AWF Strategy Development Manager Job in Kenya

AWF Strategy Development Manager Job in Kenya


For more than 50 years, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has been a key player in African Conservation and sustainable development.

AWF’s mission is, together with the people of Africa, to ensure that the wildlife and wild lands thrive in a modern Africa forever.

AWF is seeking a high performing and motivated individual for the following position;

Manager, Strategy Development

Kenya, Nairobi

Job Description:

This position will lead AWF’s strategic development framework at country and landscape levels. It will first address the rationale behind the need for strategies, ensuring that strategy documents help guide AWF’s decision-making abilities in terms of conservation impact, resource requirements, and implementation planning while at the same time help countries to deliver on their development aspirations and align to the Sustainable Development Goals and African Union’s Agenda 2063.

The position will also be responsible for outlining the process for country and landscape strategy development within the organization and ensure that any strategies developed adhere to the defined process as well as AWF’s strategic vision 2019-2029 and its goals.

This is an exciting and dynamic role for the right individual. A strong ability for rigour, widely knowledgeable- capable of facilitating processes that bring in a diverse range of views, building consensus among teams, patience, the ability to listen, and a sense of humor will be critical success factors for this role.

The Manager will interact with individuals at all levels and departments of the organization, in a unique and high-profile role firmly placed at the core of AWF’s strategic decision-making process.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Strategy Process Definition and Development

  • Work with strategic teams across the organization up to and including Conservation Science, Species Protection and Planning teams to design framework, templates, and processes for the development of geography-specific strategies (countries and landscapes) for AWF, and ongoing processes for ensuring strategies are updated, current, and revised for changing contexts.
  • Assess and understand key questions that should be answered in the development process for strategies. Strategies should become a key component of the organizational investment/decision-making process, and help guide allocation of resources within the organization.
  • With support from the VP-Strategy & Knowledge Management, present strategy model and process to senior leadership for approvals;
  • Work closely with the Country Directors and technical leads to develop criteria for strategies and strategic investment decisions to be presented to, and approved by SMC;
  • Train staff on the process and use of strategies in country program and landscape/field implementation and everyday decision-making.
  • Work closely with the Senior Manager Knowledge Management to articulate and establish measurable goals, objectives, and metrics for assessing, reporting, and improving impact at country and landscape levels.
  • As part of an adaptive management process, recommended improvements to AWF’s Strategic Conceptual Models, based on programmatic monitoring, evaluation and learning.
  • Provide inputs, analysis and statistics for quarterly, annual and other reports to management, ensuring the data quality and integrity of all information being reported out.
  • In close consultation with the supervisor, align departmental goals, processes and resource allocation with the organizational strategy.
  • Working closely with Senior Conservation Scientist, support the planning, implementing and managing proposed recommendations and projects based on prevailing circumstances.
  • Establish review process for regularly checking strategies against developments in countries/landscapes and in AWF and facilitate country and landscape teams to undertake informed adaptive management of the strategies.
  • Work with communications team to establish internal and external communications around the strategies and ensure key audiences are aware of and using the strategies.

    Strategy Development for Landscapes and Countries

  • Working with senior leadership, develop prioritized list of strategies required by AWF and timeframe for completion. The strategy “needs
    list” should be a living list of priorities, revised and updated to reflect current contexts.
  • Lead process for development of specific strategies, working with Country Directors and other departments to research, assess and define strategies, as per the agreed-upon process. These will be based on best available scientific fundamentals, including AWF’s SWOT/ GAP analysis and evidence-based approaches to mitigate identified/ emerging threats, establishment of conservation & livelihood strategies, and incorporate other areas influencing implementation such as development and economic context, Costing & financing, policy, fundraising, operational context, and risk.
  • Strategies should also articulate desired outcomes, vision of “success” for a given landscape or country.
  • Support the participatory development of long-term landscape and country strategies and facilitate the strategic planning process to ensure that this process is timely, focused, and value adding.
  • S/he also ensures that the strategy planning process highlights existing development/conservation/business issues, making certain that these issues are thoughtfully addressed by the laid-out plans.
  • Oversee the development and implementation of strategies for countries/landscapes to guide AWF’s approach to engagement, ensuring that each geographic area is guided by an organization-approved strategy.
  • Lead periodic review process of existing strategies, ensuring that strategies are current; where significant revision of strategies is required, ensure adequate internal buy-in and SMC approval.

    Requirements

  • Master’s degree in Economics, Business Administration, with emphasis on strategic management, Conservation Economics, or Conservation Planning, or other relevant education.
  • At least 4 years of work experience in a strategy position within a fast-paced and dynamic business environment in relation to strategy development; experience working in a conservation environment will be an added advantage.
  • Excellent understanding of business/organizational operations and procedures in sub-Saharan Africa especially in ecological, environmental, and/or development issues.
  • Experience in developing and managing corporate/organizational strategy strategies, with direct exposure to top management strategy formulation and decision making.
  • Ability to think strategically, with creative, pragmatic and participatory approaches to forward planning.
  • Demonstrated skills in working across departments within organizations, balancing a wide-ranging set of viewpoints, and building consensus among diverse groups of stakeholders.
  • Understanding of basic financial principles, budgeting, and cost analysis for organizations.
  • Fluency in written and spoken English is essential. Fluency in written and spoken French is a very significant advantage.
  • Excellent communicator with interpersonal skills, flexibility, and cultural sensitivity and ability to engage variety of people in the course of delivering an assignment, gathering and sharing information from others throughout the organization and maintaining strong relationships with country programs and field implementation teams, technical experts, managers and leadership.
  • Willingness to travel, sometimes to remote locations within Africa.
  • Interest in AWF’s mission and understanding of issues faced by AWF in delivering its mission.
  • Familiarity with contemporary conservation issues in Africa, will be a distinct asset.

    How to Apply

    Interested candidates are invited to apply through http://www.awf.org/about/careers/.

    Please send a cover letter and your detailed CV indicating daytime telephone numbers, address and names of three referees with the job title in the subject line.

    Please note that AWF will screen application on an ongoing basis and the positions will be closed if a suitable applicant is found before the closing date.

    Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted.

    Closing Date: December 20, 2019

    AWF Strategy Development Manager Job in Kenya

    Find jobs in Kenya. Jobs - Kenya jobs. Search our career portal & find the latest Kenyan job positions, career opportunities & jobs in Kenya.

    Jobs in Kenya - banking jobs, IT jobs, accounting jobs, NGO jobs, business administration, ICT, UN jobs, procurement jobs, education jobs, hospital jobs, human resources jobs, engineering, teaching jobs, and other careers in Kenya.

    Find your dream job from 1000s of vacancies in Kenya posted and updated daily - click here!

  • Click here to post comments

    Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Jobs Kenya.