Executive Director at Katiba Institute (KI)

About the Position

The Executive Director is responsible for the successful leadership and oversight of all operational aspects of KI in line with the strategic vision and goals established by the Board of Directors. The position requires a person who has an in-depth understanding of the nature and philosophy of transformative constitutionalism, a strong commitment to good governance and human rights principles, and who is committed to values of integrity, diversity and professionalism. He or she will have good political instincts to help KI develop programmes and projects that have great impact in entrenching constitutionalism.

The position requires a visionary, enthusiastic and dynamic individual with a critical mind, a commitment to the aims of KI and a passion to help manage its growth and maintain its strong reputation. While not heading any of the departments, he or she must have a commitment to all the institute’s activities, be able to work with the individual heads to provide leadership and support. Having established a good reputation, while being still a small organisation, KI is poised to grow in size and scope of its activities, in which the ED will play a vital guiding role with the support of the Board. We are looking for an individual able and willing to do this within the organisation’s cooperative and democratic culture.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Vision and Leadership – Participate with the Board of Directors in developing the vision and strategic plan to guide the organization and be responsible for implementing that vision, the strategic plan and other board decisions. Identify, assess, and inform the Board of Directors of, internal and external issues that affect the organization. Provide general oversight and leadership, and supervise programme directors/managers.
• Management - Oversee the strategic direction of KI, and guide the senior management team in decisions relating to the organizational management of KI. Ensure high staff morale and productivity. Provide leadership and oversight of KI’s Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
• Research and publication – Inspire, support and sustain KI’s reputation for quality research on constitutional and public law issues.
• Strategic litigation – Provide leadership to KI’s highly-skilled and growing team of strategic litigators. Inspire and oversee the implementation of creative ideas and plans on use of strategic litigation to entrench constitutionalism.
• Community and partners’ outreach – Oversee and strengthen relationships between KI and its strategic partners e.g. the judiciary, independent offices and commissions, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, and institutions of higher learning, in Kenya and elsewhere. Strengthen and expand strong ties with communities and groups, especially those experiencing or greatly at risk of political and economic marginalization.
• Resource Mobilization and Donor Liaison – Develop and oversee implementation of an effective resource mobilization strategy, including providing leadership in resource mobilization.
• Financial Management – Oversee the financial planning and ensure prudent and efficient use of KI’s finances. Ensure statutory and donor financial reporting compliance. Generally, oversee effective financial control.
• Human Resources – Supervise staff. Coordinate recruitment of staff. Establish and monitor work schedules. Manage and monitor quality and quantity of employee productivity. Evaluate performance.
• Communication and PR–Facilitate and oversee effective coordination and communication between programmes and between the KI and its partners.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor or graduate degree in law, political science, sociology, environmental science or economics but other degree-holders with relevant experience will also be considered.
• At least five years of management experience preferably in a research, constitutional, legal or human rights institution and a proven track record of delivery in challenging environments.
• High quality of research and writing skills.
• Demonstrable commitment to advocating for rule of law and constitutionalism.
• Hands-on team leader with great interpersonal skills, who is able to lead and motivate the staff of all types, within a participatory management environment.
• Pleasant and self-confident personality, able to interact with the wide variety of partners and associates.