Country Director – MEDA

MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) invites applications for the senior post of Country Director for our SSBVC project in Tanzania. MEDA is an association of compassionate women and men who invest in people living in poverty around the world so they can unleash their potential to earn a livelihood to provide for their families and enrich their communities. To learn more about MEDA and our work, please visit www.meda.org.
• Country Director – Tanzania (20-month contract)
• Start Date: September/October 2019
• Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Criteria: Tanzanian nationals only
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Strengthening Small Business Value Chains (SSBVC) project is a six-year, $30.82 million initiative funded and implemented by MEDA (supporters and partners) with funding ($15.75 million) from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) which runs from 2015 to 2021.
The project aims to contribute to Tanzanian economic growth and increase job creation by improving the business performance of small, growing businesses (SGBs) and small entrepreneurs (SEs) within the following five sectors: Agri-food; Logistics; Construction; Manufacturing; and Extractives.
The project activities will be serving 14 regions and Dar es Salam through the following three targeted corridors: Mtwara Corridor (Mtwara and Lindi); Morogoro Corridor (Njombe, Mbeya, Songwe, Singida, Dodoma, Iringa, Morogoro, and Pwani); and Arusha Corridor (Arusha, Manyara, Kilimanjaro, and Tanga).
MEDA has primarily worked through providing matching grants to SGBs and Business Alliances. Over the life of the project MEDA will provide and partner on:
• Sustainability Innovation Grants to 30 SGBs selected as Lead Firms, who can each improve the businesses of hundreds of SEs, for a total reach of 10,000 SEs;
• Business Development Services (BDS) to SGBs with BDS provision to 225 SGBs;
• Mobilize 60 business alliances fostering sector-wide collaboration; and
• Partnering with stakeholders to improve business environment for SEs and SGBs by co-piloting innovative business environment solutions grants.
SSBVC is an exciting project in Tanzania as it mobilizes macro-economic development through partnerships with small and medium growing businesses whom can empower their supply chain in both directions. Through these business partnerships, we can facilitate economic growth that can spur social improvements in the communities surrounding our partners.
The project involves regional and close coordination with MEDA’s North America-based Senior Project Manager and Technical Experts tasked to supervise and advise this Project.
RESPONSIBILTIES
Project Management
• Acting as MEDA’s in-country representative
• Ensuring daily management of the project and assuming full accountability of project results
• Ensuring project and grant performance tracking (implementation, administration, and budget)
• Implementing security protocols
Project financial management
• Maintaining strict budgetary adherence and monitoring, particularly with the financial and administrative close out of program grantee contracts.
• Ensuring review and timely submission of regular financial reports
• Ensure contract close-out procedure is followed for all grant contracts.
Project compliance
• Ensuring effective and efficient management of project’s compliance with planning, monitoring, evaluation, performance, and reporting and with established financial management and procurement policies and procedures
• Ensuring adherence to local legal requirements
• Ensuring close-out procedures are followed, with regards to MEDA, Global Affairs Canada, and Government of Tanzania protocol.
Management of field staff
• Overseeing the management of all field staff, including recruitment, selection, supervision, contract close-out at the end of the project, and ongoing performance evaluations
Relationship management
• Managing successful relationships with the host governments, donor agencies, the business community and other stakeholders
• Managing successful relationships with project implementation partners and subcontractors; ensuring positive relationships are maintained and project targets are achieved.
New business development
• Supporting, as time allows and as directed, the Senior Director’s new business development efforts in-country and regionally
QUALIFICATIONS
• Minimum of seven years of senior level experience leading and managing complex, large scale, multimillion-dollar economic development initiatives (or similar private sector experience); specific technical expertise may also be an asset depending on the project such as investment, women’s economic empowerment, agricultural development, market systems and financial inclusion.
• University degree (ideally Master’s) in international development, business administration or related field.
• Fluency (written and verbal) in English is required. Working knowledge of regional languages is desirable.
• Proven field building and field team leadership abilities in a field office environment and demonstrated collaborative relationships with North American-based HQ specialists and management.
• Functional experience in marketing, business planning, business growth advisory service or related areas.
• Demonstrated private sector experience is desirable.
• Demonstrated donor relations reporting and relationship management.
• Demonstrated ability to monitor grants.
• Appreciation and support of MEDA’s faith statement, values, mission and purpose.
Project specific requirements for SSBVC include:
• Experience in using commercial business development services (BDS) providers to upgrade farmer, entrepreneur and enterprise competencies.
• Strong understanding of business/financial decision making in competitive market environments.
• Strong understanding of business administration, financials and analytics, to support in the grant close out activities.
• Experience with financial monitoring of contracting and grants (creation, monitoring, and close-out).
• Understanding of inclusive subsector development and value chain development facilitation methods.
• Experience closing out a development program is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working with vulnerable populations, youth, women, gender, value chain, agriculture, financial services, market solutions, lead firm models, small enterprise development, economic engagement and/or areas of project specific technical expertise required.
• Prior work experience in Tanzania or similar country context is preferred.
• Legally able to work in Tanzania.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 22, 2019 @ 4:00pm EST.
MEDA is an equal opportunity employer and accommodations are available during all phases of the recruitment process. We ask that any applicants requiring accommodation make their needs known in advance.
TO APPLY CLICK HERE