Foodscape Project Director at Nature Conservancy

• The Foodscape Director oversees all aspects of CHEF project leadership to ensure the initiative implements successfully and delivers on its ambitious outcomes. They’re responsible for coordinating, implementing, and overseeing all CHEF operations and projects/initiatives. They monitor partner progress in community programs and supervise CHEF field staff. The Director ensures that all actions necessary to implement the program model, including guiding partnerships, agreements/MoUs, and project development are aligned with key stakeholders in the geography, including governments, investors, civil society, development partners and local communities.  They oversee the establishment of the Foodscape Innovation Hub, thus responsible for developing transaction modalities acceptable to all parties. They play a key role in establishing relationships among relevant stakeholders, main project partners, and team members, ensuring strong local ownership for the CHEF. They are primarily responsible for ensuring that this initiative delivers target outcomes for livelihoods, land health, water, climate, and biodiversity.
• The Foodscape Director works closely with the Africa Agriculture Program members, Global Provide Food and Water, NatureVest, Kenya Country program, the Kenya Project Finance for Permanence Team, Northern Kenya program, the Freshwater team, The Climate team, The Indigenous People and Local Communities team, CHEF Steering Committee, the Africa leadership team to align to the TNC Kenya Conservation Strategy and advance progress across the five action areas of the CHEF.  They will also work closely with the TNC Global teams on Climate, Finance, among others, collaborate with government agencies, other conservation organisations, foundations, communities, and other stakeholders.
• The Foodscape Director reports to the Agriculture Director, Africa and will be based in Nanyuki Town, Kenya and will supervise staff. No employment visas or relocation assistance is being offered with this position except for the local labor employment requirements.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOU

• Are you looking for a career to help people and nature? Guided by science, TNC creates innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that people and nature can thrive together.
• We’re looking for someone who is passionate and a motivated problem-solver. Our team in Africa is dedicated to protecting the continent’s unique natural wonders, improve peoples’ lives and create vibrant and sustainable economies. Join us!

Specific Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Develop a strategic and action-oriented work-plan to meet the goals of the CHEF program in consultation with key internal and external partners and lead its successful implementation.
• Supervise and coach CHEF staff and consultants and oversee/ensure integration of all the technical work.
• Serve as primary contact for the program, ensuring strong TNC internal coordination with other relevant programs and offices.
• Apply critical systems thinking to CHEF strategic functioning and obtain any required approvals at key decision points.
• Provide financial management oversight, analyze budgets, and provide updates to the BU on budget expenditures.
• Establish, lead the development of key partnerships, and manage required connections with key stakeholders.
• Lead the CHEF (partner) secretariat to define and implement common strategies, plans, and joint operational models.
• Support donor engagement and fundraising efforts and seek opportunities to collaborate with other relevant programs being implemented in the region.
• Responsible for timely delivery of required plans, monitoring of activities, and evaluation of the program performance.
• Responsible for risk management, issue resolution, conflict management and collaborative complex problems solving.
• Clearly, regularly, and timely communicates the progress of CHEF initiatives to internal and external stakeholders, including triannual program reporting and review.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• BA/BS degree in an agricultural or related field and minimum 7 years’ experience in agriculture, conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in critical systems thinking at the agriculture-conservation nexus.
• Experience writing and editing skills for scientific documents such as grant proposals, and technical reports.
• Experience with strategic partnership management skills for maximising the success of the complex agriculture-conservation program.
• Experience leading complex programs; building strong team spirit and supervision of multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience with financial management of a large program.
• Experience with technical expertise in one or more the following technical areas: land health, water management, biodiversity, climate mitigation, and livelihoods and community development.
• Experience with ffundraising and/or donor relations, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Experience in living and working in remote field sites often with limited amenities.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in an agricultural or related field such as business management, rural development, and 10 years of experience in agriculture-conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong experience in partnership management/development with major scientific organisations, non-profit partners, and proven track record in influencing and working productively with these stakeholders.
• Strong English language communications skills, including ability to communicating clearly via written, oral, and graphical forms, and ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Experience developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Experience and knowledge of methods and approaches to conceiving and implementing strategic and transdisciplinary initiatives.
• Experience working in a matrix organisational setting.
• Developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant 
• Politically savvy.