Heifer International is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with a disability.
Function
Reporting to the Country Director, the Country Signature Program Technical Lead will autonomously provide strategic technical Signature Programs leadership and implementation. S/he will be responsible for Signature Program design for the needed Permanency, Scale, and Impact, taking a solid Co-Design and Partnership with both internal and external stakeholder collaborative inclusion. S/he will be a Market Systems & Value Chain expert. The post holder must have a strong understanding and practical hands-on experience in Access to Finance, Access/Route to Market, Cooperative Movement Capability building, and Co-designing. Business Acumen and management will be an orientation critical for systemic management and effective leadership.
S/he will also be responsible for signature program implementation, donor reporting, and field-level management while ensuring the highest standards in compliance with obligations and results according to signed agreements. S/he, therefore, enforces quality assurance with programs and is responsible for the quality and performance of work of all relevant Signature Program staff, sub-recipients, and sub-contract service providers. In addition, s/he will build capacity/capability for signature programming in the country office collaboratively with the Regional Signature Program Team,
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The post holder will carefully lead the Signature Program in the country in alignment with the country’s strategy and programmatic vision for enhancing program objectives. S/he will focus on management, communication, team building, strategy, and drive toward sustainability that achieves scale, permanence, and impact through long-term partnerships.
The Country Signature Program Technical Lead will report to the Country Director with a dotted reporting line to the Signature Program Technical Director – Africa for technical leadership.
The Country Program Managers will report directly to the Country Signature Program Technical Lead.
Essential Character Traits
Drives results, is detailed-oriented, self-driven, accountable, manages complex environments, excellent and effective communication, resourcefulness, manages conflict, team player.
RESPONSIBILITIES & DELIVERABLES
A. Technical Signature Programming in Country (40%)
- Lead Signature Program design for the Country Program.
- Signature Program Co-Design after agreement with the Country Director, who remains in charge of Relationship Building and Program Funding Partnerships.
- Ensure the use of a market system approach in the design of the country’s Signature Programme design.
- Identify opportunities to integrate pathways for access to finance with the Signature Program design.
- Lead on Value Chain analysis to inform Country Programmatic Strategic position and Signature Program design.
- Build co-designing relationships for in-country signature programming effectiveness (set up right from the onset.
- Collect and analyze program data, capture, and share lessons learned and best practices for specific projects to facilitate improvement in decisions.
- Contribute to developing and implementing strategies, standards, tools, and best practices in Program Quality that effectively engage partners, donors, and government agencies.
B. Ensuring Programmatic Excellence - Quality and effective Management (30%)
- Provide strategic leadership for Country Signature Programming design, goal setting, goal cascading, and business review processes against outcomes.
- Excellent management of agreed program outcomes/impact against agreed schedules and budgets, including delivery against agreed Service Level Agreements with various Stakeholders (internal and external)
- Maintain excellent oversight of all program components and meet expectations for program successes and impact.
- Ensure application of best standards, best practices, partnership principles, processes, and tools, towards high quality. Implementation of signature programs.
- Develop and implement strategies, standards, tools, and best practices in program quality that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments.
- In consultation with Country Director and the Regional Signature Program Technical team, creatively design initiatives that uphold and improve program quality, innovation, and learning on signature programs.
- Provide technical leadership for preparing, designing, submitting, and approving project concepts and full-fledged proposals.
- Act as an in-country technical proposal developer while integrating donor strategies, priorities, and technical requirements into Heifer’s approach.Roll out capacity-strengthening initiatives in Program Quality for staff and partners, develop learning and training strategies and agenda, and conduct training and workshops.
- Analyze program data, capture, and share lessons learned and best practices for specific projects to facilitate improvement in decisions.
- For effective co-design outcomes, enable strong relationships with donors, peer organizations, research, and other institutions, towards enhancing program quality and impact.
- Monitor and provide feedback on program quality through regular team meetings, field visits, and regular communication.
- Ensure that program Managers and Coordinators execute approved work plan activities and operations in response to technical direction and recommend appropriate adjustments to achieve program objectives.
- Carry out Country Signature Program Internal Audits and effectively manage program risks in each phase of program implementation on time to ensure fulfillment of objectives.
- Ensure accountability and compliance with donor requirements.
- Ensure the provision of program-related reports and make presentations as required.
C. Partnerships and Capacity Improvement (10%)
- Ensure adherence to set compliance standards within Heifer and donor program and project guidelines and standards, including transparency, policy compliance, accountability, and communication with HQ, donors, and external constituencies.
- Enable new partnerships and nurture existing ones.
- Effectively maintain strong communication with all the relevant stakeholders throughout program implementation and successfully manage a matrix program management structure when necessary.
- Develop and adopt standardized approaches, practices, tools, and measurements in partnership and capacity strengthening.
- Guide in-country program team in developing comprehensive plans and materials, developing and implementing capacity-strengthening strategies in the Signature Program area.
- Identify and ensure the creation of solid inter-organizational networks and efforts to strengthen the capacities of local partners.
- Represent Heifer Africa in external professional fora and with donor agencies supporting resource acquisition for capacity building.
D. Budget Management and Monitoring (10%)
- Ensure all program teams develop annual budgets and work plans consistent with program documents and donor contracts.
- Provide support to program teams in undertaking the necessary review and updating of the work plans and budgets to respond to any emerging field implementation challenges and program review processes.
- In liaison with the Finance department, undertake quarterly budget monitoring and variance analysis with all Program Managers, while reviewing and tracking spending to adhere to annual budgets.
- Ensure Program Managers and entire Country office plan and undertake corrective management actions arising out of budget monitoring reports.
- Approve program-related requests for imprest and reconciliation, in line with work plans and financial management procedures.
E. Strengthen Core Global Operating System (5%)
- Ensure compliance with Heifer International policies and procedures and other accountability standards through training, event participation, and field visits.
- Liaise with the Regional Signature Program Technical teams on behalf of the country program regarding Signature Programs.
- Ensure Signature Program proposals and concept notes are entered into HQ tracking systems to avoid activation delays.
- Ensure adequate development, implementation, evaluation, and systematization of signature programs by the country office.
- Obtain and review signature program monitoring and evaluation reports from the field offices and make recommendations.
- Maintain Signature Program files and documents.
Any Other Assigned Function (5%)
May perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of ten (10) to fifteen (15) years of signature program management experience.
- Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in managing the design and co-designing of large and complex programs using a Market system, value chain development.
- Experience working with governments, the private sector, local and international institutions.
Preferred Requirements
- Master’s degree preferred.
- At least seven (7) years in technical program leadership.
- At least five (5) years in management.
Most Critical Proficiencies
- Knowledge of strategic planning, program and project development, and implementation processes (including planning, monitoring, and evaluation.
- Knowledge and work experience in agriculture and community development in a developing country context (market systems, value chains, access to market, access to finance, etc.).
- Excellent knowledge of monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects.
- Excellent organizational and administrative skills, including strong attention to detail.
- Knowledge of grant acquisition and management.
- Basic knowledge of financial controls and systems.
- Proficiency in basic statistics sufficient to analyze data.
- Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, database, and electronic mail software (Microsoft preferred).
- Strong English language skills – oral and written.
Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work cooperatively, tactfully, and diplomatically with a culturally diverse group of people.
- Ability to produce accurate documents in a well-designed and effective format with clear attention to detail.
- Constant face-to-face, telephone, and electronic communication with colleagues and the public.
- Ability and willingness to extensively travel 30% of the time both domestically and internationally.
- Ability to develop and present training materials.
- Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.