Practice Area Director

ESSENTIAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Provide leadership, management, and oversight to NCBA CLUSA’s Creating Economic Opportunities and Building Resilient Communities practice area program portfolio, including quality assurance, program management and performance. In addition, work with M&E staff to ensure project deliverables are monitored and course corrections are identified and implemented as appropriate.
• Lead compelling strategic vision for the growth of the Practice Area; oversee the planning of clear short and long-term program priorities in alignment with strategy to promote NCBA CLUSA as innovative leader in both markets systems, economic growth, and resilience.
• Lead efforts to develop and refine tools to analyze and address issues in the resilience, food and market systems environment, identify and groom local institutions and organizations to support practice-area development, and provide targeted level support.
• Position and shape the organization’s prominent role in both creating economic opportunities and building resilience promoting the cooperative business model as an important development solution through collaboration with the new business team, ensure the growth and sustainability of the practice area through support of intelligence gathering and development of innovative programs; and as a representative at various fora and symposia with funders, partners, donors, governments; in collaborating on technical briefs and papers reflecting the organization’s program expertise.

ADDITIONAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Stay abreast of major trends and seminal projects in markets, food systems and resilience and related areas to identify best practices and share key findings internally.
• Collaborate with Communications and Knowledge Management to develop compelling statements on activities, document and present the success stories, lessons learned, etc.
• Liaise between headquarters and field operations and donors.
• Develop systems, processes and a collaborative management approach to address operational challenges and ensure that NCBA CLUSA is following contractual and donor requirements.
• Collaborate with Human Resources to recruit, orient, and develop employees.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

Education:

• Master’s degree in Economics, Business Administration, International Development, or related field preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum fifteen years of increasing responsibility in relevant program and technical work experience in economic growth and resilience, or related area; including a minimum of five years of field experience.
• Minimum ten years of previous experience working on donor funded projects; USAID and USDA projects preferred; as well as an understanding of compliance with respective donor rules and regulations.
• Accomplished in leading and/or contributing to new business development; excellent proposal writing skills.