Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) Program Director
Job Summary:You are a social entrepreneur with excellent operational skills and you have passion for empowering the poor through agricultural business development and Information Communication Technologies. The CKW Program Director will oversee the CKW program in Uganda, providing guidance in the areas of increasing program impact, strengthening operations for scaling (in Uganda and third countries) and sustainability while providing strategic and operational leadership of all program efforts. The Program Director will work closely with a range of partners, manage the local team, guide research, track and report results, guide the overall strategy and ensure excellence in execution. Through the use of innovative technologies, the PM will build creative solutions to overcome some of the biggest challenges in reaching smallholder farmers with the goal of increasing the incomes of thousands of smallholder farmers.
Duties and Responsibilities;
Execute on strategy, strengthen business development and execute on the CKW Model in Uganda and prepare for 3rd country scaling
Deepen relationships, leverage strengths and understand needs of local partners ; identify, vet and develop partnerships with high potential partners partners in the public, private and third sectors ;
manage key stakeholder relationships with institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture, district governments, commercial enterprises, NGOs and other entities.
Gain deep understanding of complementary initiatives, global trends in information and communication technology in agricultural development and learning from related experiences and incorporate into implementation strategy
Continuously review and develop the short-, mid- and long-term CKW strategy in Uganda and update regularly based on learning; implement the approach for achieving sustainability and increased percentage of sustainable funding sources year on year
Implement with excellence, Strengthen operations through the development of program capability (people, processes and IT systems) and ensure key performance targets are measured and met. Develop a standard operations manual and replication guide for third countries
Oversee the measurement and evaluation framework to ensure high social impact for the poor
Prepare ambitious but achievable project plan for each phase of the program scale up
Manage implementation,provide technical expertise, remove barriers, scale the program and
develop effective education and field outreach programs in rural areas in order to reach program goals within three years.
Track and report results
Review and develop success metrics for each work stream (expansion of CKW network, development of mobile applications, and data collection services); preparing summary updates and reports as needed.
Review the reporting framework to measure/communicate progress in real-time (including budget) and develop monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework within each work stream and the overall program.
Provide comprehensive analysis of progress against metrics and milestones, suggesting approaches to strengthen applications, business models, network development while drawing conclusions about scaling potential and approach; articulate the approach for reaching poorest farmers while incorporating gender into the metrics that will track progress in these areas.
Manage local resources and vendors/suppliers
Prepare RFPs, evaluate and manage procurement.
Build, manage, direct and mentor local team and administer sub-grants to local partners.
Identify local experts to serve on Steering Committee and Expert Review Board and convene as appropriate.
Promote CKW efforts in Africa (local representation)
Generate awareness about our CKW efforts in Uganda and in the region (as appropriate)
Represent the CKW Project in Uganda in discussions with a wide range of partners
Explore opportunities for additional CKW Project implementations in other African countries (pending results of work in Uganda)
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Deep commitment to eradication of poverty and alignment with Grameen Foundation’s mission and understanding of and commitment to development in Africa and agriculture in general.
Outstanding project management skills with proven track record of achievement under a range of challenging situations (ideally in multiple countries). A previous role as director of operations would be an asset.
Excellent people skills – ability to manage complex projects (operational and tactical) with proven ability to work effectively with diverse partners.
Strong business, leadership, and time management skills; ability to work collaboratively across the organization, provide leadership, train and integrate diverse programs while managing multiple projects and regional team members.
Ability to gain working knowledge of GFUSA's policies, procedures, and practices;
Strong strategic thinker who thinks innovatively and creatively to solve unstructured problems and ability to manage complexities under pressure; entrepreneurial spirit to think strategically and at tactically.
Excellent presentation, communication and interpersonal skills;
Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook;
Ability to promote knowledge transfer through strong mentoring and team building skills
Enthusiasm and passion for development work in Uganda and the region; belief in the potential to leverage information and communication technology (ICTs) for the benefit of small holder farmers – preferably with practical experience.
Commitment to building social and gender equity into program design and approach
Equally comfortable presenting to a room of business executives and discussing needs with villagers sitting on the dirt floor of a rural home.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in International Development, Economics, Public Policy, Engineering, Business, or related field. Master’s Degree preferred;
At least 10 or more years of project or organizational management – ideally with a leading agricultural organization, top consulting firm, private enterprise;
Experience working in agricultural development in developing countries, ideally in Sub-Saharan Africa. Experience in microfinance and/or technology is preferred;
Experience in information and communication technology (ICTs) preferred;
Fluent in oral and written English and knowledge of predominant language spoken in region;
Experience living and working in a developing country preferred.
How to Apply:
Please follow the instructions as stated below as failure to do so could lead to disqualification.
1. Send an Application letter and CV/Resume.
2. Merge these two documents into one document in either word or pdf format.
3. Do not attach or send any scanned documents, these are sometimes too large for our inbox.
4. Include the job title and/or reference number in the subject line of the email address and send your application by email to grameenjobs@nftconsult.com
5. Only successful candidates will be contacted. For all other inquiries please contact our offices directly.
