Senior Manager- Programs and Research at Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Job Description

• Provide leadership, direction, and technical support in the day-to-day program operations, production of high quality and timely deliverables in line with the work planning and allocated budgets.
• Lead AWARD's engagement with national, regional and global agricultural research communities on issues of gender responsive agricultural research and development.
• Prepare comprehensive work plans, develop program budgets, and work closely with the Team to ensure cost-effective interventions and operations at AWARD.
• Lead the development of a robust research agenda and preparation of guidance materials, including toolkits and guidelines on gender responsive agriculture research and development.
• Work closely with the M&E and Communications units, to translate data, evidence, and learnings from AWARD programs into compelling narratives and action points for sharing with key stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
• Coordinate with the M&E/Communications units, the review and analysis of the implementation and progress of the various initiatives to ensure that AWARD’s standards of excellence are maintained as well as to enable continued adaptive management.
• Support the review of AWARD’s grants, the analysis of cumulative results achieved and the preparation of recommendations to improve performance.
• Prepare regular progress updates, lead the reporting exercises and sharing with the relevant internal and external audiences.
• Lead AWARD’s engagement with national, regional, and global actors on the issues of gender, climate change, and policy in agricultural research and development.
• Contribute to AWARD’s resource mobilization efforts, identify, and provide guidance on new funding opportunities and strategic partnerships to explore as necessary.
• Serve as a member of the senior management team and contribute to the strategic positioning, decision making and working towards a farsighted, efficient, and effective leadership for AWARD.
• Support continued capacity development of the AWARD team in the areas of gender in agriculture research and development.
• Proactively supervise a dynamic team of colleagues by providing effective coaching and necessary support for team motivation, personal and professional growth.
• Represent AWARD externally as needed.

Education, Experience and Technical skills

• PhD in a relevant discipline, including agricultural economics, social sciences, gender studies, rural sociology, international development, rural development, or any related fields. 
• Excellent command of the English language, both written and spoken, with proven drafting and editing skills. Fluency in French would be an added advantage. 
• A minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience working in the field of international development/organisational development with a focus on integrating gender dimensions into programs and policies, particularly in the context of agriculture, climate change, rural development, food security and nutrition.
• Internationally recognized expertise in gender and development research, preferably in the food and agriculture sphere.
• Strong knowledge of, and experience in program design, implementation, management, and evaluation.
• Proven experience in the coordination of donor-funded projects and thus, good knowledge of donor planning cycles, agreement requirements and regulations as well as donor reporting processes. 
• Experience working in Francophone Africa will be ad added advantage.
• Experience in managing culturally diverse teams, including recruitment and managing performance, career development, coaching and mentoring.
• Solid experience working with multi-stakeholders in the agricultural sector and managing the implementation of complex institutional transformation processes on the African continent.
• Strong understanding of the role of gender in the African agriculture and food systems, the policy landscape in Africa; value chain development and implications for socio-economic development, challenges, and opportunities for Africa’s effective development.
• Solid track record of research contributions in agriculture and development, use of mixed-methods approaches, evaluation design, impact assessment and other strategic analyses focused on gender, agri-food systems, and related research topics.
• Demonstrated experience in resource mobilisation and donor relations, including writing grant proposals and other fundraising materials.
• Experience in communicating research-, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&L) – related evidence including practical recommendations for action.