Global Program Manager Urban Futures

JOB INFORMATION

Scope: Urban Futures: Youth action for inclusive, climate-resilient urban food systems

Reports to: Director, Hivos Latin America

Level: Global Program Manager

Job location countries: Costa Rica or Ecuador

Hours: 40

Start date: 1 January 2023 (vacancy pending confirmation of funding)

JOB CONTEXT

Hivos is an international development organization guided by humanist values. Together with citizens and their organizations, we aim to contribute towards just, inclusive and life sustaining societies where people have equal access to opportunities, rights and resources. We work in partnership with others in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America on three impact areas: Climate Justice, Civic Rights in a Digital Age and Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI).

Hivos upcoming five-year Urban Futures program aims to contribute to more inclusive, climate-resilient cities and urban food systems, where young people collaborate to voice their priorities, influence decisions, and seize opportunities in the food sector, with shorter value chains providing healthy, sustainable food that is accessible, affordable and attractive.

We aim to achieve this in 10 cities in 5 countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Zambia, Zimbabwe). Program implementation will be led by local partners in each city and take a climate justice approach, in line with Hivos strategic compass. To realize this, we aim to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Inclusive youth-friendly urban food policies and strategies are developed and implemented, with decision-makers held to account
2. Youth-led narratives on inclusive climate-resilient food systems inspire behaviour change
3. Increased public and private financial flows to inclusive, climate-resilient food systems

As fund and program manager, Hivos will engage partners and innovators (especially young people) and provide grants and demand-led technical assistance, capacity building, and lead on linking and learning, advocacy and communications, including through the expertise of the RUAF Global Partnership on Urban Agriculture and Food Systems. An inception phase in 2023 will further localise the framework and co-create city strategies with local partners and experts. Through this, we harness the energy and expertise of partners to stimulate locally-owned innovations and multi-stakeholder collaborations.

The Global Program Manager (GPM) for Urban Futures will oversee the management, delivery and leadership of the overall program and theory of change, and oversee and be responsible for the program budget. The GPM is responsible for ensuring overall strategic coherence across the 5 countries and managing 3 regional sub-teams who coordinate activities in each region. The GPM leads/chairs the Global Coordination team and is part of the program Steering Committee. The GPM will be the focal point for the program donor (Fondation Botnar) as well as any additional co-funders and global partners.

The GPM also co-develops and implements the global linking and learning (including monitoring and evaluation), communication, and advocacy dimensions of the program together with the Global Linking & Learning Officer and Urban Food Systems Technical Lead.

The GPM engages relevant stakeholders as identified in the global strategy and execute/commission research, events, innovations and other activities (including on co-funding opportunities) to implement this. They will liaise with the Urban Futures regional teams to ensure this is firmly rooted in local priorities and opportunities.

The GPM works closely with the Finance Administrator and will report on Hivos implementation and progress to the Steering Committee and to the donor. They will guide Regional Coordinators, the Global Linking & Learning Officer and other program staff on strategy and implementation of the program.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Result Areas

Delivery of program results

Coordinates implementation and coherence of the program; secures stakeholder/donor satisfaction through implementation according to contracts in terms of results, budget and competencies.

Indicator: Degree of results

External positioning

Hivos ambassador of the program; promotes agenda in professional forums by sharing and profiling results/experiences and supporting program partners (inc. young people) at these levels.

Indicator: Participation in external fora; Recognition as leading actor and innovator in the sector.

Networking

Establish and maintain good relationships with stakeholders globally (civil society, government, private sector, development partners, media, co-funders, research), including the donor.

Indicator: Solid support base for Urban Futures, including co-funding

Partner engagement

Advise Regional Coordinators on identifying and selecting (coalitions of) partners; ensures increased ownership of program by local partner organizations; supports timely and high quality reporting of partners.

Indicator: Timely contracts, delivery and reporting of (coalitions of) partners that cooperate efficiently and impactfully.

Agenda setting

Formulates key issues; co-designs advocacy and linking & learning strategies and proactively creates entry points to generate space and support for program partners, strategies, ideas and activities.

Indicator: Clear coherent programme messaging in line with Hivos & partner views

Mobilizing forces

Joins forces with people, organizations and donors; creates or co-creates necessary preconditions for successful advocacy, innovation, learning & other activities.

Indicator: Effective partnerships

Leadership

Leads, motivates, trains, appraises, guides and/or inspires staff and enables effective teamwork, achieves objectives and works according to Hivos’ guiding principles.

Indicator: Staff satisfaction/development

Innovation

Ensure the program is constantly innovating, e.g. through multi-actor collaboration, unusual partnerships, narratives and behavior change & open data

Indicator: Recognition of new ideas by media/sector platforms & internal linking and learning

REQUIREMENTS

This is a senior position for nationals or residents of the concerned countries:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in sustainable development, food systems/policy, urban studies, environmental studies, climate governance or other relevant field.
• Minimum of ten years’ relevant experience in international development, including in urban food systems, youth engagement, multi-actor collaboration and/or climate justice.
• Minimum of ten years’ experience in an international (NGO) context, especially in project management of global programs and overseeing large project budgets (EUR 10m+).
• Demonstrable network, experience and track record engaging municipal, national and international governments and partners, potential co-funders, and other stakeholders in the urban food and climate sector.
• Ability, experience and commitment to support local ownership of partners including youth engagement and leadership.
• Proven leadership in order to lead Hivos colleagues globally, manage (remote) colleagues and ensure an open, creative, dynamic and effective working environment
• Keen understanding of (city and country) political and social dynamics; analytical and conceptual skills, and ability to translate these into relevant and timely actions.
• Excellent networking, relationship building and negotiation skills including donor account management
• Excellent verbal, writing and communication skills in English and fluent Spanish
• Experience overseeing complex global programs to ensure effective design, implementation, adaptive/flexible management and reporting
• Experience co-creating, overseeing and using monitoring, evaluation and learning plans and indicators.
• Experience working in at least 2 of the 3 program regions (Latin America, Southern Africa, South-east Asia) and at city-level with municipalities and other stakeholders
• Level skills: cooperation, influence, leadership.
• Job skills: communication, project management, enterprise, multi-tasker and flexible (working across multiple time zones).

WHAT WE OFFER

We offer a stimulating work environment in a professional international organization with very dedicated staff.  We offer a national contract based on Hivos local labor conditions, with a remuneration commensurate with the experience and expertise.

WANT TO APPLY

You are welcome to submit your application on the apply button located on the right side tab. You must submit both a letter of motivation and resume/CV (3 pages maximum) in English before September 25, 2022.

Candidates are highly encouraged to provide a clear track record in their CV that matches the requirements of the position elaborated above.

Background check for final candidates

If you are selected to go to the final stage of the selection process, please note that professional references and criminal record certification will be requested due to our Safeguarding Policy*. Exceptions will only be made if there is a prohibition due to local legislation or when the candidate cannot obtain the police records certificate due to activities in LGBT + and Human Rights. We may screen social media (unless applicants indicate that they do not want us to do so). The accuracy of the information in the resume will also be verified.

(*) https://america-latina.hivos.org/quienes-somos/nuestra-organizacion/integridad/