Regional Representative – East Africa | - 2015

Vredeseilanden wants to contribute to viable livelihoods of organized family farmers in South and North. We believe that family farmers can feed the world and work themselves out of poverty, while respecting the boundaries of the planet.

Vredeseilanden supports family farmers in gaining a decent income from sustainable agriculture. We do so by supporting them to improve their position in the whole agricultural value chain, from production to consumption.

Therefore, Vredeseilanden facilitates multi-stakeholder dialogues with value chain actors, private sector and governments. We use evidence from the value chain interventions to reach agenda’s for structural change.

We are recruiting for our office in Arusha, Tanzania.

Regional Representative(Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya)

Objective of the position:

Develop, lead and manage the regional VECO office in East Africa and prepare a future positioning of the regional branch as part of a network organisation i.e. making the transition to an independent member organisation. Lead the VECO-programme, taking into account the regional context, so as to achieve maximum and sustainable increase in income of organized family farmers.

Responsibilities:

Management and Change Management

§ Ensure the successful functioning of the VECO East-Africa office. This entails :

Development of specific policies for the regional program (financial, HR, programmatic) in line with Vredeseilanden global policies, and taking into account the regional context and legal framework
End responsibility for the financial and HR management of the VECO East-Africa office
Managing and inspiring the regional team
Being an active and visible coach to the team

§ Support the efficient transition towards a global network organisation : Identify potential risks and resistances and create conditions for a smooth transition towards an independent and financially autonomous member organisation of the global network

Representation and Networking

§ Ensure VECO East Africa is integrated into strategically relevant local and regional networks and ensure that VECO East Africa does not operate in (splendid) isolation.

§ Represent Vredeseilanden in the region and ensure the liaison between the region, Vredeseilanden in Belgium and its key stakeholders (volunteers and donors)

§ Work towards financial autonomy of the regional VECO East Africa office. Diversification of funds will be key.

Programme

§ End responsibility for the regional programme in line with the global Vredeseilanden policies, strategies and guidelines, taking into account the regional context. This means:

Leading the regional team towards the continuous development of strategies and policies, to enhance the capabilities of farmer organizations and their members to become strong collective business organizations, while linking up these farmer organizations with other chain actors like processors, traders, retailers, consumers… in order to reach up-scaling and structural changes at regional level. The active participation of partners and key stakeholders is crucial in this.
Ensuring the regular and systematic assessment of the programme’s performance, and adjusting if needed, by using the internal Planning, Learning and Accountability system of Vredeseilanden

Profile

Masters degree or equivalent in (Development) Economics, Business Administration, (Sustainable) agriculture, or Development studies or equivalent by experience
Very good knowledge of English as working language of the global organisation of Vredeseilanden. Knowledge of Swahili is an asset.
Background in International Development Cooperation
Experience in collaborating with private actors, multi-stakeholder approach
Experience in a network organization is an asset
Sufficient knowledge of and experience with financial management and reporting
≥ 5 years in management position
≥ 5 years of living and working in a developing country
Good knowledge of the regional East African context
Good knowledge of development issues, business (models), value chains and associated areas
A global vision and a broad interest, able to see problems from different angles and seek solutions with experts
Know key concepts and methods in financial and HR management
An excellent cross-cultural communicator and an active listener
A strong networker
Fundraising capacities
Strong leadership
Able to manage, coach and motivate a multicultural team
Able to put people in their strengths
Change management skills and the capacity to steer, in a strategic manner
A strong affinity with Vredeseilanden mission and values
Firmly believe that the strong interdependence and collaborative efforts of civil society, business and public authorities/services is the only way to come to sustainable progress, co-creation, dialogue