Country Director at TechnoServe, Kenya

Country Director – Kenya

Are you passionate about economic empowerment and possess great leadership expertise and experience? Bring your experience, skills and passion to help build businesses that increase prosperity in some of the poorest parts of the world.

General Information

TechnoServe is an international, non-profit economic development organisation founded in 1968 with the belief that a competitive private sector is an essential foundation for economic growth and poverty reduction and durable development assistance is rooted in market-based solutions.

In keeping with this belief, TechnoServe’s mission is to work with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries.

In order to execute this mission, TechnoServe undertakes technical assistance, demonstration and facilitative projects to increase key capacities of individuals and businesses, strengthen the transparency and function of labor, capital and product markets, and develop a more conducive environment for scalability of emerging industries.

Primary Purpose

The Country Director role is to lead and manage TechnoServe’s operations in Kenya, including fundraising, to achieve sustainable economic development in a cost effective manner. This includes:

• Strategy: Strategically select areas of work, partnerships and methodologies that most effectively contribute to poverty reduction, and assure excellence of implementation through total quality management and evidence-based decision making
• Leadership: Develop, inspire and enable a team of Kenyan and international professionals to deliver high quality results. Effectively manage human resources, finance and back office functions to optimize cost-effectiveness
• Fundraising: Secure funding to sustain and grow TechnoServe’s contribution to the economic development of Kenya.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of this position fall into a few broad categories:

Strategy

• Regularly develop and adapt the country strategic vision and direction and execute it in keeping with TechnoServe’s overall strategic plan;
• Identify and pursue innovative solutions to poverty reduction;
• Identify opportunities where TechnoServe can play a role in catalysing more competitive,  inclusive industries and entrepreneurship;
• Undertake industry assessments, market research and other analytical exercises that generate insight into opportunities for TechnoServe to achieve its mission.

Leadership

• Recruit, orient and provide for the professional development of highly effective staff in all functions;
• Motivate, inspire and enable a team of Kenyan and international professionals to deliver high quality results.

Fundraising

• Secure funding for the country program by developing concepts, leading sound project design and writing winning proposals;
• Cultivate and maintain TechnoServe in-country partner and donor relationships with USAID and other US government agencies, local government, bilateral and multilateral development/donor organisations, foundations and relevant local NGOs, private sector associations and corporations.

External Relations

• Establish and foster relationships with a broad network of donors, practitioners, government representatives and business leaders in the Kenyan economic development field, assimilating and contributing to new developments in the sector;
• Liaise with media, public, Government and Government agencies, as well as other NGOs to ensure that TechnoServe’s image is preserved and enhanced;
• Communicate with bilateral and multilateral agencies and develop relationships that seek to promote TechnoServe’s mission and objectives.

Operations

• Oversee the design, planning, high quality and timely execution of TechnoServe programs in the field;
• Plan for and execute robust monitoring and evaluation of program outputs and outcomes;
• Ensure cost-effective delivery of donor and client commitments;
• Contribute to the documentation and sharing of knowledge within the broader TechnoServe community.

Administration

• Ensure high quality and timely donor reporting;
• Oversee all TechnoServe Kenya financial affairs, including budgets, adherence to effective internal financial controls and review of monthly financial reporting;
• Act as legal representative of TechnoServe in Kenya, conducting all affairs with the government, the media and partners in keeping with TechnoServe policies and procedures;
• Maintain good governance practices for all TechnoServe related entities in Kenya in accordance with Kenyan law;
• Participate in and comply with all TechnoServe corporate processes such as the annual planning process, attendance at the annual Country Directors meeting, preparation of program status and pipeline reports and oversee the correct and complete updating of the corporate measurement system

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• An advanced degree in Business Administration / Economics / Agriculture / Management or a related field;
• In excess of 10 years’ solid professional experience with progressively higher levels of responsibility;
• In excess of 5 years’ experience leading a business unit or large scale project with responsibility for aspects of operations;
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience working in the African environment, preferably in East Africa;
• Private sector experience gained in Management Consulting, Agri-business and / or Food Processing, Financial Services, industries would be highly beneficial;
• Strong diplomatic skills to support and develop effective working relationships with government, implementing partners and donors;
• Good working knowledge of economic development, agricultural value chains and entrepreneurship promotions;
• Proven capacity to fundraise effectively and to represent the organisation among a diverse range of stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to develop, motivate and lead a diverse team to achieve results;
• Well-developed program and project managements skills;
• Track record in operations management and administration;
• Strongly analytical, with well-developed general management, operations management and administration skills;
• Well-developed entrepreneurial skills;
• Strong leadership skills and demonstrated experience in forming, managing and leading complex, multi-disciplinary and challenging field operations and teams;
• Demonstrated skills in problem solving, consensus building and coordination of diverse stakeholders and partners.
• Experienced negotiator;
• Strong interpersonal, people management and communication skills, excellent oral and written communications are essential.  
• Fluent in English: reading, writing and speaking.

Application Instructions

Qualified and interested applicants should submit a Word-formatted single document consisting of cover letter, resume and salary history to jobs@tns.org

Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line. 

Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be considered or contacted. 

No phone calls please. Deadline for applications is 5.00pm, Friday 24th May 2013