TechnoServe STRYDE Project Director (East Africa) Job Vacancy

Vacancy: STRYDE Project Director
 

Reporting Unit / Supervisor:  Deputy Regional Director, East Africa
 

Location:  East Africa
 

Travel: Ability to travel with-in East Africa up to 30%, and ability to travel to remote rural locations in East Africa
 

TechnoServe Background

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries.

We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. 

Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. 

With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.
 

Program Description

Strengthening Rural Youth Development Through Enterprise (STRYDE)
 

Through the four-year STRYDE Program, TechnoServe is working with 15,000 Kenyan, Rwandan, and Ugandan youth to enable a more successful transition of rural women and men, aged 18 to 30, into economically independent adulthood. 

The STRYDE Program consists of a 3-month training program and a 9-month aftercare phase which helps youth to identify models to start a business, find a job, or return to the family farm utilizing their new commercial skills.

To support youth in starting businesses or obtaining employment or internships, TechnoServe coordinates job fairs, facilitates linkages to additional training, arranges finance clinics with financial service providers, connects youth to local employers and business/ micro-franchise opportunities such as the Coca-Cola 5-by-20 initiative, and looks for ways to create linkages for youth within its existing networks in local and regional agribusinesses and agricultural production.

TechnoServe also recognizes that youth workforce development in parallel with job creation is critical to violence prevention and political stability, and is increasingly identifying avenues to integrate youth into its value chain and entrepreneurship work. 

Over the next 5 years, our strategic plan identifies addressing barriers to opportunities for youth as an important priority.
 

Position Description

Working closely with Country Directors and TechnoServe’s East Africa regional team, you will be responsible for achievement of the project’s goal to train 15,000 rural youth to increase their productive economic engagement. 

Responsibilities encompass overall implementation of the project, including stakeholder relationships, team leadership and management, project planning, budget management and work plan monitoring, M&E and timely and cost-effective delivery of results as per the project logical framework and agreed-upon milestones.
 

You will oversee a large team across Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, including 10-15 business advisors as well as four regional staff based in Nairobi.

Project Management

• Ensure the project is implemented with sound managerial, technical, financial, human resources and overall programmatic practices and that the processes and activities adhere to corporate policy, legal and contractual obligations and corporate and donor standards
• Manage regional budget and monitor country budgets to ensure responsible stewardship of donor funds and effective and efficient implementation
• Report internally and externally on progress and status of project activities; produce consolidated financial and narrative reports for TechnoServe management and donors, as required by the contract and requested on an ad hoc basis.
• Ensure project targets are achieved, in relation to youth trained, capacities and attitudes improved
• Create, disseminate, and support country-level adaptation and use of standard templates and tools for key program deliverables, including but not limited to: key M&E indicators and templates, selection criteria, training materials, feasibility studies and market assessments, country-level work plans and other management and quality assurance tools;
• Work with program staff to identify TNS technical assistance needs at both regional and country levels;
• Additional line management, budgetary authority and operational responsibilities may be assigned.

Team Leadership

• Provide coaching, direction and leadership to team members in order to achieve results, including overall management, coordination and quality monitoring of STRYDE team’s input and work content.
•  Direct reports include 3 Senior Business Managers (one in each country), the Regional M&E Manager, Budget Analyst, and Project Assistant.
• Recruit qualified and capable staff to fill vacant or new positions, and develop existing staff to assume greater levels of responsibility over time
• Manage performance of team members through the establishment of annual goals in line with the project objectives work plans, monitoring performance against those goals, providing feedback on an ongoing basis and delivery of annual performance appraisals

Representation and Communication

• Provide thought leadership and strategic direction in the field of youth economic empowerment;
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with donor representatives as well as relevant stakeholders in each of the program countries and across the region, including government ministries, private sector companies, business associations, and civil society organizations;
• Identify and pursue opportunities for TechnoServe to be a leader in the sector, as appropriate;
• Represent STRYDE and TNS at internal and external functions.
• Ensure that both country teams and project stakeholders are abreast of project and industry developments across the region, are aware of their own performance against project milestones, sharing lessons-learned and benefiting from each other’s work
• Interface with other country, regional, and HQ staff; ensure information is shared and flows transparently within the program team and to other organizational levels, as appropriate;
• Ensure that lessons learned in one area of operation are applied elsewhere, as appropriate, and disseminated to other practitioners in the field.

New Business Development

• Support new business efforts within the region, as requested. 
• New business opportunities in this space, both with MCF and Vitol Foundation, and with USAID, need to be developed.

Required Skills & Experience

• Master’s degree in relevant field;
• Four to seven years’ experience in management, program design and planning; multi-cultural and remote personnel management experience;
• International development experience, entrepreneurship skills, and experience working with youth training and/or mentorship programs preferred;
• Ability to learn and become a thought leader in the field;
• Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills;
• Ability to develop well-written, cohesive analyses and reports;
• Track record of building strong client and stakeholder relationships;
• Fluency in English required.

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. 

Application deadline is October 4, 2013.
 

TechnoServe is an equal opportunity employer