Summary

Our client is a Civil Society organization looking for an Executive Director who will be responsible for strategically growing, sustaining, and strengthening the organization in Kenya and building on its regional and global linkages.

Responsibilities

The Executive Director reports directly to the Board and executes the following responsibilities.

Movement Leadership

• Strategically grow, sustain, and strengthen the organization in Kenya and build on its regional and global linkages
• Articulate and safeguard the organization’s community-led model all the time with both internal and external stakeholders.

Strategic Leadership and Delivery

• Defines the organization’s strategic vision and be accountable for its implementation and impact.
• Design new programs, projects, initiatives, and strategies to deliver on the strategic objectives.
• Clearly articulate the Organization’s impact on strategic and relevant external audiences.
• Represent the Organization at the highest level, ensuring its role in the Women’s rights movement /Civil society, Gender equality, and women empowerment space is well understood, through direct engagement with policy-makers/stakeholders/funders and partners.

Partnership building & networking,

• Maintains strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders who are important partners in realizing the Organization’s mission and activities.
• Interact with national and international governments at the highest political level to advocate for gender-responsive policies, laws, and regulations
• Maintain effective and timely communications with all stakeholders.

Fundraising & Resource Mobilization

• Mobilize financial resources from bilateral donors, multilateral donors, private & public foundations, philanthropists, and other funders in support of the Organization’s mission.
• Develop fundraising proposals, co-fundraise with partners, organize fundraising events, and meetings, and negotiate agreements with key funders.
• Develop new funding streams for the organizations to broaden the donor base and resource portfolio.

Operational management:

• Ensure that the organizational structure, operational policies, and other organizational processes are optimal and able to effectively deliver on the strategic objectives
• Provide overall leadership to the human resources and further strengthen performance management across the organization;
• Maintain a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and growing talent.
• Financial management:
• Present annual financial budgets for Board approval as per the strategic plan, and more routinely, multi-year projections for the transparent management of resources;
• Act as the Chief Accounting Officer of the organization: Finance, Procurement, and Assets.
• Deliver value for money and ensure all resources of the organization are deployed on the primary mission of the Organization.

Risk Management

• Ensure that there are strong internal fiduciary controls in place to monitor the use of the Organization’s resources.
• Effectively manage risk at the grassroots social movement and the Secretariat’s operations,
• Develop enabling organization’s policies and communications systems and ensure strict adherence to Board decisions;
• Inform the Board, in a timely way, of key strategic and other material operational risks the Secretariat is encountering in the course of its work.
• Act as the legal representative of the organization as authorized by the board

Board management

• Act as the board secretary, and ensure effective and timely preparation of board papers as per the board manual.
• Participate (or delegate) and assist the Committees of the Board.
• Communicate Board decisions to the staff, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Assist the Board Chair in strengthening the overall governance of the Organization.

Key Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree/Master’s in a related field.
• A recognized Gender Equality and Women Rights champion.
• Track record in a senior management position (10 years) in the Civil Society/ or Women’s Movement.
• Track record in building and strengthening grassroots social movements.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the global, regional, and local context of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.
• Demonstrated experience in fundraising & resource mobilizations from bilateral & multilateral funders, private and public foundations, philanthropists, and International Organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage an annual portfolio of $3M and above.
• Experience in the creation and cultivation of successful partnerships with funders, governments, civil society actors, and grassroots actors.
• Thematic knowledge and experience in several of the following areas: Women’s political participation, gender policy, women’s access to land and natural resources, Financial inclusivity & women’s entrepreneurship, Gender-Based Violence, Human rights and SRHR, Climate Change, and biodiversity.
• Exceptional management skills in people, finances, and systems, with a proven capacity to motivate and lead a team to achieve organizational mission.
• Role model of ethical standards and integrity.
• An ability to make difficult decisions when required for organizational development and well-being.
• Great advocacy and representation skills(strong public speaking and influencing skills).
• Presence, tenacity, resilience, humility, and empathy in dealings with local & grassroots community members from a variety of backgrounds.
• An ability to engage and operate effectively at the highest political levels.
• Must be flexible to travel locally to the grassroots and internationally.