The Ugandan Jobline

 

Job Title:        Country Director

Organisation:  Farm Africa

Duty Station:   Kampala, Uganda with significant national travel and some international
travel

Location: Kampala,
Uganda with significant national travel and some international travel

Duration & hours: Three
year full-time, fixed-term contract

Salary: £50,000 –
£55,000, plus benefits package

Reports to: Director of Operations and Business
Development

About US:

Farm Africa is a leading international NGO specialising in Agriculture,
Natural Resource Management and Market Engagement. Headquartered in London,
Farm Africa has an operational presence in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
and DRC. The organisation has a steadily growing project portfolio in Uganda,
with an annual operating budget of over £1.5m / $1.9m.

 

Our strategy has three pillars: agricultural expertise, management and
preservation of ecosystems, and the power of business to drive prosperity. We
focus on identifying, developing and sharing technically adept and
market-orientated agricultural and natural resource management practices so
that rural communities can sustainably produce more, and generate more income.
We also help rural communities to manage their natural resources sustainably so
that they can withstand climate change challenges and shocks and generate a
steady income for the future. Farm Africa works in partnership with rural
communities, governments, local and international organizations, and the
private sector to innovate, learn and share best practices for maximum impact
of our projects.

 

Purpose of the Role: The Country Director
(CD) position is a key role in the Farm Africa global senior management team
which comes together every quarter to share progress and review the strategic
direction of the organisation. In country he/she will set the strategic
direction of the Uganda country programme in line with Farm Africa’s global
strategy and Uganda’s national development plans. The CD will play a pivotal in
driving donor and partner relationships and funding opportunities; and ensuring
a healthy pipeline for the country programme that both builds on existing
initiatives and expands our technical and geographic presence.

 

On day to day basis the CD will also lead, manage and provide practical
guidance to the programme delivery, finance and country office teams. In
particular, the CD will support the Programme Manager in the setting and
delivering of project goals; ensuring quality and timely delivery of project outputs,
and long-term achievement of project outcomes; and reporting. He/she will also
be responsible for ensuring staff, volunteers and beneficiaries are
safeguarded; building the technical capacity of the programme team; and
ensuring that teams are aware of and are using key Farm Africa tools (Programme
Management Tool, Monitoring and Learning Plans, Budget Management Reporting
Tool). The CD will drive excellence in technical design ensuring projects are
designed where possible based on Farm Approaches papers.

Externally the Country Director is responsible for developing and
maintaining relationships with senior counterparts in partner governments,
donors and private sector and raising the profile of Farm Africa’s work carried
out in country.

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:  

The key responsibilities of the Country Director are:

To set the strategic direction of the programme
in Uganda and ensure a healthy programme pipeline

·       
Set the strategic direction for the FA Uganda programme based on the FA
mission and values, and aligned with technical approaches developed within the
organisation

·       
Develop innovative programmes that build on our core competencies of
Agriculture (including livestock), Natural Resource Management and Market
Engagement.

·       
Work with the Business Development team to develop a proactive funding
strategy based on the donor opportunities

To be the key
contact for new business for the Business Development team in the UK.
Responsible for feeding into the pipeline and keeping team in UK up to date with
progress as well as soliciting their help and advice on identifying
opportunities

·       
Identify and develop new opportunities for Farm Africa to assist our core
communities of farmers and forest communities through grant funding, private
sector partnerships, commercial contracts and consultancies

·       
Play a hands-on role in technical project design and preparing proposals
for submission, in close collaboration with other country programmes and
relevant departments in London (especially the Business Development).

·       
Oversee development of high-quality, accurate, budgets to accompany
funding proposals with a minimum of 15% cost recovery.

·       
Be a champion for evidence-based results across the portfolio, supporting
teams to generate credible evidence and reflect on how to achieve excellence,
representing lessons learned, and ensuring the future direction of the
programme builds towards feeding into policy

To ensure excellent in programme management and
delivery

·       
Ensure that Farm Africa’s projects attain the highest standards of
delivery, effectiveness and value for money and are delivered in accordance
with Farm Africa and Donor policies and contractual obligations.

·       
Ensure that key project management tools are being used by the team to
guide timely high- quality project delivery

·       
Ensure a 100% burn rate against approved budgets and a minimum of 15%
cost recovery across the Uganda programme

·       
In close collaboration with the global programmes leadership, be
responsible for the programme cycle in Uganda from beginning to end – and in particular
deliver excellent in contract management, project delivery and compliance
processes

·       
Partner management, and in particular partner due diligence, ensuring
appropriate contracting mechanisms are in place and that partners are held
accountable for delivering against them

·       
Work closely with Farm Africa’s head of monitoring and evaluation to
ensure that strong M&E plans are in place, delivered against, and used to
effectively, measure the impact of our work, improve project design and provide
evidence to influence external stakeholders

To ensure that Farm Africa Uganda is operating
efficiently, safely and in accordance with internal, legal and fiscal
guidelines and frameworks

·       
Oversee the annual budget development process – ensuring that internal
budgets are accurate and aligned with contractual obligations

·       
Ensure that cash flow for Uganda Programme is managed efficiently an in
accordance with agreed guidelines and timetables

·       
Ensure that all staff are trained in, and fully understand, all financial
and operational processes and procedures and are operating in line with them

·       
Ensure that the annual audit takes place, with key findings acted on as
required

·       
Ensure that Farm Africa is operating in accordance with applicable
statutory and fiscal frameworks in Uganda

·       
As overall Security Focal Point for Uganda keep the global SMT updated on
any security issues as and when they arise

·       
Ensure that appropriate Security Management Plans (SMPs) and Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) are embedded and adhered to in each field location;
and updated as appropriate

Leadership and line management

·       
Lead the Uganda team, with a particular focus on staff development and
proactive performance management

·       
Ensure that all staff are adhering to, and being managed in line with,
Farm Africa’s Staff Handbook, and that it is up to date and reflects current
statutory obligations in Uganda

·       
Ensure that the Ugandan team are fully conversant with their obligations
and duties in relation to Farm Africa Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policies

·       
Responsible for the overall line management of the Uganda SMT, and
ensuring Farm Africa’s Performance Management approach (induction, probation,
mid-term and annual reviews and one to ones) is in place and being cascaded
through to all team members

·       
Ensure that all new staff are inducted, and existing staff are re-trained
on annual basis, on key policies and procedures including, in particular, the
Farm Africa Code of Conduct and safeguarding policy.

Corporate leadership and organisational
representation

·       
As a key member of the FA senior management team, provide broader
leadership across the organisation, contributing to the overall strategy and
future growth

·       
Ensure outstanding communication of programme information across the
organisation, working closely with the other directors and senior managers on
internal learning and knowledge management

·       
Work closely with Farm Africa’s head of monitoring and evaluation to
develop knowledge products from our projects and externally showcase results

·       
Working with the Programme Quality Team, lead our external influencing of
policy and the dissemination of learning and knowledge in Uganda to ensure Farm
Africa is seen externally as an expert in our chosen sectors of Agriculture,
Natural Resource Management and Markets.

·       
Build, strengthen and manage relationships with key stakeholders
including donors, governments, private sector actors and other NGOs in Uganda
and the wider region

·       
Work with the communications and advocacy team to increase visibility and
identify and maximise opportunities for media coverage of Farm Africa’s work

·       
Represent Farm Africa externally in Uganda and internationally, providing
thought leadership and influence to help achieve our mission and goals

Carry out any other duties as assigned by the
Director of Programmes.

·       
These essential functions are not to be interpreted as a complete
statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other
job related duties as required. All work responsibilities are subject to having
performance goals and/or targets established.

 

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Essential
education, qualifications & other knowledge

·       
The applicant
for the Farm Africa Country Director role must hold a Degree in a relevant
discipline

·       
A
detailed understanding of the socio-political and economic climate and
institutions in Uganda and the region

·       
Country
Director in an International NGO with a clearly evidenced proven track record
of having made a strategic contribution to the organisation’s aims and
objectives

·       
Strong
track record in conceptualising and generating funding for new programmes both
from, and in partnership with, a wide range of stakeholders including
governments, institutional funders and private sector, governments and NGO’s

·       
Experience
in programme design using tools such as theory of change and linear log frames,
and designing M & E frameworks

·       
High
level of expertise in agriculture, agricultural economics, natural resource
management or closely related field in a developing country context

·       
Significant
experience of managing operational teams in complex environments, including an
in depth understanding of operational and delivery risks

·       
Significant
demonstrable experience of delivering rural development projects to time and
budget in Sub Saharan Africa

·       
Experience
of working with multiple partners and stakeholders including grass roots communities,
private sector, governments and NGOs

·       
Proven
track record as thought leader and influencer

·       
Understanding
of key gender dynamics and constraints in rural sub-Saharan Africa, and
approaches to delivering changes in behaviours and attitudes in this area.

·       
High
intellectual capacity with strong analytical skills            

·       
Mature
and positive leader, able to manage and work in an international environment
with strong inter-personal skills            

·       
A
pro-active creative thinker with demonstrable ability to adapt to a constantly
changing environment              

·       
Strong
written and verbal communication skills in English with the ability to engage
with a wide variety of external and internal stakeholders      

·       
Ability
to prioritise and delegate a constant and demanding workload          

·       
Strong
people management skills, including an excellent understanding of team
dynamics, and the ability to lead and motivate others            

·       
Confident
and competent with Microsoft Excel – with the ability to manage and develop
complex budgets.       

·       
Ability
to motivate and develop individuals and teams for high performance              

·       
An
outstanding networker, able to build and maintain key relationships     

·       
A team
player 

·       
A
willingness to learn 

 

Desired education,
qualifications & other knowledge

·       
Experience
as Country Director in Uganda

·       
Knowledge
of key donors in agriculture, climate change, resilience, market engagement.

·       
Knowledge
and experience of M4P approaches to development

·       
Significant
demonstrable experience of delivering projects to time and budget in Uganda

·       
Commercial
experience in agriculture in Sub Saharan Africa

 

Our Values

Investing in
smallholder farming is the number one way to combat poverty in rural Africa.
Farm Africa is a leading NGO specialising in growing agriculture, protecting
the environment and developing businesses in rural Africa.

EXPERT. Deep
expertise and insightful evidence-based solutions are at the heart of
everything Farm Africa does.

GROUNDED.
Positive change starts with Africa’s people, so our experts work closely with
local communities, engaging them in every level of decision-making.

IMPACTFUL. We
take a long-term view so we can deliver lasting changes for farmers and their
families.

BOLD. We
model innovative new approaches and are not afraid to challenge strategies that
are failing.

 

If you are
interested in this role please visit the jobs page of our website for more
information and details of how to apply www.farmafrica.org/jobs/jobs

 

How to Apply:

If you would like to apply please submit your CV and a
covering letter that explains why your skills, qualifications and experience
are relevant to the role to recruitment@farmafrica.org

Deadline: Monday 12
October 2020 by 9:00 am East Africa Time

NB: Farm Africa will not accept third party applications
and recruitment consultants are respectfully asked not to get in touch with
regards to this role.

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