Team Coordinator, Food Initiative at Rockefeller Foundation

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

•  Maintains calendars for VP and other directors, including identifying key deadlines /milestones in team plans and flag as necessary follow-up. Must be comfortable with heavy scheduling and calendar management including coordination of complex meetings with multiple participants and locations with a high level of efficiency and accuracy.
•  Anticipates needs and is highly responsive to direct and anticipated requests; providing fast, accurate, and thoughtful replies to requests and follow up on action items on behalf of the VP and directors.
•  Provides senior level administrative support including tracking grant and contract deliverables drafting letters and documents, taking meeting minutes, and collecting and summarizing information.
•  Coordinates both domestic and international travel arrangements ensuring tight schedules and well-articulated itineraries. Creates and modifies travel itineraries quickly and accurately. Informs and plans actions based on the itinerary with appropriate parties.
•  Ensures that the VP and team’s office and technology and any tools or equipment they require to successfully and flawlessly perform their work is operating effectively.
•  Facilitates and ensures set-up of office and workstation for newly hired staff on the team.
•  Proactively anticipates organizational needs to ensure smooth team operations.
•  Serves as an inter-department liaison and actively builds relationships across the Foundation with other key leaders and their senior level administrators.
•  Attends meetings selected meetings of the VP, takes meeting minutes, and provides feedback as directed.
•  Assists in creating high level presentations and any other documentation required on an ongoing basis. This includes but is not limited to: Board Presentations, budgets and forecasts, white papers, complex schedules and events, and travel and expense documents.
•  Organizes meetings/events including meeting logistics, agenda and materials preparation, conference room and AV equipment set up, displaying presentations, etc.
•  Organizes and maintains an internal contact details database for the Foundation’s partners and grantees. Also maintains a proper filing system – physical and electronic e.g. on Box and Salesforce.
•  Prepares and processes expense reports, vendor invoicing paperwork, and purchase requisitions, including monthly expense reconciliation and on-demand expense reports.
•  Processing and renewal of work permits.
•  Serves as an active ambassador of the team inside and outside of the Foundation, contributing to creating a positive values-driven culture that engages managers and staff across the Foundation and ensures that the organization’s people are aligned with the Foundation’s vision, direction and strategy.
•  As part of the Africa Region Office team, participate actively in team events, including but not limited to planning and facilitating execution.
•  Work with Food team in Nairobi on the management of a portfolio of grants within the food initiative, which includes understanding the capacity and effectiveness of potential grantees, research potential grantees, designing and writing grant memos and other key documents, participating in site visits and other monitoring activities.
•  Review grantee reports and data, provide feedback on the grantee reports and other deliverables/products of the RF supported food initiative.
•  Provide research and analytical support on current trends in the field.
•  Monitor and draft relevant knowledge management products: search and scan reports; research, write, and edit original reports, commentaries, and issue briefs on food systems
•  Support preparation of documents for internal communications (quarterly reviews, reports) and external convenings (event organization, briefing reports, talking points, input into speeches, etc.) as needed.
•  Represent the foundation at meetings and events and provide remarks where necessary.
•  Support special projects as designated by the VP.

Education, Experience and Qualifications

•  A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a technical field related to the Good Food strategy preferred.
•  A minimum of 5 years of work experience preferred
•  Experience in Africa required preferably in the agriculture or food or related industry
•  Direct experience in managing sensitive and confidential matters with a high level of professionalism and grace under pressure will be an added advantage
•  Execution and organization skills preferred
•  Work effectively both independently, as well as, in a team-oriented, collaborative and collegial environment.
•  Has excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills and is effective in developing positive and productive relationships with all levels of staff and management across the organization.
•  Proven experience working effectively as part of a team and autonomously.
•  Proven excellent project management and organizational skills with a demonstrated ability to deliver high quality, accurate work on time.
•  Has experience within a highly collaborative, dynamic organization and in an entrepreneurial environment where building policies, program and processes are necessary. Demonstrated technical proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point and ability to learn new applications quickly.
•  Experience in private sector development or supply chain management or running a food/agribusiness enterprise or in employing market-based solutions to address complex social and development challenges or Impact Investing, Development Finance Institutions and/or grant-making institutions will be an added advantage.