Director for the “Yambasu Agriculture Initiative” – Remote

Overview

Global Ministries connects The United Methodist Church, its people and congregations to partner with others engaged in God’s global work, which takes place in a variety of settings, countries and cultures. Global Ministries works through missionaries and partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Some of our key programs are in the areas of Disaster Response, Global Health, Hunger & Poverty, Water & Sanitation, Education, Migration, Racial & Ethnic Ministries, Creation Care and Mission, Evangelism & Church Growth.

Job Summary

The incumbent will be responsible for leading the ‘Yambasu Agriculture Initiative’ and other livelihood programs within the agency. S/he will lead a team of internal staff and consultants to provide capacity in the area of agriculture and food security in Africa and elsewhere if needed. The team will be responsible for developing and guiding a sustainable agricultural program that is aligned with the vision of the General Board of Global Ministries and aligned with the core tenets of the Yambasu Agricultural Initiative. Key to this work will include working closely with UMC Conference partners (particularly in Africa) to initiate, design and recommend to the Board, projects related to sustainable agriculture, food security and livelihood; Strengthen the capacities of UMC Conference partners to implement sustainable programs; advise management and staff in other areas on all matters related to food security programming in an effort to ensure alignment across all programs within the agency. The incumbent will be expected to build a culture of partner ownership and sustainable/long-term revenue generation through agriculture for partners and communities.

Essential Job Functions

• Leads/manages a team to work with partners and build capacities of conference staff to effectively implement sustainable agriculture programs.
• Build relationships with partners in a bid to identify gaps related to agriculture and food security that exist and exploring opportunities to strengthen partner capacities through mentorship, trainings or grants.
• Work with staff on the team to cultivate and oversee the review all grant applications made by partners, including working with partners to strengthen their proposals and making recommendations to the Board for approval.
• Engage partners periodically throughout the project cycle to ensure effective progression towards the project’s targets.
• Strengthen partners’ abilities to leverage additional resources dedicated to agricultural programming either locally or through external linkages
• Advise Global Ministries and UMCOR on all matters related to Agriculture Food Security and Livelihoods with emphasis towards growing the agency’s engagements in the agricultural sector in Africa.
• Make regular monitoring visits to project sites.

Education and Experience

• Advanced degree in development economics, agricultural economics, agri-business or related social sciences.
• At least five (5) years of relevant experience designing and leading complex agriculture, food security and livelihood programs within an international development organization.
• Experience in advising international organizations on food security and livelihood program development.
• Experience in program design, implementation, and evaluation in the area of agriculture, food security and livelihoods.
• Previous experience living in Africa and working on agriculture, food security and livelihood programs in remote communities.
• Previous experience working in donor agency or grant-making context preferred.
• Demonstrated skills in community engagement in African countries with a plethora of Agriculture, food security and livelihood programs.

Competencies, Job Requirements and Other Specialized Knowledge

• Provide regular updates to the General Secretary or his/her assignee on progress of ongoing grants and plans for the future. **
• Develop and maintain a channel for being accountable to annual conference leadership and ensuring that annual conferences are accountable to the Global Ministries and UMCOR leadership.**
• Drives the program and is responsible for recommending ways to bolster and adapt the program into its best version in alignment with General Secretary’s vision.
• Familiarity with the principles and current approaches to food security and livelihood programming.
• Experience in program monitoring and evaluation.
• Superior verbal presentation and facilitation skills.

The Ideal Candidate

Global Ministries workplace supports 95% of remote employees. The candidate must be able to make timely and effective decisions and produce results through strategic planning. In addition to implementing and evaluating programs and policies. Have the ability to keep the team’s work in addition to their own aligned with the overall goals.

Work Hours and Conditions

· FLSA Status: F/T Exempt

· Location: Remote

· Hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm (Monday – Friday with flexible start/end time) – Evening and weekend work/meetings as necessary, particularly during peak unit season.

· May require work outside of standard business hours (to include weekends), particularly during peak unit season.

· Sedentary office/computer/keyboarding/meeting work for extended periods of time. Ability to alternate between sitting/standing.

· Domestic and international travel as required.

· Remote work required