Overview
Head of Back Office Jobs in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire at GSM – Green SM
Title: Head of Back Office
Company: GSM – Green SM
Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Role: Director of Back Office – Côte d’Ivoire
GSM (Green SM) – Vingroup-backed EV Mobility Platform
- Reports to: General Manager – Côte d’Ivoire (functional line to HQ corporate functions)
- Team: Builds and leads the back-office team across HR, IT, and Administration
- Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- Travel: Mostly within the market; periodic travel to HQ and regional gatherings
- Start date target: Tied to market launch timing
- Compensation: TBC (discussed at offer stage with recruitment team)
Stand up the people, systems, and administrative backbone behind Côte d’Ivoire’s first all-electric ride-hailing launch
.About GSM
:GSM (Green SM) is building the world’s first fully electric ride-hailing platform – reinventing how people move through cities, one clean ride at a time. Our scope is global and our model is unusually broad: we operate at the intersection of electric vehicle solutions, vehicle financing, EV charging and depot infrastructure, technology development, and ride-hailing. In under three years we have become one of the fastest-scaling players in our markets, and we are now bringing our all-electric service to Africa, beginning with Côte d’Ivoire
.The rol
eYou will build and lead the back-office function for GSM in Côte d’Ivoire – the human resources, internal IT, and administrative backbone that lets the whole market run. As we launch, you are the person who makes sure the team gets hired and paid, the office and systems work, and the local organisation operates smoothly and compliantly from day one
.This is a builder role. You will set up these functions from scratch rather than maintain existing ones, and you will be the central bridge between the in-market team and our vertical departments at HQ in Vietnam, who support you across the early phase
.What you’ll ow
nHuman resources – Build the local HR foundation: recruitment support, onboarding, employee records, payroll, and benefits administration – Ensure compliance with Ivorian labour law and company policy as the team scales from a small founding grou
pIT and systems – Stand up and run local IT infrastructure, equipment, internal tools, and data security – Coordinate with HQ technology teams to roll out and support the systems the local organisation depends o
nAdministration and facilities – Set up and manage office facilities, procurement, vendors, and day-to-day administration – Build clean, efficient administrative workflows that hold up as the business grow
sPolicy, compliance and process – Develop and implement back-office policies, procedures, and best practices – Ensure compliance with corporate policy, local regulation, and legal requirements – Identify and implement automation and process improvements to keep the organisation efficien
tHQ coordination and team – Act as the primary point of coordination between the in-market team and HQ corporate functions in Vietnam – Hire, develop, and lead a high-performing back-office team from a standing star
tWho you ar
eYou’re a builder of support functions. You’ve set up or scaled HR, IT, and administrative operations before, and you can go from an empty office to a smoothly running organisation. You’re energised by building, not just maintaining
.You’re a broad generalist. You move comfortably across HR, IT, and administration, and you know enough in each to run it well and to challenge it
.You’re a strong communicator and connector. You sit between the local team and HQ, translate between them, and keep collaboration smooth across distance, language, and time zones
.You’re organised and proactive. You bring order to a lot of moving parts, anticipate what the business will need next, and solve problems before they grow
.You know Côte d’Ivoire. You understand the local environment, labour and administrative practice, and you bring a network you can put to work from day one
.You’re resilient. Launch is fast and messy. You keep the back office steady so the rest of the business can move
.What you brin
- gFluent French and working Englis
- hDeep knowledge of the Ivorian market, including local labour and administrative practice, with an established local networ
- k8+ years in back-office, shared-services, or corporate-operations roles, including team leadershi
- pBreadth across HR, IT, and administration, with strong knowledge of compliance and local requirement
- sA track record in process improvement and operational efficienc
- yComfortable working with international and HQ teams as the central in-market bridg
- eBased in or ready to relocate to Abidjan, hands-on by natur
e
Things that would make us excit
- edDepth in either HR or IT that you can lead from the fro
- ntExperience at a high-growth technology, marketplace, or mobility compa
- nyA background in consulting, a startup, or bo
thWhat we offe
- r:Build the operational backbone of a category-defining launch – the country’s first all-electric ride-hailing servi
- ceReal ownership of HR, IT, and administration from day o
- neEV mobility frontier – work at the intersection of vehicles, charging infrastructure, and platform servic
- esDirect visibility to senior leadership – your work is seen and supported at the highest lev
- elCompetitive compensation with relocation and local allowance suppo
rtHow to app
lySubmit your CV to: [email protected]
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