Senior Director, Trade Environment at TradeMark East Africa (TMEA)

Roles and responsibilities 

• Strategic leadership and programme development 
• As member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and the Senior Leadership and Management Team (SLMT) support the process and engagements in setting the strategic direction of the organisation around strategy, people, operations, culture and corporate issues. This will include engaging in decision-making;taking collective responsibility for SLMT and SLT decisions,supporting and disseminating them; and activelypromoting staff engagement and setting a kind, collaborative and professional culture.
• Oversee the design, development and delivery of a large, complex portfolio across Africa at continental, regional/corridor and national levels to improve Africa’s trade environment. This will include projects focused on improving the continental, regional and national Trade policy environment and enhancing the continental/regional investment climate and governance e.g. support to the Continental and regionalorgans, supporting Ministries of Trade and investment in countries of TMA’s operations, standards harmonisation, elimination of NTBs and providing ICT support for trade facilitation;
• Continuously review programmes and projects within the portfolio and suggest refinements to TMA’s Theory of Change in liaison with the Senior Management Team;
• Develop trade environment programming strategies and oversee their implementation, including strategic planning, resources planning and allocation, project proposals and Project Appraisal Reports (PARs);
• Accountable for the achievement of the trade environment objectives and ensuring programmatic consistency, delivery and quality assurance across the entire portfolio of projects whilst demonstrating value for money and having clear mechanisms for measuring results. This will require close liaison with the 

Job description

• respective country and regional Portfolio Senior Directors; Country and Technical Directors; Country and Technical Managers; Programme Delivery Hub (PDH);
• Liaise with Technical Directors, Country Directors and Technical Advisers to agree delivery mechanisms and targets, and review progress on achievement of outcome level milestones and desired results, contributing to delivery of TMA’s objectives and meeting all mobilisation and spending targets; 
• Appraise and undertake due diligence of potential investment opportunities;
• Work with the Chief of Programmes to ensure effective matrix management and lead in the development of strong working relationships among Portfolio Directors, Project Leaders and Technical Directors, and mediate and resolve disputes, as needed;
• Effective liaison with delivery partners and investors on programmatic issues and performance monitoring; and
• As part of the Senior Management team, support efficient and adaptive implementation of TMA’s strategy in collaboration with TMA’s Senior Leadership and other Management Teams.Strategic partnerships/relationships
• Carry out high level representation of TMA at various national, regional and international events and conferences and allied fundraising as agreed with the Chief of Programmes and CEO; 
• Lead on the implementation of regular dialogue with TMA’s trade environment stakeholders including through the formation of different advisory groups related to key areas of the portfolio;
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders including existing and potential donors and implementing partners;
• Make substantive contributions to the operationalisation of TMA's leadership development and succession plan and ensure that the organisation attracts and retains high calibre human resources to optimise organisational performance; 
• Demonstrate commitment to the inclusive establishment, implementation, assessment and continuous improvement of TMA management systems and policies. This includes contributing to the development of measurable corporate goals and objectives in line with TMA priorities; and
• Actively engage with the senior leadership and management colleagues and contribute to strategic decision making and problem solving. Monitoring, evaluation and reportin

Academic and professional qualifications 

• Undergraduate or Masters’ degree preferably in Economics, Development Studies, International Trade, Planning, Finance, Management or other related fields.
• Trade Policy or International Trade qualifications are a distinct advantage.

Work experience 

• Undergraduate degree holders will have at least 15 years’ working experience, including seven years of leadership and management experience.
• Postgraduate degree holders will require at least 13 years’ experience including seven years of relevant leadership and management experience.
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in leading the development and delivery of trade improvement initiatives and trade-related capacity development programmes to enhance the capacities of developing countries in trade policy development, formulation and implementation of trade reforms, regional integration, and support to national governments.
• Significant work experience and networks with Regional Economic Communities in West Africa, East Africa, Horn of Africa or Southern Africa. 
• Experience in working with private sector and civil society to deliver trade capacity support and to support trade related advocacy.
• Three years of relevant senior level experience within Africa or other developing economies are essential for this role