Country Director

Heifer International

Description

Heifer International is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with some form of disability.
Since 1944, Heifer International has empowered over 46 million smallholder farmer families globally to overcome hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. Our new goal is to close the Sustainable Living Income gap for 10 million more households by 2030.
Heifer Malawi contribution to the Global 10 million households target is to help 500,000 of Heifer Africa’s 6.745 million households achieve sustainable living income by 2030. Heifer Malawi’s maiden Signature Program, currently under design – will set the pace, focusing on Dairy, Beef and Banana as primary value chains and Oil Seeds, and Poultry as secondary value chains. Heifer Malawi is where it is happening now – impacting the lives of smallholder farmers.
Function
Reporting Directly to the Africa Senior Vice President, the position will be responsible for shaping and leading the execution of the country strategy, fostering meaningful long-term sustainable business development partnerships and growth, while embodying and leading with our Heifer Africa Values/Value-Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) approach. The role will also ensure Country Operational Excellence and Culture change to deliver Sustainable Locally Led Development (SLLD) in Kenya’s Signature Programming.
The role will provide effective leadership and drive team spirit to build a high-performing country team that delivers sustainable, permanent, scalable impact and results through long-term partnerships in a diverse environment.
The position holder will be a visionary servant leader, a highly self-aware leader of leaders with a proven track record of leading people and organizations through evolutionary change. He/she will possess a master’s degree with 15 years of senior leadership experience, ten (10) of which will have demonstrable diverse and multicultural team development in the development sector, inspiring teams to action with Sustainable Locally Led Development (SLLD) and impact. The successful candidate will preferably have professional experience in agribusiness and/or community development in a matrix structure. To meet the diverse needs of this role, he/she will have solid experience in market systems development approach, strong business acumen/entrepreneurial leadership, relationship building, and possess high standards of integrity and accountability. Experience leading and co-designing programs in partnerships with bilateral, multilateral and government organizations is critical.
Responsibilities & Deliverables
A. Business Development and Strategy (45%)
  • Lead the strategic vision for Heifer International at the country level under the Africa Regional priorities and align it with government and donor priorities.
  • In collaboration with the Regional Office, lead the Country Office’s annual business planning process.
  • Ensure the cascade of the country business plans, monitoring and reviewing performance against business plans for successful delivery, e.g., monitoring and delivering on burn rate targets in a nimble and agile way.
  • In collaboration with the New Business Development Teams, ensure the development and implementation of new business strategies with full landscape analysis.
  • Stay abreast of industry trends and funder priorities in the region.
  • Lead proposal development initiatives in collaboration with the Business Development Team to build winning proposals.
  • In partnership with Signature Program leaders, work to identify and deploy capital investments across the signature programs.
  • Ensure handshake with the Signature Program Technical Lead in-country to facilitate onward co-designing of Signature Program in line with agreed partnership proposals/agreements.
  • Provide technical and strategic support to broaden access to agribusiness finance in Heifer International Kenya Accelerator Programs and liaise with Heifer Impact Capital (HIC) and other critical stakeholders (development partners, equity investors, etc.) to drive Access to Finance strategic framework for Heifer International Kenya.
  • Commission market-based demand-driven value chain studies to build the signature programs within the country.
B. Operational Excellence and Culture Change (20%)
  • Champion a culture of operational excellence by fostering a collaborative environment that values innovation, continuous improvement, and the pursuit of best practices.
  • Lead and embed the Heifer Africa Values/Value-Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) approach in the country office.
  • Ensure Country Operational Excellence and Culture change to deliver Sustainable Locally Led Development (SLLD) in Kenya’s Signature Programming.
  • Foster a culture of continuous organizational learning by actively seeking out and embracing new ideas, technologies, and methodologies.
  • Establish and maintain a robust risk management framework, including the identification, analysis, and mitigation of legal and compliance risks.
  • Oversee the fiduciary responsibilities of the organization, ensuring sound financial management, transparency, and accountability in accordance with established policies and regulatory standards.
  • Facilitate/enable signature program leaders to deliver quality programs aligned with Heifer’s model; using the IPMS to monitor and ensure program quality.
C. Team Leadership and Management (20%)
  • Ensure effective leadership and drive team spirit to build a high-performing country team that delivers sustainable, permanent, scalable impact and results.
  • Provide inspirational and strategic leadership to the country team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.
  • Establish clear expectations, provide ongoing feedback, and conduct performance evaluations.
  • Maintain effective and appropriate staff recruitment, induction, appraisal, and remuneration and development practices at all levels to ensure the optimum utilization and development of Heifer people.
D. Brand Ambassador (10%)
  • Enhance Heifer’s public presence by building strategic partnerships with stakeholders such as public and private sector institutions, non-governmental organizations, donors, and other development agencies.
  • Lead in enhancing Heifer’s value proposition for internal and external audiences.
  • Position Heifer as a thought leader by leading creative and innovative initiatives on thematic issues such as livestock, agriculture, livelihoods, women, and youth.
E. Any Other Assigned Function (5%)
  • May perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Minimum Requirements
  • Master’s Degree from a recognized university or equivalent in Social Sciences or Business Administration.
  • Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience with at least ten (10) years in a supervisory capacity.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of working with major funders such as USAID, DFID, IFAD, AFDB, FAO, etc.
Preferred Requirements
  • Proven professional experience and results in agribusiness or community development is highly desirable.
  • Proven experience in representing the organization effectively at high-level partner and stakeholder engagements.
  • Demonstrated success in new business or project development, including a track record of achieving impact and results.
Key Behavioural Competencies 
  • Accountability
  • Professional Excellence
  • Humility
  • Customer Orientation
  • Empathy
  • Innovation
Deadline for Application: 11th March 2025

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