I. Job Summary
The Director, Technical Services and Innovation supports the organization by providing strategic, and evidence-driven technical programmatic leadership. The Director addresses several forward-looking requirements:
1) Lead a team of technical experts on key programmatic aspects of our fight against hunger. This includes overseeing key roles focused on evidence gathering, measurement and learning as solution levers to support problem solving and scalability. By providing global direction and guidance to expand the organization’s traditional focus on hunger to a more comprehensive approach that addresses the social and structural drivers of hunger. These root causes include factors such as social inequalities (e.g., gender, age, income/wealth, race, ethnicity), unequal access to infrastructure (e.g., land, groceries/markets, water systems and sanitation facilities, roads and other transport), and climate change (e.g., food security, livelihoods, and conflict over access to resources). The impact of these intersecting drivers on individuals, families, and communities varies, often compounding on the lives of those who already lack the most. The Director will bring cohesion to our technical framework who address the consequences as well as the underlying causes of hunger. The Director will promote an impact driven organization that influences critical international and USG policy decisions pertaining to all aspects of hunger, connecting with diverse partners and mobilize the public for lasting change. This is to say, one cannot isolate the effects of climate change, conflict or gender inequalities nor address health, nutrition, food security, livelihood, WASH, and cash assistance as separate activities.
2) Lead a team and ensure best in class technical and innovation skills are being invested in at the country and local level. Our project operations are led from our Horn and East Africa Regional Office (HEARO) based in Nairobi where our Knowledge and Innovation Hub sits. As US based knowledge brokers, the Director and his/her/their team fuel the knowledge transfer for country operations and their efforts to save lives through humanitarian and development projects. This work is supportive of the leadership within the Knowledge and Innovation Hub. The Director of Technical Services and Innovation will work closely with the Director of the Knowledge and Innovation Hub to ensure transference of effective and innovative global approaches to the Hub, and conversely field based knowledge generated from within the Hub and country projects are spotlighted on the global stage. Working with the Hub, efforts will support the agency of communities to prioritize needs and act and facilitate their access to and influence with higher-level local decision-makers and resource persons/organizations (particularly municipal, district, province/state government).
3) Lead a team that is successful at securing new funding and delivers informative and inspiring communication efforts. This team is expected to secure new funding for global and national programs and in turn, communicate these global successes in various external settings. Cultivating, securing and retaining institutional and individual donors is a top priority for the Director and the team of professionals he/she/they may oversee. USG is considered the top priority institutional donor. USG and other Action Against Hunger’s donors demand proof the work they support achieves the impact they desire. Donors also demand proof Action Against Hunger is accountable for delivering effective programs engaging the communities where we work. This work encapsulated by the Seeds of Hope (TRADEMARK) and other future initiatives proves Action Against Hunger can achieve a world without hunger through wise allocation of investments made by donors. This team and its leader are accountable to deliver and communicate this work.
The Director brings professionals together, streamline efficiencies for work at scale, and mainstream research and evidence-generation as part of a successful resource mobilization strategy. The Director and his/her/their team are recognized by their peers and staff as individuals who are provocative and pragmatic, entrepreneurial and legacy building, strategic and tactical.
The Director is an extraordinary communicator. They are effective in inspiring donors and staff to achieve a world without hunger, now – to act sooner than later. His/her/their team members are strategic thinkers, deeply versed in technical leadership and sought out for his/her/their contributions to the battle to end hunger. The Director will ensure each team member demonstrates technical competency and strategic alignment.
The Director is a promoter of an iterative design process and is recognized for his/her/their technical knowledge. The Director reports a positive mindset that inspires action. With the Director’s leadership, the team will collectively drive the Action Against Hunger USA organization towards a comprehensive, evidence-based, scalable approach which embraces local, community-led, inclusive change. This in turn will lead us, faster, to a world without hunger.
The position reports directly to the CEO. He/She/They are a member of the senior Leadership Group charged with execution of Action Against Hunger-USA’s organizational strategy.
Purpose: Provides leadership to and management of the Technical Services and Innovation team in alignment with the overall strategic direction of Action Against Hunger-USA.
Engagement: Promotes a multisectoral approach drawing from the experience, knowledge, and evidence-base generated by field programming, critical to our organizational objectives and develops key partnerships to achieve programming at scale. Engages leadership and a wide array of stakeholders both internal and external to the organization.
Delivery: Sets the overarching technical strategy for the organization, including authoring key papers, proposals, guidance, and tools as part of a wholistic approach to the root causes of hunger.
II. Essential Job Duties
A. Strategic Organizational Direction
· Executes upon the organization’s strategic plan, including setting annual priorities for the Tech & Innovation Team, monitoring the progress of key organizational outcomes, and advocating for key investments.
· Supports collaboration across the regional HEARO team, country teams, and the entire Action Against Hunger global network in a manner that helps the organization achieve performance excellence and program impact.
B. Resource Mobilization & Program Development
· Works in partnership ensure the team participates and supports applications/proposals for grants and contracts for country, regional and global programming that integrates innovative approaches and best practice. Specifically, the Director will be expected to periodically lead the design of complex, multi-country and/or global development opportunities.
· Plays a critical role strengthening engagement with USAID and US foundations, identifying potential partnerships, increasing awareness in Washington DC & New York of our core capacities, signature interventions, program achievements and evidence, learning, and the Action Against Hunger brand.
· Represents the organization by engaging with private fundraising and communication teams to mobilize corporate and private funding to support the mission of the organization.
C. External Representation
· Communicates to a wide audience, both technical and lay audiences the strategic direction of the organization, and our efforts to prevent and end hunger.
· Works to influence external stakeholders, including the public and private sector, in taking action to end hunger through representation at global and national forums.
· Represent and communicate key organizational efforts that support the organization’s global technical leadership.
· Engage with Action Against Hunger International Network colleagues including other technical directors, the scientific committee, and other working groups to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated global approach to advocacy and influencing.
· Galvanize a stronger social cohesion and entrepreneurial spirit across the organization so that a more expansive approach to the underlying causes of hunger is norm.
· Author or coauthor the development of innovative approaches, signature interventions, programming standards and guidance, tools and training on evidence-based interventions for country and regional teams, within a variety of technical areas critical to treating and preventing undernutrition.
· Support the leadership of the Knowledge and Innovation Hub based in Nairobi, Kenya. Achieve effective knowledge transfer, and capacity building of local institutions via the Knowledge & Innovation Hub.
III. Supervisory Responsibilities
The Director leads, inspires and motivates the advancement of his/her/their team to challenge the status quo always seeking new evidence of excellence and impact. The Director will instill the energy to act with both discipline and passion. He/She/They build and manage a technical team that is sought out, seen as experts who significantly guide a global movement to end hunger.
The Director will have the latitude and flexibility to structure the team to ensure strong across-team communication and promote an equitable and inclusive culture. The Director may determine his/her/their number of direct reports. At the present time, the Director will lead a cross section of 10-14 senior, mid and new professionals. These professionals represent technical experts with deep knowledge and an international reputation.
IV. Fiscal Responsibility
Hold budget responsibility for the annual budget.
V. Physical Demands
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with interruptions.
• To travel to the field, the employee must attest to a level of physical fitness capable of enduring physically difficult, highly stressful situations which may include the necessity to walk long distances, to eat a limited diet and/or to reside in potentially uncomfortable housing or tents.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
VI. Working Conditions, Travel and Environment
• The duties of the job require regular job attendance at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required by contact with the missions, mission security, or other obligations.
• Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business travel as well as to the missions if appropriate. While visiting the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well is to infectious diseases.
VII. Gender Equality Commitments & Zero Tolerance to Abuse
· Foster an environment that reinforces values of people of all genders equal access to information.
· Provide a work environment where people of all genders must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
· Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all stakeholders, particularly for children, beneficiaries, and members of staff.
· Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation.
· Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
· Value and respect all cultures.
VIII. Required Qualifications
· Master’s degree or PhD or equivalent experience in development practice. May have expertise in one or a cross section of sectors, including but limited to public health, education, social, environmental or life sciences.
· Prior experience with USAID or directly designing and implementing USAID, and/or other large donor programs.
· At least 10 years of direct line management and supervisory experience in related technical services and innovation arenas.
· Proven exceptional communication skills, and experience communicating with a wide variety of internal and external audiences.
· Exceptional representation and fundraising experience with multi-sector approaches and programming.
· Experience with learning and knowledge transfer approaches that support a social cohesion agenda.
· Experience recruiting, supervising, motivating, and developing a team of technical advisors and specialists.
IX. Required Skills & Experience
· Ability to inspire and build a team culture by working cooperatively with subordinates, colleagues, and supervisory staff at all levels and across the organization.
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential.
· Familiarity with USAID/FFP, USAID/OFDA, other USAID, US BPRM required. Additional experience with DFID, German donors, SIDA, ECHO, GAC, etc. is beneficial.
· Willingness and ability to visit programs and attend meetings, both nationally and internationally.
· Ability to work in a stressful environment, taking initiative and prioritizing multiple tasks with minimal supervision.
· Strong organizational skills, detail-oriented and outcome focused capacities.
· Knowledge of MS Office 365 and MS SharePoint; comfortable working with computers with minimal IT support.
· Genuine interest in and commitment to the humanitarian principles and strategic objectives of Action Against Hunger.
· Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
· Fluent written & spoken English.
· Knowledge of French or other languages is preferred.
· US citizenship or person with US work permit.
Action Against Hunger-USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International network, which provides humanitarian relief in over 40 countries worldwide in the sectors of nutrition, health, water/sanitation, and food security. Action Against Hunger-USA, an independent NGO, currently manages operations in 7 countries: Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Action Against Hunger-USA has over $55 million in programs, and approximately 1,600 permanent staff based in New York City, Washington D.C, Nairobi, and country offices. Additional growth is anticipated.
