Leader, Africa’s Food Future Initiative at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Kenya

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and support to WWF Country Offices to implement the AFFI, by transitioning food and agriculture systems to nature positive in selected priority landscapes, ensuring alignment between Country Strategic Plans, the Food and Agriculture Practice Strategy and the Roadmap 2030.
• Partner with multi-disciplinary teams consisting of WWF staff, national partners, consultants and/or contractors to analyze and adopt innovative approaches to food systems in Africa.
• Provide intellectual and strategic leadership   to identify and promote policies to support nature-positive production at the global, regional, and national levels.
• Identify and support country offices to access innovative finance solutions for the transition to nature-positive agriculture.
• Provide appropriate high-level representation for activities with governments, the private sector and NGOs to develop and implement AFFI actions.
• Provide technical assistance and guidance to Country Office staff in AFFI priority landscapes.
• Build the capacity of staff working on AFFI in WWF’s country offices and institutionalize safeguards and social policies related to AFFI work.
• Work closely with WWF communications staff on outreach activities that support initiative delivery.
• Lead fundraising and fund tracking efforts for the AFFI, in collaboration with WWF-Kenya resource mobilization staff, Food Practice core team, , relevant WWF National and Country Offices, and network fundraising representatives.
• Contribute to information sharing and documentation of experiences through the Food Practice ACAIs.
• When requested by the leadership of the Food & Agriculture Practice, attend and represent the Practice in high-level events.
• Carry out other relevant tasks as assigned.

Required education and experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience, including at least 5 years working in a senior management position.
• Master’s degree or higher in agriculture, international development, business administration, natural resources management, biodiversity conservation or other relevant discipline(s).
• Technical proficiency in the field of sustainable agriculture or agroecological approaches, land-use planning and management, sustainable agricultural value chains, or related field.
• Excellent written and oral skills in English, and any other languages would be an asset.
• Demonstrated project management experience.
• Experience working in a large, complex, global organizational network.
• Proven experience engaging with donors, corporate and government actors at the highest levels.
• Excellent understanding of social and environmental risk-based approaches to managing projects and programs.
• Experience with financing mechanisms for transitioning to more nature-positive agriculture; experience working on blended finance and development of bankable projects a plus.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to coordinate and manage processes and projects that require contributions from staff in situations where the post holder has no direct supervisory responsibility.
• Excellent skills in writing proposals, reports, presentations, budgeting and financial management.
• Excellent negotiation, diplomacy and lobbying skills.
• Demonstrated passion for conservation and social issues.
• Ability to work in multicultural settings.
• Ability to work effectively in a virtual team located in multiple locations.
• Ability to communicate in French is added advantage