Regional Director, Africa, Country and Regional Programs

Rights and Resources Group*

The Regional Director for Africa is the key instigator in setting the Coalition’s strategy for the Africa Region within a dynamic environment of shifting priorities. The Regional Director should possess flexibility, problem solving and multicultural skills, and maintain effective communication with the Regional Facilitator, RRI management and staff, RRI Partners and Collaborators, and other relevant actors from governments and civil society.

The Regional Director proactively leads the implementation of RRI’s projects and events and ensuring accelerated achievement of RRI goals in the Africa region.   Main responsibilities include leading the annual country and regional planning process to set collective goals, agree on strategies to reach them, and develop concrete plans for action and engagement. The incumbent would also supervise the work of a Regional Facilitator, helping Partners and Collaborators to identify and build new relationships and synergize and optimize their efforts.  The Director conducts this work in collaboration with RRG's Management, RRI Partners and Collaborators, and with the support of the Regional Facilitator who is based in Africa, and the Regional Associate, based in Washington, D.C.

The Regional Director also contributes to the global activities and outreach of RRI, and ensures that RRI's global knowledge informs strategic action in Africa. These responsibilities require effective and proactive decision-making to link the engagement and activities in the Africa region to the broader goals and vision and thematic areas agreed to by RRI.

The Regional Director will fulfill these responsibilities through a broad range of technical and administrative duties.

This is a full-time position based in Washington DC.

Responsibilities

    1. Program Management and Technical Assistance (55 %)

• Manage the Africa country and regional Program working closely with the Sr. Director, CRP;
• Guide the Africa country and regional planning processes for identifying strategic activities towards the RRI objectives as proposed by Partners and Collaborators and as ratified by Partners/Collaborators active in Africa and RRG, building capacity and ensuring effective communication;
• Provide intellectual leadership and contribute to fostering optimal design and maximizing impact of RRI country and regional programs at country and regional level; ensuring strategic orientation, intervention to reach RRI’s tenure and poverty targets; and strengthening local organizational capacity to advance RRI’s agenda of tenure, policy and market reforms; in the field of tenure rights policies;
• Work closely with RRI Partners and Collaborators;
• Guide the preparation of concept notes and contracts against approved activities and manage consultants directly contracted by RRG, including negotiating compensation, TOR development and tracking and review of deliverables;
• Prepare technical, progress and monitoring and evaluation inputs and reports in accordance with RRI and donor guidelines;
• Strengthen networks of civil society organizations working on tenure policy reform in Africa with the Regional facilitators, using intimate knowledge of the technical capacities of the organizations and political contexts to build effective learning networks across the region and in priority countries;
• Contribute in the preparation of financial reports and financial projections related to project implementation.

    2. Staff Management (15 %)

• Manage and supervise the work of the Regional Associate, overseeing adherence to RRG protocols in monitoring and evaluation, reporting of CRP programs, proper documentation of program activities and narrative contributions;
• Oversee the work of Africa facilitator(s), closely coordinating assignments and work performed, and assisting the host institution, where appropriate, with the facilitator(s)’ orientation and supervision;
• Contribute to the recruitment of facilitator(s) as required.

   3. Contribution to Strategic Thinking and Global Programs (25%)

• Contribute significantly to one or two global programs activities according to professional/personal interest and fit with country-regional program, and other demands of the organization;
• Contribute with intellectual knowledge to strategic themes of RRI knowledge gathering and strategic analysis, providing strategic and critical comments to analysis/studies produced by Partners and Collaborators;
• Give presentations on behalf of RRI related to RRI mission and objectives, contribute to publications, and write and contribute to text describing RRI activities and programs in Africa and communications outreach, in multiple languages if appropriate;
• Oversee the development, management and timely updating of the Africa program content on the RRI website.

4. Participate in organization wide governance and planning meetings and periodic assessments of RRI progress and performance (5%)

Qualifications

·         A strong background in land tenure reforms, natural resource management or forestry, rural development policies. An advanced degree is required; PhD preferred or a strong mix of academic training and country, field level experience.

·         10 to 15 years experience working with policy reform processes that deal with rights-based forest conservation, rural development, poverty alleviation, and/or human rights in the relevant region.

·         Demonstrated ability to initiate and coordinate projects without intensive supervision.

·         Demonstrated ability to manage personnel and lead teams.

·         Demonstrated fluency in spoken and written English and French are required.

·         Strong writing and analytical skills.

·         Ability and confidence to effectively and respectfully facilitate meetings that include a range of diverse participants, from representatives of forest communities to high-ranking government ministers.

·         Respect for different cultural perspectives and approaches toward accomplishing shared goals.
Willingness and ability to undertake frequent international travel.

Preferred candidates will have:

·         Extensive knowledge and understanding of the technical capacities of civil society organizations, forest and land agencies in Africa, and similar experiences in other parts of the developing world.

·         Particular experience and understanding of RRI priority regions and countries in Africa: Central and West Africa, particularly DRC, Mali, Liberia, and Cameroon, and knowledge of the land and political economy issues in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

·         Strong interest in advancing the land and forest rights and improving the livelihoods of rural and forest peoples.

·         Strong interest in helping to strengthen capabilities of developing country civil society organizations and leaders

To Apply

Please send your resume, cover letter, and a short writing sample to hr@rightsandresources.org with the position title “Regional Director for Africa – 2012” in the subject line. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted. Please, no phone calls or recruiters.

*Rights and Resources Group is a non-profit organization that serves as the coordinating mechanism for the Rights and Resources Initiative, a global coalition to advance forest tenure, policy and market reforms. Rights and Resources Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.