Deputy Executive Director (Partnerships and Advocacy) at African Development Solutions (Adeso)

SPECIFIC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Reporting directly to the Executive Director of Adeso, the DED – Partnerships & Advocacy will provide effective leadership and implement and lead continuous quality improvement in Adeso. Their responsibilities span from overseeing strategic relationships and partnerships, contributing to long-term planning, while maintaining a focus on aligning Adeso’s strategic objectives with the organization’s partnerships and Advocacy activities and will perform the following responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Working in partnership with the Executive Director, set and communicate a clear and compelling vision for Adeso in the long, medium and short-term. Link this vision to the brand and embody the brand in all communications and relationships.
• Working in partnership with the DED – Operations and Programs and the Executive Director, establish strategic priorities and convert these them into a multi-year strategic plan.
• Working in partnership with the Executive Director and other members of the Senior Leadership Team as required, research and develop new product ideas and programs that could contribute to achieving Adeso’s vision.
• Working in partnership with the Executive Director and other members of the Senior Leadership Team as required, use creative problem solving to address key strategic challenges and risks that could prevent Adeso achieving its vision.
• Working in partnership with the Executive Director, set and embody the organization’s culture and develop this into behaviors that are closely connected to Adeso’s brand and values.
• Partnerships and Strategic Relationships
• Working in partnership with the Executive Director, develop and maintain Adeso’s key strategic and funding relationships, and work with other Senior Leaders to ensure these translate into a pipeline of opportunities.
• Lead the process of identifying, cultivating, and managing new and on-going partnerships with individuals, organizations, and foundations that advance Adeso’s decolonization aims and represent Adeso at key convenings to speak on the fundamental decolonization goals.
• Develop and implement fundraising strategies that align with the mission and values of Adeso, and that are effective in generating the necessary funds to support the organisation’s activities.
• Lead in identifying potential donors and funding sources that are aligned with the Adeso's mission and values.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with donors and funders ensuring compliance with fundraising guidelines.
• Lead in organizing fundraising events to generate awareness and support of Adeso’s mission and activities and provide fundraising training and support to the Partnership team.
• Advocacy and Policy
• Oversee Adeso’s advocacy and communications function including working with Senior Leadership and building on previous efforts, to develop and implement Adeso’s advocacy strategy.
• As part of our Advocacy and resource mobilization efforts, provide oversight over the planning and implementation of Adeso’s advocacy convenings, including representing Adeso during international convenings.
• Provide economic and political analysis as needed to support Adeso’s thought leadership and lead projects such as the decolonization docuseries and ensure its successful completion.
• Oversee the donor education work including developing curriculum and delivery of the material at key opportunities like the learning journey and content creation for Kuja Learn and Kuja Advise on e-learning courses and community of practice.
• Communications
• Oversee all Adeso’s social media presence/content and communications outputs in support of Adeso’s strategic goals on various platforms.
• Manage all multimedia and design duties in relations to planning, creation, maintenance and analysis of digital content such as websites, podcasts, blogs, video production for Adeso’s internal and external communications platforms
• Program Quality and Learning
• Lead in setting strategic goals and objectives for the programs’ unit and in the implementation of all programs to align with these goals and objectives.
• Ensure that all program activities operate consistently and ethically within the mission and values of Adeso and in accordance with relevant donor rules and regulations.
• Provide leadership and management to ensure the effective, quality and timely delivery of all Adeso’s programs and initiatives and oversee the recruitment of all Program staff.
• Apply change, risk, and resource management principles for all Adeso projects.
• Work in collaboration with program leads to create detailed implementation plans that include deadlines, milestones, processes, and risk mitigation protocols for the respective projects.
• Lead in the implementation of learning and continuous quality improvement within Adeso programs focusing on continuous systems and process improvement.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• As a prerequisite, the role demands a high level of leadership and managerial skills and believing in and being driven by the core values of Adeso and by the mission and vision enabling the DED to make informed decisions that propel the organization forward.
• Seven (7) years or more experience in an executive leadership role in the social sector.
• Worked or lived experience in the Horn of Africa strongly desired.
• Understand the global aid and philanthropy architecture.
• Proven ability to develop and communicate your organization’s vision through developing a compelling brand and communications strategy.
• An accomplished public-speaker and creator of thought-leadership, with a track record of building a personal social media brand that amplifies your organisations brand.
• Strong business development, and strategic relationship building skills with a proven track record of developing new strategic relationships that result in multi-million funding or business opportunities.
• Evidence of good decision making, setting priorities, critical thinking skills and the ability to balance the delivery of targets against the reality of the budget.
• Exceptional capacity for managing and leading people; a team builder with the ability to connect with all levels of employees; individually and collectively; and develop a top-notch workforce.
• Strives for excellence with experience in leading others to new levels of effectiveness and programmatic impact with a high degree of integrity, credibility, self-confidence and the ability to communicate well with both internal and external partners.