Director Resilient Food Systems

Job Description

The Director, Resilience and Food Systems is responsible for the development and implementation of the strategy for growth in this technical area. This includes guiding the identification and pursuit of new business opportunities and strategic partnerships. The incumbent is responsible for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining top technical talent in the US office and overseas projects to implement the new business strategy and the project leadership. The Director works closely with the Program Support Unit to ensure the delivery of high quality, on-budget, and on-time results in Counterpart’s program portfolio. The Director is responsible for client relations and providing thought leadership to external stakeholders. The Director will regularly publish online, produce technical products to distinguish Counterpart’s work, and will convene external gatherings to share ideas geared to solving food insecurity.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILIITES:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement growth strategy in this technical area
• Leverage existing partnerships for growth, and create new ones
• Provide thought leadership on issues of global hunger and food security, especially in fragile and conflict-affected countries, and the role of effective U.S. global development and humanitarian assistance, diplomacy, and multilateral aid in supporting country-led development and addressing the causes of and providing solutions to hunger and poverty around the world.
• Guide the U.S. office Food Security Team and in-country teams in raising the profile of Counterpart’s Food Security programs in Washington DC and abroad through representation and thought leadership with relevant external parties.
• Identify and represent Counterpart at external meetings, consultations relevant to Counterpart Food Security policy and programs with USAID (FACG, Food for Peace, Feed the Future), USDA (McGovern-Dole, Food for Progress), and other stakeholders. Share key lessons with Counterpart staff and donor partners.
  
  

Business Development

• Lead Counterpart’s strategy, tactics, and proposal efforts to expand work in Food Security practice area.
• Conduct and support outreach to existing USDA and USAID clients and identify new clients.
• Identify business opportunities within the Food Security practice, assign Food Security resources to pursue these opportunities, and oversee the development of the technical responses and win strategies.
• Lead clear and persuasive messaging of Food Security programming for outward facing marketing, creating key qualification statements, elevator pitches, communication materials, etc.
• Lead strategy, marketing, and positioning approaches for Counterpart Food Security thought leadership at events and conferences relevant to technical areas such as food security, nutrition, livelihoods, agriculture, resilience, market systems, education, WASH. etc.
• Foster Counterpart internal collaboration between the Food Security and Governance portfolios to identify technical approaches and program designs implemented by Counterpart teams across the world; bring learnings to the organization through thought leadership events such as technical presentations, brown bags, panels, etc.; foster strategic knowledge sharing across portfolios to support donor diversification and partnership/networking expansion within the food security portfolio.

Program Management and Staff Development

• Provide direct strategic, management and operational oversight to current portfolio programs that focus on food security, agricultural development, and productivity, livelihoods and economic development, value chain and market development, commodities management, education, nutrition, and WASH.
• Recruit, manage, and mentor COPs and U.S. office Food Security Project Management Unit (PMU) Provide expert strategic and operational support to Food Security programming. Work closely with COPs, field teams, U.S. office Food Security PMU Team, and other stakeholders to ensure that programs receive needed operational support & foster effective representation to donors.
• Ensure Counterpart Food Security programs are properly resourced and deliver technically excellent programs within budget.

QUALIFICATION:

• Master’s Degree in Food Security related fields (Agriculture, Nutrition, Anthropology, Hydrology, etc.) or in Management related fields (Non-Profit Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Program Implementation, etc.) or 17 years equivalent education and experience.
• Minimum 15 years’ progressive experience working on USAID (Food for Peace, Feed the Future) and/or, USDA (McGovern-Dole, Food for Progress) funded programs.
• Field experience within the development countries
• Good interpersonal skills

• Broad knowledge of global development and foreign assistance policy issues;
• Solid writing, oral communication, Internet, spreadsheet, and organizational skills; sound judgement; discretion; and strong budget management skills;
• Ability to function in complex, changing environments, and to manage and work with diverse groups;
• Demonstrated experience in developing and leading teams to reach their highest potential; prioritizing healthy work-life balances and fostering a cohesive and dynamic Counterpart culture;
• Ability to advocate effectively to donor staff and Counterpart executive leadership for the adoption of actions in support of programs;
• Excellent communication both written and verbal. Fluency in French, Spanish or Portuguese is highly preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 30% as necessary for role responsibilities

About the Organization

Counterpart International helps people build better lives and more durable futures, community by community. We equip individuals, organizations and communities-our counterparts- to become solution creators in their own families, communities, regions and countries. We work with them in some of the world’s most challenging places to tackle social, economic, environmental, health and governance issues that threaten their lives and undermine their futures.

For more information on Counterpart, please visit our website at www.Counterpart.org