Country Director, Enabling Farmers for Agricultural Transition (EFAT)

POSITION TITLE: Country Director, Enabling Farmers for Agricultural Transition (EFAT) LOCATION: Dakar, Senegal REPORTS TO: U.S. based Project Director PROJECT SUMMARY: Winrock International is seeking program leader with technical experience in the agriculture sector in Senegal to lead a project piloting models for delivering local-level pluralistic agriculture extension and advisory services (EAS) more effectively and efficiently under the USAID supported Enabling Farmers for Agricultural Transformation (EFAT) Project. The goal of these models is to break down siloed service provision and create synergies between public, private, and civil society service providers to improve the dissemination of climate smart innovations to smallholder farmers, especially women and youth. The Country Director will be responsible for designing, implementing and capturing the knowledge generated through the process of establishing EAS models that can be globally replicated and scaled. The Senegal pilot will drive transformation in the agriculture sector and achieve sustainable impact by leveraging and contextualizing existing research on climate-smart agriculture practices, technologies, and EAS delivery models to meet the needs and priorities of target farming systems, crops, and demographic groups. The country director will also support EFAT’s global EAS community of practice by disseminating best practices from the Senegal pilot. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: The Country Director (CD) is responsible for overall leadership, project management, supervision, administration, and implementation of the Senegal pilot activity in collaboration with the US-based program staff, supported by a small in-country team. The CD will ensure smooth program implementation, including establishing and maintaining systems for project operations; ensure that all deliverable deadlines are met and targets are achieved; coordinate and maintain working relationships with project stakeholders (including USAID Senegal, government entities, sub-grantees and/or subcontractors); lead collaborative initiatives with relevant government agencies and private sector players, and oversee the preparation and submission of technical and financial reports and other deliverables to USAID. The Senegal Activity will also host around 8 to 10 skilled U.S. volunteer experts per year, and the CD will oversee the development of technical assistance terms of reference (for two-week volunteer assignments), as well as facilitating the in-country logistics and follow up on technical recommendations. Technical and Thought Leadership and Capacity Building Develop and implement a thought leadership strategy to translate knowledge gained from pilot activities, program studies and assessments, including dissemination to USAID and EFAT’s global EAS community of practice. Provide technical assistance and follow-up coaching and support design of capacity-building training materials and workshops for project partners. Provide leadership, technical assistance, support, and oversight to partner institutions, private sector actors and non-governmental organizations. Represent the project and Winrock to USAID and local and regional stakeholders, including local and national government entities, national, regional, and international agricultural research institutions, private sector and local civil society actors. Work with Winrock management and other colleagues to leverage and align project work with other Winrock efforts, including Winrock’s West Africa Farmer-to-Farmer Program (which also has activities in Senegal), to maximize impact. Coalition Building and Experience Sharing Forge and maintain relationships with in-country and regional EAS stakeholders. Develop strategic partnerships to leverage other public and private sector resources and ensure project success Promote communication, experience sharing, and dissemination of best practices and lessons learned with other relevant actors/programs. Coordinate and collaborate with other Winrock’s projects implemented in Senegal (Farmer-to-Farmer, Dekkal Geej, and the USAID Entrepreneurship and Investment Activity). Project Management Manage the core pilot project activities, deliverables, and in-country budget. Establish and maintain systems and effective practices for scaled-up project operations. Develop and oversee the pilot project’s annual planning and ensure timely, high-quality implementation of activities and deliverables. Oversee and support monitoring and evaluation of project implementation and deliverables, including the collaborative design of pilot M&E Plan and other evaluations and data collection activities. Collaborate closely with Winrock’s Farmer-to-Farmer team in Senegal on volunteer recruitment and reporting. Oversee preparation of scopes of work for volunteer assignments that are aligned with the Activity objectives and contribute meaningfully to building local capacity. Oversee the pilot project budget and forecasts, monitor spending, and ensure that all activities are reflected in annual budget allocations, in compliance with Winrock policy and donor guidelines. Prepare and submit timely and accurate program updates and reports to the Project Director for reports to the donor and Winrock. Supervise, coach and mentor the Senegal team, including program, M&E and support staff. Maintain close communication with the donor, reporting regularly for formal review sessions and providing ongoing, informal updates of program progress, and serve as the in-country point of contact with the USAID Senegal activity manager. Other duties as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS: Successful candidates will be a proven and experienced leader in the agricultural development sector in Senegal with a track record of using innovative approaches to innovation dissemination and extension and advisory services. The Country Director will have strong management skills as well as relevant experience implementing agricultural programs, preferably with an emphasis on agricultural extension, in developing countries. The ideal candidate will have experience with local capacity development, gender equality and social inclusion, working with agricultural research institutions, and/or capturing best practices and lessons learned through implementation research. Significant project management experience and leadership is highly desired. Women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Education: Bachelor’s degree required, in agricultural development, agricultural education, agricultural economics, or other related field of study. Master’s degree preferred. Technical: Minimum of 7 years of demonstrated leadership experience managing agricultural development programs or private enterprise in the agriculture sector. Management Experience: Experience managing projects to the highest ethical standards. Demonstrated leadership and administrative skills in the management of multi-activity programming, on time and on budget. At least 5 years of experience in project management and implementation of donor-funded programs (preferably USAID). Financial management, budget design, and budget management experience. Demonstrated success in motivating and supervising diverse teams of employees. Results-driven professional with proven understanding of program design, monitoring and evaluation. Experience in strategic planning and workplan development and implementation of strategic plans. Good track record working with and/or partnering with a variety of individuals and organizations, including senior US and host country government officials, international agencies, private sector companies, and donor organizations. Skills & Knowledge: Experience with public-private partnership, public sector agriculture agencies, research institutions, and civil society groups. Leadership experience in the implementation of development projects, particularly related to agricultural extension, capacity building, gender, and youth mainstreaming. Professional proficiency in written and oral English language skills required. Demonstrated effective interpersonal skills, creative problem solving, conflict, and ethical management skills. Demonstrated ability to foster team dynamic across global teams. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Willingness to travel up country in Senegal approximately 30% of time, and occasionally around the West Africa region or to the United States. This position is for candidates legally authorized to work in Senegal. Winrock is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and value diversity and inclusiveness. Winrock recruits, employs, trains, promotes, and compensates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity, and transformation. Winrock knows that its success comes from the hard work and steadfast dedication of its diverse workforce. Winrock remains committed to maintaining diversity, inclusion, and equity across the entire organization