SRI Executive Search has been retained by AGRA to assist with their search for an exceptional candidate to fill the position of Vice President, Center for Technical Expertise.

 

AGRA and its Work

AGRA is an African-led institution that actively supports the drive towards inclusive agricultural transformation and sustainable food systems. We do this by empowering the continent’s 33 million smallholder farming households to transform their agriculture from a struggle to survive to profitable businesses. The continent’s farmers regularly face challenges, and we aspire to provide uniquely African solutions that respond to their agricultural and environmental challenges, leading to increased harvests for reduced hunger and more income.

 

Working in alignment with the development priorities of our focus countries, we enable farmers to access improved and high-yielding seeds, gain knowledge on sustainable farming, and linkages to profitable markets.

 

The Opportunity

The Vice President – Center of Technical Expertise is a member of the Executive Management Committee, who will drive the design and oversight of all aspects of AGRA’s technical programming and strategic /thought leadership and analytical capability through AGRA's center of technical expertise. The role will be responsible for developing and directing all AGRA’s business lines and ensure appropriate support to all the 15 AGRA country offices to ensure alignment, and coherent and coordinated delivery.

 

Role Summary

S/He is responsible for delivering technical capabilities for AGRA and implementing initiatives that catalyse widespread change across the ecosystem. S/He will lead a team that is composed of experts in the fields of seed systems; climate adaption, sustainable farming and resilience; inclusive markets and trade; policy and state capability; inclusive finance; and digital; youth, gender and nutrition who work in the central office and support the regional and country program officers to help catalyze food system transformation.

 

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Key member of the Executive Management team who directs technical leadership and direction to the organization through leading experts and directing the development of strong analytical and advisory capabilities to governments and private sector.
• Develops and maintains up-to-date, cutting-edge strategies for the development of seed systems; climate adaption, sustainable farming, and resilience; inclusive markets and trade; policy and state capability; inclusive finance; and digital; youth, gender, and nutrition.
• Extends as a thought leader on all AGRA components through publications, speeches, membership of relevant networks, participation in learning events, and training of grantees.
• Leads strategic thinking by establishing key issues, objectives, strategies, and tactics, as well as developing multi-year growth strategies and innovation vision for AGRA.
• Develops and oversees an African Advisory function of Technical Expertise that will support the government on business development, fundraising, policy, strategy, and impact.
• Oversee investments that drive continental and regional level impact, including strategic support of specialized institutions and agencies working together with countries and regions to deliver and measure impact.
• Lead and link impact thinking with country-level strategies ensuring that technical teams define the character of strategic delivery at the country level.
• Work to ensure AGRA's reputation is aligned with strong delivery and analytical capability underpinned by strong collaboration internally and externally.
• Advance a strong culture of collaboration, team support, and growth across the institution.
• Brings African and global best practices to inform technical system-level efforts and remains at the forefront of techniques and approaches.
• Identifies and targets new stakeholders to influence and finds opportunities for impact at the regional and international levels.
• Use the advisory capacity under CtE to advance country-led implementation, execution capacity, and delivery of food systems.
• Leverages strong knowledge of programs to educate cross-functional team members so they can develop and execute strategies that create innovative solutions.
• Collaborates with global and country programs to identify, track, and assess technical approaches. Galvanizes and energizes AGRA’s engagement with regional bodies, governments and donors for the design and implementation of appropriate programs with the aim of creating an enabling environment to drive agricultural transformation in Africa.
• Supervises and manages direct reports to ensure execution and delivery of specific objectives.
• Provides strategic technical leadership and directs and provides coaching to relevant technical teams.
• Builds the Alliance by engaging with senior stakeholders and high-ranking government officials.
• Influences stakeholders to adopt or contribute to AGRA's theory of change.
• Advises country teams on the Green Revolution relevant innovations, digital-enabled solutions, relevant services providers, and trends in their countries and across the continent.
• Grows best practices across different the AGRA strategic focus areas, facilitates exchange and learnings.
• Represent AGRA at key external events across topics of policy and state capability, sustainable farming, seed systems and inclusive markets and trade.
• Enables talent management and development of existing staff, acquiring of new staff as necessary and manages team dynamics to ensure high-performance and positive employee experience.
• Communicates results through presentations, written and verbal communication.
• Able to direct teams to document and publish reports and articles that can influence action.
• Plans, organizes, and conducts regular capacity-building activities on critical thinking, innovation and design for AGRA staff, partners, and grantees.
• Directs implementation of new and innovative approaches, including reporting and maintaining relationships with funding agencies.
• Verify 5-year country and region strategy and annual country plans and provide technical expertise and best-practices to improve the plan. Trains grantees on technical matters, ensuring best practices are applied across all components.
• Coordinates among different organizational divisions, break down silos between groups, ensuring systems work together and support each other. Captures and communicates the right and relevant indicators of success for each system.
• Assesses the automated M&E system to ensure that it captures consistent quality data (quality assurance on data provided).
• Plans and utilizes the operating budget for the division.
• Sets project standards and goals, directs execution of projects, and innovations, and evaluates progress through regular performance reviews.
• Responsible for continental and regional programming in AGRA and will work with regional and country teams to ensure execution across RECs, Regional Institutions, and countries.

 

Education, Qualification & Experience

• Ph.D./M.Sc. or equivalent qualification in a field relevant to agricultural development.
• Any additional professional qualification that enhances proficiency in program design, analytical research, communication, leadership, and strategic planning or execution.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience with 10 years’ experience in implementing and managing technical projects and business plans in agriculture or economic development space, in an international organization and/or capacity.
• At least 5 years of experience in a senior leadership role.
• Experience in a government delivery role or effectively leading a government agency or in a private sector equivalent role would be a strong plus.
• Demonstrated knowledge of agricultural development principles and procedures.
• Experience writing proposals, grants, and reports, and excellent oral and written communications.
• Outstanding interpersonal/relationship skills – active listening, relationship and team building, team player.
• Experience with, knowledge of, and/or enthusiasm for environmental program themes of environment, renewable energy, and climate change.
• Evidence of vision, leadership, and ability to secure strategic partnerships and grants. Experience managing programs and leading major fundraising initiatives.
• Experience managing a ‘center of excellence’ tasked to support with expertise business lines or project implementation units.
• Very strong and demonstrated ability to make choices, focus, and delivery change and strategic thinking in a crowded landscape of ideas and partnerships.
• Good understanding of climate issues and ability to lead teams to support countries in finding local regional and continental solutions.
• A working knowledge of French will be an advantage.

 

Terms of Appointment

3 Years Fixed Term (Consideration for renewal will be made subject to AGRA’s needs, available funding and performance).

 

Location

Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel at international level, approximately 40% per month/year.

 

How to Apply

If you wish to be considered for this position, please click Apply and complete the Application Form on or before 9 August 2023. In addition, we encourage you to please attach a copy of the most recent English version of your CV.

 

All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.