Sustainable Landuse and Agriculture Programme Manager

SRI Executive Search has been contracted by the African Climate Foundation (ACF) to assist with the search for an exceptional candidate to fill the position of Sustainable Landuse and Agriculture Programme Manager.

About The African Climate Foundation

The African Climate Foundation (ACF) is the first and only African-led climate change re-granting organisation on the continent. Through its grant making and thought leadership, the ACF seeks to support interventions at the nexus of climate change and development that have the greatest potential to deliver long-term socio-economic transformation and inclusive development.

For more information, visit www.africanclimatefoundation.org.

About the Sustainable Landuse and Agricultural Programme

Recognising the critical importance of addressing land degradation for improving adaptative capacity and socio-economic and climate resilience, the ACF is seeking through its Sustainable Landuse and Agricultural Programme to support the scale up of sustainable agricultural practices and to identify mechanisms to incentivize and support the restoration and protection of key ecosystems.

With a strong commitment to supporting initiatives that will contribute to African food sovereignty; improving the benefits and conditions for farmers and farm workers (particularly small holder farmers); and unlocking new opportunities in ecosystem protection and services, the Sustainable Landuse and Agricultural Programme intersects closely with the ACF’s work on climate justice, finance, adaptation and resilience, and trade and industrialization.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Programmes, you will:

Lead the implementation of the Sustainable Landuse and Agriculture (SLUA) Programme, which includes:

• Continuously updating the SLUA strategy.
• Overseeing the integration of the SLUA programme with the Adaptation and Resilience programme and other ACF programmes.
• Refining ACF’s SLUA’s Spend Plan in consultation with the ACF team and key partners and stakeholders.
• Identifying and overseeing sector-relevant research and analysis to inform effective programming, delivery, and monitoring of progress.
• Working closely with ACF Country Leads to ensure delivery and facilitate synergies.
• Working closely with the MEL Advisor to ensure effective monitoring, and reporting on delivery against programmatic indicators, and to support evaluation and learning initiatives.

Develop and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders which includes:

• Governments (national and sub-national), finance institutions, civil society actors, think tanks and research organisations, the philanthropic community, and other key stakeholders.
• Identification of key partners through stakeholder mapping and continuous engagement.

Lead and oversee the Programmes grant-making, pipeline development and manage the grantee portfolio, including:

• Developing and overseeing the programmatic grant-making portfolio, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of programmatic grant-making, and delivery on ACF objectives.
• Managing the programmatic budget, identifying funding gaps, developing and leading fund raising strategies.

Supporting thought leadership by:

• Contributing to ACF’s research and online content and representing the organisation at public events or in the media.
• Providing support to the broader ACF team, including the Senior Management Team and the Board, on issues related to the work of the SLUA.

Profile

We are looking for an experienced Programme Manager with strong technical skills who is creative, solutions-orientated and who can build and manage a rapidly growing portfolio of work.

Requirements include but are not limited to:

• A Master’s degree or equivalent in agroecology, conservation science, development studies, environmental science, finance, economics, agrarian studies, or related field.
• 10 years of progressive experience working at the interface of economic policy and sustainable land use and management, four years of which must be in a supervisory capacity.
• Experience working with local and national governments in East and West Africa.
• Experience working with finance institutions, including MDBs, central banks, insurance companies and the banking sector.
• Fluency in English.
• Fluency in French or Portuguese will be highly advantageous.
• Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Very good interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
• Efficient delivery of deliverables.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Honesty, integrity, and high levels of professionalism.

Terms of Appointment

Full time position. 1-year (negotiable) renewable contract contingent on funding.

Role Location

Fully remote work.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please ensure you click Apply and complete the Application Form by 14 August 2024 (23:59 hrs, GMT +2). It is essential that you submit your CV in English, specifically in Microsoft Word format (.doc/.docx), not exceeding 10MB.

Applications in other languages or formats will not be considered.

Rest assured, all information will be handled with the utmost confidentiality.