YETA Chief of Party, Uganda

The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) is the trade association for cooperative businesses in the United States and an international development organization. NCBA CLUSA provides cross-sector education, technical assistance, and advocacy that helps co-ops thrive. For nearly 100 years, NCBA CLUSA has sought to advance and protect cooperative enterprises, highlighting the impact that cooperatives have in bettering the lives of individuals and families. In the last 60 years, NCBA CLUSA has worked in over 100 countries in the areas of food security, agricultural development, strengthening of communities and farmer organizations, community-based health, natural resources management, and empowerment of smallholder farmers, women, and youth. We currently work in 17 countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

NCBA CLUSA is currently seeking a qualified candidate for the positon of Youth Empowerment Through Agriculture (YETA) Chief of Party to support NCBA CLUSA’s East & Southern Africa team, based in Kampala, Uganda. With the support of other management staff, the YETA Chief of Party will have primary responsibility for the implementation and management of the lead award. This position ensures that the project is implemented with high quality in accordance with NCBA CLUSA’s international program management standards and with its technical approach and principles. S/he will ensure that NCBA CLUSA’s values, methodology and approaches are being uniformly implemented throughout the project. As the head administrator for the project, the Chief of Party will direct all in-country activities and will be the primary point of contact for the project donor. The Chief of Party will ensure optimal strategic direction and achievement of program objectives for NCBA CLUSA as well as compliance with NCBA CLUSA program quality standards and MasterCard Foundation administrative and financial requirements.

The YETA Chief of Party provides overall management leadership to the five member YETA consortium (NCBA CLUSA, Youth Alive, Aflatoun, Making Cents, and Reproductive Health Uganda) at the country level, including managing the development and advancement of youth associations within the agriculture sector of Uganda through training in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and business skills as well as overseeing the launch of their anticipated businesses. The YETA Chief of Party is accountable for both the quality of programs, compliance to MasterCard Foundation regulations as well as NCBA CLUSA policies and procedures, and for the effective programmatic, financial and operational management and reporting thereof. The Chief of Party will serve as the management leader and coordinator of a team of agricultural, financial, and entrepreneurship specialists implementing activities that will be integrated within Northern Ugandan communities to provide increased opportunities for youth employment within the agricultural sector. The YETA Chief of Party will also serve as the primary field liaison with local Ministry government representatives, donors, partner agencies and local institutions and communities. S/he will be expected to play a pivotal role in the development of future funding proposals.

The purpose of this position is to lead the $11m Youth Empowerment Through Agriculture consortium in Uganda including the local NCBA CLUSA field team as well as four additional partners in order to achieve the program objectives as set out by the MasterCard Foundation. This position requires excellent coordination of staff from all consortium members, a strong ability to track program progress and manage complex budgets and financial requirements, as well as a thorough understanding of the youth context within Uganda. The YETA Chief of Party will be required to familiarize himself/herself with MasterCard Foundation rules and regulations as well as NCBA CLUSA internal policies in order to manage effectively and compliantly. Additionally, he/she will be accountable for the successful implementation of all program activities within the project scope.

ESSENTIAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Serves as NCBA CLUSA’s top representative and executive in Uganda by establishing and/or maintaining excellent working relationships with donors, government officials at all levels, the private sector, the customers of the project, suppliers, bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies, and other rural and financial development practitioners;
• Serves as the project’s main field contact point with MasterCard Foundation;
• Maintains constant communications with the home office, reporting on implementation progress and challenges encountered;
• Recruits, trains and motivates top professional talent within Uganda;
• Designs, negotiates, and executes annual project work plans;
• Oversees project monitoring, reporting and evaluation, including participating in the design of PMP and M&E system;
• Manages and develops internal controls, policies and procedures that are in-line with MasterCard Foundation and NCBA CLUSA compliance regulations, or other donor regulation as necessary;
• Supervises the management of sub-grants including overseeing the submission of their deliverables in a timely manner;
• Oversees project budget to ensure it remains on track and ensures that all financial systems are functioning properly and in compliance with NCBA CLUSA regulations;
• Provides leadership, advice, and mentoring of support staff and project partners;
• Designs, market tests, and ramps up the delivery of new and innovative farming systems, (particularly conservation farming and youth engagement) marketing strategies, and the accompanying tools;
• Provides leadership, advice, and mentoring of youth associations, credit and microfinance institutions, and cooperatives;
• Prepares project implementation and impact reports and other programming/project documents as needed for the effective oversight by head office and marketing of NCBA achievements and capabilities;
• Represents NCBA at national, international, and regional conferences and donor meetings, at request of the NCBA supervisor.

SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Agribusiness, Economics, Business or related field, Master’s degree preferred;
• Minimum 15 years’ experience in International development based in Africa; strong knowledge of local political institutions and culture:
• Minimum 15 years’ experience implementing international development projects, preferably in the areas related to NCBA CLUSA’s core focus sectors: food security and agriculture, youth entrepreneurship, democracy and governance, natural resource management, cooperative development, integrated women and gender initiatives, and community-based health;
• Experience leading in a consortium that meets or exceeds donor required spending and deliverables deadlines; ;
• Proven ability to develop systems for project and program design;
• Excellent capacity to understand and manage complex budgets in relation to program implementation;
• Expert in Organization Development, Institutional Capacity Building and Agribusiness Management and Marketing;
• Excellent leadership and management skills, communication and interpersonal skills;
• Leadership: demonstrated ability to lead people and get results through others;
• Planning: strategic thinking and planning capacity to support five-to ten-year time organizational plans and trends in development initiatives;
• Management: ability to organize and manage multiple priorities;
• Problem analysis and problem resolution at a functional and strategic level;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong customer orientation;
• High performance and strong team player;
• Commitment to company mission, vision, principles, and values;
• Strong negotiation skills;
• Knowledge of geographic region;
• Excellent computer skills (Outlook, Word, Excel).

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply, click here. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

NCBA CLUSA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a commitment to diversity. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, and legally protected characteristics for non-merit factors.