Consultancy Business Coordinator, Agriculture and Rural Development at Sustainet Group

As part of our consultancy growth strategy, we are looking for a motivated and self-driven individual to provide technical leadership to the consultancy wing of our business. The ideal candidate has in-depth technical and programmatic understanding of agricultural and rural development issues, trends and donor preferences in Kenya and East Africa; a demonstrated track-record overseeing preparation of successful bids for consultancy opportunities and projects, and strong team leadership and networking skills. The candidate MUST possess a Master's degree or higher academic qualification in one of our technical thematic area.

Core responsibilities

• Leadership and capacity building of our Consultancy and Projects Team: Spearhead overall team coordination, to ensure effective planning and organisation of individual acquisition initiatives; effective implementation of consultancies and projects; and effective team planning and operations. Take lead building a high-performing team comprising SGL staff and Senior Associates through effective performance and team management.
• Technical/programmatic strategy development and quality assurance: Analyse and strengthen business strategies for each technical/thematic focus area that are aligned with current sector trends, donor priorities and SGL’s comparative advantage. Provide technical/programmatic quality assurance to consultancy and project proposals as well as project implementation as needed.
• Systems and process development: Spearhead development of systems, procedures and processes geared towards efficient consultancy acquisition; project implementation; and team functionality.
• Partnerships and networking: Build and broaden business partnerships and networking with development partners; government agencies; private sector actors; local, regional and international consultancy firms; and individual resource persons and experts to market SGL as a partner of choice, stay abreast of best practice within our thematic focus areas and identify joint initiatives. This includes actively participating in knowledge platforms and events that relate to our thematic priority areas.
• SGL corporate strategies and plans: Actively contribute to the overall SGL business strategies, plans and corporate management.

Qualification Requirement

The successful candidate must have the following profile:

• Master’s degree or higher in any of the following disciplines: Agriculture and rural development, climate and environmental sciences, social inclusion, business development, public policy and governance or other subjects relevant to SGL thematic focus areas.
• At least 10 years of relevant work experience in the context of development cooperation and/or consultancy relating to agricultural and rural development in East Africa.
• Extensive contacts and networks among development partners and in-depth understanding of donor priorities relating to agriculture and rural development in East Africa.
• Full proficiency in written and spoken English. Working knowledge of French and/or German will be considered a strong asset
• Proven ability to source tender opportunities, critique, interpret and understand tender requirements
• Proven consultancy tender process management and proposal writing skills
• Proven analytical and presentation skills
• Proven experience in team leadership, including coordination, performance management and team building
• Willingness to travel regularly within and outside the region
• Ability to manage complex situations under tight schedules.