportunities to translate research findings into policy engagement, strategic partnerships and new programme initiatives.
- Integrate research activities into organisational planning, fundraising architecture and performance management systems.
- Support the visibility and strategic use of SST’s research outputs to strengthen the organisation’s profile within the marine conservation, circular and blue economy sectors.
Requirements
Essential
- 10+ years senior leadership experience in complex, multi-portfolio organisations.
- Demonstrated ability to integrate strategy, operations and financial discipline at organisational level.
- Strong systems thinking and organisational design capability.
- Experience developing or supporting diversified fundraising or capital mobilisation strategies.
- Proven track record of leading organisations or programmes through periods of transition, scale or institutional change.
- Executive maturity and ability to operate effectively at governance and board interface.
Desirable
- Experience in mission-driven, sustainability or systems-focused organisations.
- Experience working within African regional or donor-funded programme environments.
Leadership Attributes
- Systems thinker able to integrate strategy, capital and execution.
- Calm and decisive when navigating complexity and organisational change.
- High emotional intelligence with the ability to work constructively across strong personalities and disciplines.
- Disciplined, structured and outcomes-focused in decision-making.
- Governance-literate and comfortable operating at executive and board interface.
About The Position
The CSOO is responsible for translating SST’s strategic ambition into disciplined, resourced execution. This role operates horizontally at executive level to ensure alignment between strategy, delivery capacity, capital commitments and performance discipline.
The CSOO strengthens institutional coherence, reduces executive concentration risk, elevates the strategic positioning of SST’s research and programme architecture, and embeds sequencing, forecasting and performance integration across the organisation.
For the full list of deliverables and outputs, please view the full job description here.
Enquiries and Applications
Given the seniority and strategic nature of this role, SST welcomes both direct expressions of interest and introductions of potential candidates.
Please direct all enquiries and expressions of interest to:
Janine Osborne (CEO)
Email: janine@sst.org.za
This is a senior executive role, and SST is seeking candidates with demonstrated experience in integrating strategy, capital and organisational execution.
All submissions must include the following:
- A comprehensive CV
- A letter of motivation outlining the candidate’s alignment with the role and relevant experience
- Proof of relevant qualifications
Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.
Responsibilities
The CSOO is accountable for ensuring that SST’s strategic ambition is translated into disciplined, sequenced and resourced organisational execution.
1. Strategy-to-Execution Integration
- Translate SST’s approved organisational strategy into an integrated organisational execution framework, across all portfolios, including clear sequencing of initiatives, resource allocation and delivery timelines.
- Develop and maintain a consolidated organisational implementation roadmap linking strategic priorities, programmes, research outputs and funding commitments.
- Ensure that all major organisational initiatives are assessed against strategic fit, available capacity and funding commitments before approval.
- Provide the CEO with clear visibility on organisational priorities, sequencing trade-offs and execution risks.
2. Capital Architecture and Fundraising Alignment
- Design and maintain a diversified fundraising framework aligned with SST’s strategic priorities and delivery capacity.
- Work with the CEO to identify, prioritise and sequence funding opportunities aligned with organisational strategy.
- Ensure that all major funding proposals are grounded in realistic delivery capacity, required financial modelling and discipline, clear human capacity considerations, and implementation timelines.
- Establish internal processes that link programme planning, research outputs and fundraising pipelines to avoid overcommitment and execution risk.
- Support the CEO with the development of major funding proposals at a strategic level, including programme design, scaling pathways and funding sequencing.
3. Performance Systems and Forecasting Discipline
- Design and implement an integrated organisational performance management system linking strategy, programme delivery, research outputs, finances and fundraising pipelines.
- Establish forecasting and scenario planning processes to anticipate capacity constraints, delivery risks and funding gaps.
- Develop and oversee executive dashboards providing the CEO and Board with clear insight into organisational performance, resource allocation and execution progress.
- Establish clear decision-making processes to prioritise the initiatives that matter most and ensure resources are used effectively.
- Monitor organisational execution performance and implement forecasting systems that enable early identification and correction of misalignment between ambition, resources and delivery.
4. Cross-Portfolio Coordination and Executive Integration
- Establish structured coordination mechanisms across programmes, research initiatives, fundraising activities and operational functions.
- Support the Executive Team in aligning priorities, clarifying responsibilities and improving decision-making discipline.
- Identify and address structural and operational bottlenecks that hinder organisational performance or programme delivery.
- Support senior leaders in shifting from operational execution toward strategic leadership and team delegation where appropriate.
- Facilitate executive-level decision processes where trade-offs between resources, priorities and timelines are required.
5. Organisational Risk, Sustainability and Strategic Resilience
- Identify and monitor institutional risks related to organisational growth, funding concentration, delivery capacity and leadership structure.
- Support the CEO and Board in developing long-term organisational sustainability scenarios, including diversified funding pathways.
- Ensure that organisational ambition, capital commitments and operational capacity remain aligned as the organisation evolves.
- Strengthen institutional systems, delegation structures and decision processes that reduce key-person risk and build organisational resilience.
6. Strategic Research Integration and Elevation
- Work with the Head of Marine and Coastal Impact Programmes to ensure SST’s research agenda is strategically aligned with organisational priorities and long-term positioning.
- Support the development of a clear organisational research strategy that links scientific outputs to policy influence, programme design and funding opportunities.
- Ensure that SST’s research outputs are positioned and communicated in ways that strengthen the organisation’s credibility, partnerships and regional influence.
- Identify opportunities to translate research findings into policy engagement, strategic partnerships and new programme initiatives.
- Integrate research activities into organisational planning, fundraising architecture and performance management systems.
- Support the visibility and strategic use of SST’s research outputs to strengthen the organisation’s profile within the marine conservation, circular and blue economy sectors.
Requirements
Essential
- 10+ years senior leadership experience in complex, multi-portfolio organisations.
- Demonstrated ability to integrate strategy, operations and financial discipline at organisational level.
- Strong systems thinking and organisational design capability.
- Experience developing or supporting diversified fundraising or capital mobilisation strategies.
- Proven track record of leading organisations or programmes through periods of transition, scale or institutional change.
- Executive maturity and ability to operate effectively at governance and board interface.
Desirable
- Experience in mission-driven, sustainability or systems-focused organisations.
- Experience working within African regional or donor-funded programme environments.
Leadership Attributes
- Systems thinker able to integrate strategy, capital and execution.
- Calm and decisive when navigating complexity and organisational change.
- High emotional intelligence with the ability to work constructively across strong personalities and disciplines.
- Disciplined, structured and outcomes-focused in decision-making.
- Governance-literate and comfortable operating at executive and board interface.