Interim Shea Program Director

Bead for Life, a Ugandan NGO, is looking for an Interim Shea Program Director for our Uganda office. Bead for Life creates sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of extreme poverty by connecting people worldwide in a circle of exchange that enriches everyone. We work with impoverished women to make money through the production of paper beads or shea butter, and to use their income and additional training to create income streams for life-long sustainability.

Three years ago, Bead for Life launched a new project focused in the Otuke District which provides markets for women who collect shea nuts. We are hiring a 7 month (May - November) interim director position to continue to grow and expand the project, focusing both on sustainable business operations and community programs that emphasize hard work, empowerment and self sufficiency.

Specifically, this position will focus on the next shea nut buying season. Bead for Life buys nuts in multiple remote field locations and this will require the Interim Shea Program Director to spend up to 50% of their time in the field with basic accommodations. The focus of this role is to put in place effective systems to track and reconcile money and inventory and to provide accountability, oversight and leadership for the entire team throughout the buying season.

Reports to: Deputy Director

Location: Uganda- Kampala

Responsibilities:

* Supply Chain Management
- Oversee all aspects related to the purchasing, storing, tracking, transporting and pressing of shea nuts.
- Develop additional sites for sourcing shea nuts.
- Supervise the production coordinator for production of shea soap including projections, supply sourcing, quality control, etc.
- Insure organic standards are observed.
- Maintain rigorous standards for quality control and product testing to meet international standards.

* Field Operations
- Directly manage the staff and oversee the functioning of all field based staff.
- Coordinate the inputs of other Bead for Life programmatic work such as entrepreneurial training and agricultural support, as well as other services through partnerships with other groups.
- Identify key indicators for success based on community assessment.
- Help coordinate community development implementation with a focus on agriculture and value added agricultural products.
- Drive innovation that increases the output for Shea beneficiaries by continuously identifying opportunities of growth for the project.

* General
- Be the main point of contact between the US based team, product distributors and the Uganda team.
- Create systems to create accountability in all financial transactions, with the support of the Financial Controller and Financial Field Assistant, and track accountability in the field on a weekly/monthly basis.
- Supervise all Shea Project employees with clear and kind communication and feedback to build an efficient and cohesive team. Build an effective communication strategy within the team.
- Conduct reviews of staff and contractor performance and mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity, and teamwork.
- Draft reports documenting activities and results.
- Oversee any required grant reporting.
- Make recommendations on organizational structure for the Shea Project and anticipate growth and needed positions.

* Significant experience in development programs aimed at empowering vulnerable populations, preferably women, with a focus on sustainability.

* Excellent skills in cash management, financial accountability, and financial/program projections.

* Experience with logistics management, supply chain and/or product manufacturing highly preferred.

* 3-5 years management experience with strong inter-personal skills and the ability to build and motivate diverse and talented teams.

* Proven ability to think strategically and deliver results.

* Demonstrated personal accountability, honesty, respect for others, and a drive to serve.

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