Global Communities is immediately seeking a Field Director for its Developing Economic Strengthening Interventions for Group Production (DESIGN) Program in Uganda for a one year contract. We seek a qualified professional with an extensive background in cooperative development and regional expertise in East Africa. Ugandan citizens are strongly encouraged to apply.
About Global Communities, formerly CHF International, is an international non-profit organization that works closely with communities worldwide to bring about sustainable change that improves the lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable. Global Communities has been a leading force in the cooperative development movement beginning with the U.S. cooperative housing movement in 1952.
Cooperatives are internationally recognized mechanisms for fostering financial and economic growth in developing countries and are particularly effective in transitional economies, where there is limited access to capital and where vocational and technical skills are limited. Cooperative structures allow individuals to pool their resources and skills together to work toward a common economic goal, such as crop production, with the ultimate aim of increasing member incomes and ensuring greater food security. By working together, cooperative members accomplish economic goals and objectives that could not be achieved by one individual alone.
The DESIGN Program, is a USAID funded pilot research program whose implementation began on April 15, 2013 and will continue until April 15, 2015 with the possibility of extension. The program combines the research of a prominent research professional based in the USA with the income generation and food security potentials of cooperatives. The research focuses on trust formation and relationships in economic producer groups, and is integrated into the tools used by the DESIGN Uganda team allowing them to conduct the research while setting up the cooperative.
Further to the research of this program is a collaborative project with a health based international development group. The two programs share office space and are working hand in hand to leverage funds and further each other's impact in Bushenyi. The program also encompasses a learning objective which focuses on documenting how organizations work together to achieve cooperative objectives.
The Objectives of the DESIGN Program:
- Improve the approach in which new agricultural cooperatives are formed, so that their formation accelerates the rate in which cooperative members begin to demonstrate and adopt improved cooperative practices. Once a cooperative has a strong foundation and adheres to the 'best practices' of cooperative development, the aim is that this will increase the cooperative's production, sales and ultimately their income.
- To use the 'lessons learned' from the formation of the new agricultural cooperative in Bushenyi, Uganda and apply this model and learnings to other cooperative development programs regionally and internationally.
Global Communities is seeking a dynamic development professional to lead and manage all programmatic and representative activities for the DESIGN Program as it embarks on the immediate formation of a new cooperative in Bushenyi, Uganda. The Field Director will lead the field office and oversee the implementation of all program activities, manage the Uganda team staff, develop M&E processes and be responsible for representation of the program with local officials and at the donor level. The Field Director must have experience in cooperative organization, instruction on good practices and management all in the agricultural sector. Experience with farmer associations or cooperatives in developing countries, especially those comprised of smallholder farms, is required. The Field Director will also be responsible for building relationships with stakeholders associated with cooperatives, from government agencies to academia to external donors.
The Deliverables/Tasks:
- Conduct community sensitization and consultation in Bushenyi, Uganda.
- Manage the formation of a new cooperative in theBushenyi district in Southwestern Uganda.
- Work with Global Communities headquarters based Program Manager and technical team on all deliverables.
- Coordinate and discuss all program implementation strategies with DESIGN Uganda Program Manager and technical team.
- Create short-term and long-term work plans to direct office and program activities.
- Manage DESIGN Program staff time, work plans and deliverables.
- Coordinate with partnering health organization staff, attend joint meetings, represent program where necessary.
- Coordinate with US based research team to further research.
- Conduct biannual assessments, oversee data compilation, clean data, and work with research team in evaluation.
- Write and compile two semi-annual reports for review by USAID and headquarters.
- Attend, participate in and occasionally lead meetings with USAID, Peace Corps, Health Partners and local governance offices in and around Bushenyi.
- Attend and participate in select conferences and collect 'lessons learned' for the DESIGN team.
- Oversee budgeting operations, monitor program budget and burn rates, and provide guidance to the Accounting and Finance Coordinator.
- Any other duty as assigned by supervisor
- Undergraduate degree in agriculture, cooperative development, business administration or related field is required. An MBA or a master's degree in international development with a focus in agriculture, economic development or cooperative development is a significant advantage;
- Demonstrated experience working with and building the capacity of cooperatives is required;
- Formal coursework in cooperative development is preferred;
- 5-7 years of relevant work experience with a minimum of 3 years of program management experience is required;
- Demonstrated regional knowledge of East Africa, particularly, Uganda;
- Demonstrated understanding of business operations and demonstrated ability to formulate business strategies for cooperatives;
- Demonstrated ability to be self-motivated, directed, and able to implement under remote supervision;
- Ability to conduct cross-functional, multi-sector analysis in geographically and culturally diverse settings;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to compile, synthesize and report on program implementation in relationship to the cooperative agreement deliverables. Ability to articulate and present all aspects of the project to diverse audiences;
- Track record of strong commitment to sharing knowledge, documenting experiences, and supporting creative initiatives;
- Demonstrated conflict management and team-building skills;
- Demonstrated ability to be self-directed and able to produce results with limited supervision;
- Fluency in English is required.
All interested individuals are encouraged to apply and should submit their resume/CV, cover letter, and a list of three references to: gcdesignjob@gmail.com
The title of the e-mail must be: Field Director
Application Closing date: Friday, 7 March 2014
Job from : Global Communities