Senior Manager, Data Systems
About the role
THE ROLE The Data Systems Senior Manager is responsible for the effective day-to-day management, configuration, implementation, and continuous improvement of TREES' Salesforce environment. This is a highly hands-on role for an experienced Salesforce professional who combines strong Salesforce administration and functional expertise with excellent project management, requirements gathering, and stakeholder engagement skills. The Senior Manager will work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL), Programs, Carbon, Fundraising, and other teams to understand business needs, translate them into practical Salesforce solutions, and ensure that system improvements are implemented effectively following industry best practices and adopted by users. The Senior Manager will be responsible for taking assigned system improvements from requirements through solution design, configuration, testing, user acceptance, deployment, and documentation. The role will work closely with TREES' external Salesforce development and consulting partners to coordinate technical implementation and ensure that solutions are aligned with TREES' established data model and technical standards. The role requires someone who can operate comfortably between users and technical teams. You should be able to sit with a Program team member to understand a workflow problem, translate that problem into a Salesforce solution, configure the solution yourself when appropriate, work with developers when custom development is required, and ensure the final product works as intended before it reaches users. The Senior Manager will initially report to the Senior Director of Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) and will transition to reporting to the Director of Data Systems once that position is filled. TREES is currently recruiting for the Director of Data Systems and plans to expand the Data Systems team further by hiring a Junior Salesforce Administrator in Q4 of 2027. This is a hands-on role. The successful candidate should expect to spend approximately: • 50% Salesforce administration and functional system work • 25% requirements gathering, user engagement, and governance • 25% project and implementation management This role must be based in Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role, existing and permanent work rights for the location of work required. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Salesforce Administration & Continuous Improvement • Administer, configure, maintain, and optimize TREES’ Salesforce environment, including objects, fields, automation, validation rules, reports, dashboards, permissions, and access controls. Troubleshoot system issues, monitor system performance and data quality, and maintain accurate configuration documentation. 2. Requirements Gathering, Solution Design & Implementation • Work with MEL, Programs, Carbon, Fundraising, and other teams to understand operational needs, translate them into clear requirements and acceptance criteria, and develop practical Salesforce solutions aligned with TREES’ established data model and technical standards. • Manage assigned Salesforce enhancements from scoping through deployment, coordinating deliverables, timelines, dependencies, stakeholders, and external developers. Track progress, resolve implementation questions, and proactively communicate risks, delays, and outstanding actions. • Work collaboratively with technical partners to evaluate proposed solutions, identify unnecessary complexity, and escalate significant architectural or advanced development decisions to the Director of Data Systems. 3. Testing, Quality Assurance & Release Management • Coordinate user acceptance testing (UAT), develop test cases, track issues through resolution, verify fixes, and obtain user sign-off. Ensure changes are appropriately tested in sandbox environments, required approvals and documentation are complete, and release readiness criteria