Kenya: Director of Operations

Background:

Land O'Lakes International Development is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening agriculture from farm-to-folk, helping businesses grow, and linking farmers to markets. Since our start in 1981, we have been leveraging nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc., a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.

Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agriculture for the last 36 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 80 countries.

Project Description:

Land O'Lakes International Development seeks an experienced Director of Operations to provide overall operational, financial and administrative management for Kenya Feed the Future Crop and Dairy Market Systems Development Activity. The program will focus on horticulture, staple crops and dairy market systems with an emphasis on sustainable market-driven approaches. The anticipated value is $50-$60M.

Position Summary and Primary Responsibilities:

The Director of Operations will oversee the management of project operations and compliance, including grants and subcontract management and monitoring, financial management, human resources, information technology and all other administrative aspects of the project. The Director of Operations will hold overall responsibility for managing a large grant fund and assuring full compliance with USAID and Land O’Lakes rules, regulations and procedures. The Director of Operations will manage multiple staff including the finance, grant management teams, and other administrative teams.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Oversee effective and compliant implementation of the project’s subaward fund, ensuring that effective monitoring procedures are in place;

• Ensure efficient and compliant management systems for finance, accounting, grants and subcontract management, human resources, and other administration functions (e.g. IT);

• Implement strong systems of internal control;

• Ensure that strong coordination and communication between field and Land O’Lakes headquarters management is maintained through the life of project;

• Provide strong, ethical leadership on all human resource and procurement related matters, including adherence to Land O’Lakes’ code of conduct;

• Coordinate and contribute to the development of reports for the donor, the host country and Land O’Lakes;

• Monitor budget, fund disbursal and financial records to ensure that project expenditures are in compliance with Land O’Lakes and USAID policies and regulations;

• Develop budgets and forecasts which align with project work plans;

• Ensure timely spending forecasts to be provided to the donor as necessary and for internal management purposes;

• Provide regular training and coaching to staff on donor regulations including procurement and sub award monitoring;

• Conduct due diligence of grantees and sub-partners ;

• Provide capacity building support to local partners in sub-award management to be compliance with USAID rules and regulations;

• Review and oversee financial management and administrative procedures;

• Liaise with USAID and other stakeholders to ensure visibility and representation of Land O’Lakes program activities;

• Be the main point of contact for all local program audits; ensuring satisfactory results

• Serve as Acting Chief of Party when required.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in International Development, Business Management, Economics, Accounting, or related field, or equivalent working experience in similar position on a donor-funded project.

• Minimum 10 years of experience in operations management for large, donor-funded projects with significant grants components; prior experience working on a large USAID contract with grants preferred;

• At least 5 years direct experience in a financial/accounting role

• Strong knowledge of and experience working with USAID grant and sub-grant and sub-contract rules and regulations;

• Relevant experience managing and leveraging grants to achieve improved agriculture market system performance and increased benefits to female, male and youth actors strongly preferred;

• Expertise in local capacity building of local organizations and institutions, both public and private sector;

• Proven track-record in managing a sizeable and diverse team;

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal in English;

• Experience working on projects that include mainstreaming gender and youth in agriculture, nutrition and resilience activities strongly preferred.

Please note only finalists will be contacted. No phone calls please.

We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Land O'Lakes enforces a policy of maintaining a drug-free workforce.

https://lol.avature.net/Careers/JobDetail/Nairobi-Kenya-Director-of-Operations/1096