Strategy, Execution & Product Lead at eRecruiter Nigeria

Details:

The Lead is responsible for the overall launch and leadership of the new pilot program and guiding its growth through:

• Management and leadership of the pilot field team to achieve those vision and goals
• Higher level strategy development AND detailed field execution
• Collaborating with other Global and Nigeria One Acre Fund teams

The role is multi-faceted and suited to those who enjoy working under pressure with high levels of responsibility and building a program from the start.

Examples of the type of tasks required of the role are:

Project Management

• Building out a detailed trial project plan including execution calendar
• Working with the Finance Department to build a financial model for the trial permutations
• Developing trial deliverables that support field execution in order to meet the trial objectives:
• Field facing strategies and tools (e.g. Key performance indicator tracker)
• Management tools (e.g. dashboards/reporting tools, meeting/training calendar)
• Team management tools (e.g. multi-year organization chart, Professional Development Curriculum)

Strategy

• High-level trial design – Lead discussions on what questions to test through the trial, how to test it, and how the learning will impact longer term program design. Some key components for discussion include marketing strategy/tactics, pricing, and distribution of the product/service.
• Trial monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan and execution – work with the M&E team to design trials and data collection plans to effectively evaluate impact at trial conclusion
• Collaborate with internal teams – Work with other departments and global research teams to build programme solutions and innovations. Communicate updates and results to key stakeholders.

Operations

• Spend significant time with the field teams in the field talking to our potential smallholder farmer clients in order to understand real time challenges
• Set up initial structures to support the pilot season - distribution plan, recruiting a team, ensuring  government approval, sourcing agricultural inputs and other support vendors
• Identify opportunities to improve operations and program performance, through weekly tracking of Key Performance Indicators, and identifying / executing on process improvements
• Collaborate and manage relationships with key partners to execute the trial including external stakeholders such as  seed companies, local distribution partners, government officials, etc.
• Plan and manage budgets – monitor current budgets and forecast budgets for expansion and other programme innovations.

Team Management

• Build and manage a team – hire, develop and lead a team to effectively execute operations
• Invest heavily in the development of staff, including training, tailored development plans, and support to team morale.
• Design and execute for massive scale, by building systems for performance management of a large field team.

Pilot Growth

Based on a successful pilot year, there is a possibility for the person in this role to continue to build and grow this into a larger multi-year programme in subsequent years.

Requirements

Specific qualifications include, but are not limited to:

• 4 to 6+ years of professional work experience in Nigeria with experience in mentorship and leadership of teams; entrepreneurial experience preferred (e.g. starting a new program or business unit, launching a new initiatives across a large field team, etc.)
• University degree required in Business Administration, International Development, Logistics or Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management, or related fields.
• Functional flexibility – an entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to hit the ground running and start adding value quickly. Proven ability of creative problem-solving, successful implementation and execution of strategy based on field data and programmatic evidence.
• Geographic flexibility – at least in the first 12-18 months, the ability to relocate/travel will be important. This includes willingness to live outside capital cities, close to our customers, as this is where most of the work will be based.
• Fluency in English + Hausa required, knowledge of other languages spoken in Nigeria preferred
• High proficiency with computer skills particularly Microsoft Office
• Friendly personality, professional and proactive work attitude
• Humility; a willingness to get your shoes muddy and work productively with people from all walks of life; Ability to tackle any task, large or small, with professionalism and enthusiasm

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Paid time off