Job Title: Country Director, Kenya
Organization: Self Help Africa (incorporating TruTrade) as part of the Gorta Group
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Contract: Three years
Reports to: Regional Director
ABOUT SELF HELP AFRICA, TRUTRADE AND THE GORTA GROUP:
Gorta was formed in 1965 by the Irish government in response to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s call for countries to support long term agricultural and economic development in the world’s poorest regions. Today the Gorta Group is a group of innovative organizations driving sustainable economic and social change across Africa.
Comprising Self Help Africa, United Purpose, Partner Africa, and TruTrade, the Gorta Group combines expertise in market-based solutions to poverty and rural development; climate change mitigation and resilience; trade facilitation and farmer and worker rights; underpinned by an inclusive ethos that specifically targets women and youth.
Self Help Africa (SHA) is an international NGO, dedicated to taking a business-like approach to reducing poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Headquartered in Ireland, with offices in the UK, the US and seven African countries, SHA focuses on agriculture and agribusiness as the engine of growth in Africa. Our approach is collaborative and market-based: although we see our primary clients as smallholder farmers in Africa, we work with all participants in agricultural value chains. With over 700 staff worldwide, and a global turnover of over €45m, SHA currently runs programmes on behalf of a range of organizations including the European Union, Irish Aid, the World Food Programme, Danida and the UK Department for International Development. SHA has an ambitious growth strategy to increase its global footprint and expand into new areas.
Self Help Africa has a long established presence in Kenya, with approximately 50 full-time staff running development and humanitarian projects that encompass enterprise development and climate resilience programming with smallholder farmers. The Kenya programme, with an annual budget for 2023 of €8m, has a strong focus on supporting market access, trade and enterprise development, underpinned by, natural resource management, green economy approaches, gender and nutrition sensitive programming and climate change adaptation across the country. The team, located in Nairobi and 4 regional project locations, are experienced in fund management and multi-stakeholder management.
TruTrade (TT) provides smallholder farmers with a reliable route to market and fair prices for their produce. Bringing together the supply power of small-scale producers to meet the demand of local, regional and international markets, TT’s services include a mobile enabled trading and payment platform for collaborative supply chain management; a growing network of sourcing agents who manage collection points, check and weigh produce and trigger direct payments to farmers; and trade finance so that farmers can be paid at the collection point. In 2020, 27 businesses sourced produced through TT, and 3,760 farmers used the TT marketing service generating income of €627k.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
We are looking for a dynamic and entrepreneurial professional with significant programme management and proven business growth experience, to drive forward the Group’s mission and vision and deepening of our impact, through delivering high quality programmes and ensuring that the processes of planning, implementation as well as monitoring, evaluation and learning, are robust. The Country Director will be responsible for overseeing all areas of SHA’s and TruTrade’s operations in Kenya, leveraging on their networks and resources, driving business growth and providing leadership and strategy guidance to the country teams, with five direct reports.
The key responsibility of this role is the development, delivery and recalibration of the Group’s Kenya country strategy to ensure the strategy is fit for purpose, aligned to our newly launched Global Strategy to ensure that we are achieving significant impact for participants within our programming.
The Country Director will also take full ownership for growing SHA and TruTrade’s operations in Kenya. This will focus on growing the funding base and exploring new income streams to help us increase our footprint and maximize our impact through securing and implementing new programmes. The Country Director will collaborate with international organizations, national government, national organizations and the private sector to design and finance innovative programmes that strengthen agricultural value chains, support entrepreneurs and their businesses and drive rural economic development and reduce poverty.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Leadership
• You will manage a large and diverse team, providing direct line management to members of the Country Management Team and working strategically with the Team Leader of the Agrifi Project.
• Proactively promote team building and cohesion strategies to ensure effective and people centered delivery of our mission
• You will ensure efficiencies in the operation of a joint country team through the use of shared services
• You will oversee talent acquisition, with a particular focus on championing local talent
New business development and stakeholder relationship management
• You will be responsible for building relationships in-country to identify new opportunities and win funding for new programmes
• You will build in-country partnerships to expand our footprint in Kenya
• You will work in close collaboration with TruTrade’s Executive Director (based in Kenya) to scale TruTrade’s business model in Kenya, forging strategic alliances and seeking out new business opportunities
• You will represent SHA and TruTrade and present in national, regional and international fora and build the profile of both organizations
Programme management & operations
• You will develop, present and implement the strategic vision, overall goals and objectives for SHA
• You will oversee the implementation of all programmes in Kenya, ensuring SHA meets all key targets
• You will work with the Head of Programmes to ensure all programmes are effectively monitored and evaluated so we can demonstrate our success, impact and value for money
• You will work with the Head of Programmes to vet and manage any implementation partners
• You will ensure that SHA and TruTrade are recognized as thought leaders in agriculture and agribusiness in Uganda
• You will work with the Humanitarian Director to ensure growth of SHA’s portfolio of work in this space
Finance, audit and risk:
• You will oversee the financial management and will ensure programmes are delivered in a cost-effective manner, ensuring a value for money approach and that major costs are successfully recovered from programme funding
• You will work with SHA’s Head of Finance and Administration to ensure a culture of accountability and adherence to all group policies and to staff welfare and security
• You will ensure compliance with all programme and donor requirements
Required skills and experience:
Essential:
• Minimum of five years’ senior management experience
• Previous experience running multi-sectoral teams to deliver complex programmes either in a development or private sector setting in sub-Saharan Africa
• A proven ability to deliver new income opportunities through proactive and sustained business development activity
• A proven ability to develop, implement and adapt organizational and business strategy
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, both in formal and informal settings
• Strong financial analysis and management skills
• Fluency in English
This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available and SHA reserves the right to make necessary changes.
HOW TO APPLY:
Full Job Description here.
A cover letter, CV and Application must be submitted here.
Please note incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and, therefore, this job posting will remain open until such time as the preferred candidate is identified.
Self Help Africa strives to be an Equal Opportunities Employer
If you are experiencing any problem with submitting your online application please visit this link for assistance: https://bit.ly/SHA_TechSupport1
All candidates offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. Specific roles may require Police/DBS/ vetting… https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/country-director-kenya/
