Senior Manager, CASA Kenya Program at TechnoServe Kenya

Job Summary

• TechnoServe is seeking a Senior Manager that will oversee the delivery and quality execution of technical assistance projects to agribusinesses, support to impact investors to expand their pipelines and a learning and influencing agenda that promotes inclusive, climate-resilient business models in Kenya. The Senior Manager is responsible for the management of a broad range of stakeholders, including FCDO Kenya.
• This position will be accountable for overall finance and operations management of the anticipated programme activities implemented in Kenya. The Senior Manager will ensure efficient and effective implementation of programme components, compliance with all donor and local legal requirements as well as TechnoServe policies and regulations. The position will be supported by a central resource (part-time) from the CASA Technical Assistance Facility Programme as well as the TechnoServe Kenya Country Director and country platform resources (HR, Finance, Operations).

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

Programme management:

• Ensure that programme outcomes and deliverables are completed on time, within budget, and in compliance with donor and TechnoServe requirements; actively anticipate and communicate roadblocks to core team and stakeholders (where appropriate).
• Provide strategic guidance, leadership, management, and general technical oversight of the programme, with an unwavering commitment to delivering results.
• Closely track and manage programme work plan and finances; ensure timely submission of donor progress and financial reports to TechnoServe and FCDO.
• Foster collaboration, learning, and adaptive management to inform decision-making and drive impact.
• Effectively manage programme staff including long-term staff (e.g. 3 Inclusive Business Managers, TA Analyst) and short-term consultants required to deliver certain activities (e.g., technical support research, policy papers, public stakeholder engagement etc.); monitoring, evaluation and learning consultants; and other sub-partners contracted to delivery technical assistance projects (see below).
• Actively monitor and report risks related to programme execution

Stakeholder management of agribusiness partners:

• Serve as primary liaison/contact for the programme; foster collaboration and manage productive relationships with FCDO Kenya, agribusinesses and other key stakeholders
• Drive shared vision and strategy among agribusinesses, farmers, TA providers and other key stakeholders
• Build trusted relationships with impact investor partners, understand their challenges and support them in developing pipeline of investible businesses
• Along with Inclusive Business Managers, proactively originate partnerships and manage relationships with agribusinesses whose objectives / operations are aligned with the programme’s Theory of Change
• Oversee the prioritisation of agribusiness partnerships and delivery of commercial and technical advice to agribusinesses, drawing on own and/or CASA TAF’s experience and best practices

Management of technical assistance providers and projects:

• Retain oversight of the end-to-end process, including business/project scoping, designing, proposing, obtaining approval for, tendering, and supervising a selection of the technical assistance projects for agribusinesses
• Manage TA providers to ensure efficient and effective delivery, in line with planned objectives and budgets. This includes responsibility to kickstart new projects, introduce innovations and/or troubleshoot existing initiatives; ad-hoc and planned steering committee meetings; performance feedback and check in meetings etc.
• Identify and facilitate connections with experts which can support specific projects and/or provide specialist technical advice and/or direct TA provision where needed. Leverage and call-on this pool to plug gaps identified.
• Review project spend and progress against KPIs and planned activities regularly (at least monthly) to ensure planned activities are on track; raise key risks, challenges or highlights with CASA TAF and company management and other relevant stakeholders, as needed
• Facilitate monitoring and assessment of TA project delivery, quality and impact on SHFs and agribusiness operations; advising on areas for improvement and identifying need/opportunity for new interventions.
• Provide technical guidance and support to implementing partners on increasing quality TA delivery and optimising SHF impact.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) and influence of other stakeholders:

• Oversee learning and influencing agenda, including developing case studies, learning papers and planning and executing events to share broadly the learnings of the program to a broad range of stakeholders including internal CASA-TAF and TechnoServe staff, FCDO, industry representatives, Government of Kenya and others
• Lead thinking on delivering against Theory of Change given technical context of the agribusinesses we work with, identification of KPIs of technical assistance projects, data collection from companies and TA providers
• Manage relationships with MEL providers and review progress on tracking KPIs and outcomes. Share MEL results with core CASA TAF team and FCDO

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree plus 10 years of experience or a Masters degree or equivalent in business, international development, economics, agricultural economics, or relevant field with seven year’s experience in a senior management role in commercial agriculture, agribusiness development, or management consulting
• Experience overseeing operational, financial and technical areas of complex programmes, including hiring, training and supervision of local personnel and partners, work plan and financial management including budgeting and procurement
• Experience influencing senior management of corporate, finance or investment institutions to achieve results
• Strong commercial and private sector experience and / or overall business acumen
• Proven programme management experience, including management of donor funded programmes
• Agriculture sector experience, including driving shared value initiatives with private agribusinesses.
• Experience designing and/or implementing regenerative agriculture initiatives, ideally with some experience in influencing behaviour change related to regenerative agriculture practices including associated with soil restoration
• Sub-Saharan Africa country experience
• Demonstrated capacity to produce high quality reports and proposals
• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, including report writing and presentations.

Travel: This position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and requires local travel only (20%)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge and experience of working alongside impact investors
• Demonstrated ability to work with government and donor organizations
• Experience in Kenya

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and demonstrated ability to influence others to adopt new approaches. Proven ability to create buy-in and build consensus among colleagues and stakeholders
• Proactive and can work with limited direction
• Results oriented, with a proven track record of working to achieve project targets
• Proven ability to create buy-in and build consensus among colleagues and stakeholders
• Skilled in using business software (Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
• Ability to pivot, make quick and sound decisions when there are risks or change in priorities
• Has a strong sense of ownership, accountability and can-do attitude
• Demonstrated ability to manage executive teams and manage direct reports