Burundi Government Relations Lead

DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANIZATION

One Acre Fund - TUBURA is an agricultural NGO working in East Africa to support smallholder farmers. We offer each of our members a range of services from the delivery of agricultural inputs to credit and training with the objective of increasing harvests and revenues. Established in Burundi in 2012, we are a fast growing organization, which now has more than 700 employees nationwide. As of 2017 we serve over 90,000 households in 5 provinces; Muramvya, Gitega, Kayanza, Mwaro and Ngozi. For more information visit our website: http://www.oneacrefund.org

JOB DESCRIPTION

The role of the External Relations team is to establish close collaboration between One Acre Fund and our partners, including the Government of Burundi, the private sector and international institutions, to jointly achieve our common goals in agricultural sector. Specifically, the team is composed of three sub-departments; a national and local relations department, a legal compliance department and a communication department. These departments work together to manage the organization's reputation in Burundi among different target actors. Your role as an external relations associate will be to set the objectives, establish the strategy and ensure the execution of the activities of the department, in close collaboration with the Country Director and the head of the department at global level. You will be responsible for managing a team of more than five people, both in terms of their work and their professional development.

Roles and responsibilities

The external relations partner will have the following roles and responsibilities:

• Setting of key objectives and implementation of a strategic guidelines, as well as proposal of a budget necessary to achieve these objectives
• Management of the work and distribution of responsibilities among the team for the effective implementation of the objectives set. Team training to enable them to fulfill their roles and functions.
• Follow-up of on the implementation of activities and executional/strategic support where necessary, especially in the management of the challenges.
• Implementation of the hiring process, interview and evaluation of the candidates and selection of the new staff, if necessary
• Execution of the most complex streams of work, including establishing and maintaining relationships with key players in the agricultural sector such as the Ministry of Agriculture, local authorities, research institutes and other partners. We are looking for skills in
• Advocacy : the ability to define strategic messages and use effective channels to reach key audiences to affect change
• Negotiation : the ability to understand interests, arrive at common solutions between different parties and diplomatically handle challenging environements
• Establishment and supported execution of a communication strategy to make the organization’s objectives, values and results known to targets at national level.
• Management of communications with other departments to coordinate efforts, troubleshoot problems and mitigate risks. Educational role for other departments, in terms of political context, applicable laws and their responsibilities in terms of compliance.

CAREER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

One Acre Fund invests in the development of management and leadership skills. Your manager and a global support team will spend a lot of time on your professional development. We continuously provide concrete feedback through mentorship and regular career reviews in the form of management advice. We also hold regular one-on-one meetings, where we listen and discuss career goals, and work collaboratively to create truly exciting roles. Due to our rapid growth, we constantly have new high-level roles that open up and full of opportunities in different functions.

REQUIRED CONDITIONS

We are looking for a professional with at least three years of experience and a clear interest in our mission. Candidates who meet the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Strong sense of leadership and personal commitment to the mission of the organization
• Holder of a Bachelor's degree / Bachelor's degree in Communication, International Relations and other related fields. The Master level would be a plus
• Communication skills, advocacy and lobbying : We are looking for someone who can speak intelligently about our program, understand its added value and be able to persuade our partners to collaborate.
• Experience working with the public sector including government institutions, research institutes or other government agencies focused on agriculture and development in Africa.
• Ability to function independently and to be enterprising: we are looking for a highly organized, disciplined, solution-oriented and creative person, as it involves distance working.
• Speak and write fluently French. Professional proficiency in English. Candidates who speak Kirundi are particularly encouraged to apply.
• Burundian nationality is preferred, but the position is open to candidates of other nationalities

REQUIRED QUALITIES

• Ability to set goals and achieve them
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively
• Ability to solve problems independently
• Ability to manage work and develop others
• To be honest and humble
• Being organized and very attentive / attentive to details
• Passion to serve Burundian farmers

PREFERRED START DATE

5th of July 2019

JOB LOCATION

Bujumbura, Burundi 

COMPENSATION

We offer a modest starting salary that guarantees a high quality of life in our areas of operation. This is a career-building role with the possibility of performance-based increases and the ability to expand responsibilities over time.

DURATION

Full-time job.

BENEFITS 

Health insurance, paid time off

SPONSOR INTERNATIONAL CANDIDATES

Yes;  Burundian candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here.