Program Manager at African Leadership Academy

Position Responsibilities

• Build Partnerships: Sustain existing and develop new partnerships with employers, sector stakeholders, program partners and potential funders.
• Execute on Strategy: Execute upon a long-term strategy to maximize our impact on Agribusiness in Africa whilst thinking about your own vision for the network and what it could become (entrepreneurial thinking).
• Program management: Manage the sector success and sector challenge programs to maximize and develop leadership skills and build professional development skills around Agribusiness related themes.
• Grow the Network: Develop and implement an effective network engagement strategy that will enable diverse stakeholders to connect and collaborate consistently to innovate and improve Agribusiness in Africa.
• External Communications: Articulate the philosophies and approaches of AL for Agribusiness programs and the resulting impact of network members on the wider Agribusiness ecosystem in Africa. Provide thought leadership and represent AL for Agribusiness in global conferences, talks and Agribusiness networks to share learnings and build relationships.
• Stakeholder Partnerships: Manage relationships with key partners and funders.
• Get stuck in: Participate in program design and delivery, providing coaching, program and event facilitation and coordination as necessary for program success and as a means of engaging network members.
• Defines project outcomes across multiple project streams, with increasing degrees of project complexity and task uncertainty. Interprets vague information and interdependencies. Builds strong rhythms to support team management and delivery.
• Assume accountability for work delegated to others. Lead performance management and review of team members. Interpret HR policies and ensure their implementation. Ensure exceptional candidate experiences and drive hiring processes. Capable of difficult and crucial conversations
• Projecting budgetary requirements and reporting. Managing needs of a range of projects. Able to manage grant performance.

• Actively builds external relationships that will attract the time, treasure, and talent required to build their program. Identifies, serves, and follows up with prospective customers, partners, and stakeholders

Profile of the ideal candidate

• Partnership builder: you build win-win partnerships and have the experience of fundraising for non-profit and/or for-profit organizations.
• Demonstrate leadership: you identify, evaluate, and execute on high-impact opportunities using entrepreneurial thinking.
• Program Development Skills: Ability to design or create initiatives, events and programs that will contribute to, and build the Agribusiness network.
• Highly organized project manager: Ability to plan and deliver on projects timeously. Good planning, priority, and organisational skills, especially when under tight deadlines
• You have a strong existing network in the Agribusiness space and are passionate about building and sustaining relationships and networks, especially on the African continent.
• Experience managing complex projects with multiple workstreams.
• Written and verbal communication skills. Experience with public speaking, report writing, proposals, published written work, as well as developing communication strategies and plans.
• Marketing skills: Must have effective communication skills for marketing blurbs, social media posts, newsletter writing and sharing stories of impact.
• Stakeholder Management skills: Ability to confidently work with multiple stakeholders at different levels in organisations, to advance progress and execute on program ideas, both internally and externally.
• Professional development skills: Ability to manage and recognise young, highly skilled, ambitious talent (potentially in their first job) with a strong growth trajectory and provide guidance/coaching as needed.
• Data Management and Analysis skills: CRM Data management, generating analytics that can be used for reporting. (Salesforce knowledge an advantage.)
• Facilitation and coordination skills: Ability to convene and manage events and workshops to drive network engagement

Desired Experience

• Post Grad degree in an Agribusiness - related discipline
• 5+ years of experience working in or advising Agribusiness organizations.
• Management experience in an Agribusiness-related field is a requirement.
• Must have industry knowledge and a broad understanding and knowledge of Agribusiness development challenges and opportunities facing the African continent.
• An awareness about career opportunities and pathways in Agribusiness through the lens of leadership development and be passionate and eager to engage in continuous learning and networking in the field.
• Dedicated to shaping the future of Agribusiness sector in Africa.