Program and Impact Director

Background

The African Capacity Building Foundation is searching for an entrepreneurial and ambitious results-focused Program and Impact Director to support the development and management of Foundation Initiatives.  Reporting directly to the Executive Secretary, you will have the opportunity to work together with partners, to catalyze and scale transformative innovations creating varied partnerships to span sectors and geographies. This position will provide management and leadership oversight for the entire Program and Impact team as it moves into an exciting period of implementing the Foundation’s new strategy.

 You may be the ideal candidate for this role if you thrive working within a team structure, sharing information and insights, and engaging in ongoing intellectual exchange. You must be comfortable building bridges between academia, non-profit, government, and private corporate sectors. You should have experience in designing, planning, and implementing cross-country programs and projects, and in managing people and processes. 

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

 1.            Leadership and Management 

·        Under the direction of the Executive Secretary, translate the foundation’s strategic plan into actionable programs and initiatives that drive impact and relevance across the continent.

·        Lead and oversee the design and implementation of the different impact area programs, such as Climate Change, Agribusiness and Food sovereignty, Trade, and Economic Governance.

·        Design and implement the supporting frameworks, processes, and tools for strategic and results-based management of program initiatives (e.g., lifecycle and portfolio management)

·        Manage partnerships (internal and external) required to deliver programs to ensure tangible outcomes.

·        Oversee measurement and reporting of program outcomes to fulfill our accountability to our donors and board as well as our learning needs.

·        Engage external relevant stakeholders, including advocacy with government officials in partnership with the Business Development function and the Office of the Executive Secretary.

·        Effectively manage program teams, in and nurturing talent for professional growth.

·        Deal effectively with unexpected complex challenges that arise inevitably in any program.

·        Effectively “tee up” strategic decisions for Executive Secretary and or Management team (e.g., choices under uncertainty, risk management issues, etc.)

·        Manage timely execution of select internal team processes (e.g., team reviews, budget cycles, strategy soaks, and review processes)

·        Prepare written updates, reports, and presentations for the Executive Board

2.            External Relationships

·        Representing the Foundation in diverse communities, including speaking engagements, attending conferences, and participating in other key internal and external meetings 

·        Network building and connecting grantees, partners, and other stakeholders

·        Build the influence and leverage of ACBF work to achieve greater impact. This includes facilitating and managing partnerships/relationships with other capacity-building actors, donors, and other actors to advance the strategy

3.            Partnership Development

·        Build, prioritize, and manage a pipeline of prospective partners in liaison with the Strategy, Resource Mobilization, and Partnerships team.

·        Actively source new partners for the Foundation and manage a portfolio of existing relationships. 

·        Help shape the broader strategy for engaging partners at scale as effort matures.  

·        Design and supervise the implementation of team processes and tools that support external engagement (e.g., Customer Relationship Management) 

·        Ensure broader effort is achieving its objectives and on track to achieve impact; drive decision-making and course corrections when needed. 

4.            Strategic Planning

·        Ensure initiatives/projects in execution have a solid Project Management Plan in place.

·        Lead program teams to set up their monitoring plan, and work that ties back to its results framework, and the Foundation's strategy.

·        Standardize best practices and performance across initiatives and allow for easier knowledge management and learning across and from previous projects.

·        Deliver initiatives/projects on time and within budget. 

Required Competencies and Experience 

• Master’s degree with a minimum of 13 years of professional experience, with significant experience in program design and implementation, ideally in a relevant field /institution.
• Leadership and management experience in leading the delivery of complex operations and program strategy with a multi-disciplinary team, working with multiple external stakeholders, across locations and time zones.
• Strong understanding and experience of market-based solutions to address complex social and development challenges, ideally with experience engaging with investors/donor communities
• Deep understanding of political, economic, and social trends in Africa, with an ability to work across different sectors in the continent.
• Strong project management skills, deadline management, sense of responsibility and accountability, and the ability to effectively multi-task.
• Powerful conceptual and analytical skills, with a track record in using data and analytics to inform dynamic strategy implementation, priority setting, and decision-making
• Experience in communicating externally, either in large groups or in smaller engagements for representational and influencing purposes.
• Ability to travel frequently, particularly within Africa.
• Excellent English and French language skills. 

Personal Characteristics

 An intellectually curious but humble leader with a high degree of compassion, able to engage, enable and inspire.

• A hands-on approach to all activities with real passion and high levels of energy. Agile and comfortable adapting to different environments.
• Creative and resourceful in overcoming barriers and unexpected roadblocks. Courageous in spirit, driving change through innovation.
• An authentic leader who intuitively engenders an inclusive environment, enabling program to reach its ambitious goals.
• Possesses high personal standards of ethics and integrity towards employees, stakeholders, and beneficiaries.
• Diversity of thought and experience. Continually seeks new perspectives and feedback, takes an inclusive approach,
• High levels of learning-agility with a real interest in the capacity building ecosystem.
• Entrepreneurial and comfortable with ambiguous and change-led environments; self-confident with an authentic style that gravitates to championing change.
• Eager to seek a challenge and expand frontiers; brings a visionary approach. Sets and meets a high bar of goals and principles.
• Servant leadership mentality, deeply committed to serving and listening to others. Natural ability to build strong relationships and enable collaboration through empathy and authenticity.
• Committed to building a community through ACBF’s values.  

ACBF Managerial Competencies

 ·        Leadership

·        Planning and organizing

·        Managing Performance

·        Communication

·        Respect for organizational, intercultural, and ethical values

·        Learning and Innovation

CompensationThe African Capacity Building Foundation offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience The Foundation provides a very generous package of benefits that includes health coverage, pension and paid annual leave, etc.

For detailed information and the application process, visit our website on https://www.acbf-pact.org/work-us/vacancies