General Manager at The Toothpick Project

Background

Striga hermonthica, is looking for a candidate to fill in the position of General Manager by April 2020 (or earlier). The new General Manager will work in our Kakamega office and should either already live in Kakamega or relocate to Kakamega.

To learn more about our company, please visit: https://www.toothpickproject.org/pilot-project.

As you’ll see from this website, TCL is a pilot project – the leader in an emerging movement for bioherbicide technology. With strong established lead partners, we are a start-up in a rapid growth phase, looking for a leader with drive, passion, and excellent communication and organizational skills to contribute to our team.

Duties and responsibilities of the General Manager:

• Representing the company and its shareholders with local and national government and their institutions, with customers and business partners, and with our team of employees;
• Ability to advocate for farmers, food security, safety, and women’s empowerment (ability to learn why these are important to the advancement of this project);
• Creating strategic plans (partnership development, sales/distribution and marketing, supply chain, budgeting, evaluation/impact, etc.) and working with the staff and Board of Directors/Shareholders to use these documents to guide us forward;
• Identifying new potential partners / working lines, including government agencies, NGOs, CBOs, private agriculture businesses, and farmer groups, and cultivating relationships (including Contracts) with these partners;
• Identifying ways to expand the existing business model (eg. providing additional services to farmers or farmer groups) and developing a strategic plan to outline how this could be implemented:
• Regular communication and coordination with the Board of Directors;
• Supporting and expanding a production and distribution system for the product Kichawi KillTM; Toothpick Company Ltd. – GM Job Posting 2
• Preparing the annual company budget and presenting it to the Board of Directors for approval, including updates and modifications throughout the year as needed;
• Preparing drafts of corporate documents of TCL and submitting them to the Board of Directors;
• Guide, inspire and manage the TCL team, including human resource policy, an annual performance evaluation of each staff members, training, and hiring/termination;
• Effectively manage all TCL resources, including rental space, equipment, supplies, vehicles, documents, media, and intellectual property;
• Reporting to the Board of Directors, in particular prepare quarterly and annual financial reports and forward them to the Board of Directors;
• Preparing the annual General Assembly and monthly online meetings of the Board of Directors;
• Working with legal advisors on regulatory and financial processes.
• Evaluating quality control of all activities;

Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum of a Masters or Bachelors degree of agriculture, horticulture ,or related fields;
• Having a strong entrepreneurial drive with experience launching a project, program, etc.;
• Minimum of 5 years working experience in an agriculture related company, most preferably as a departmental head;
• Dynamic personality and experience related to Business Management and Development;
• Experience as leader of a group of employees;
• Strong understanding of confidentiality;
• Strong social, administrative and logistical skills and highly organized and focused on details and accuracy;
• Excellent coordination, conceptualization, and writing skills (including grant writing/proposal experience);
• Strong interpersonal communication skills;
• Ability to work in a team as well as take up full responsibility for the business performance;
• Experience in event management and coordination.
• Strong interest in working closely with the Board, staff, and stakeholders to build a business that can serve as a model in other countries as this technology develops.