Project Director, Agricultural and Rural Livelihoods at Pyxera Global

Overview

• The PYXERA Global is seeking a Project Director to oversee and implement all technical and managerial aspects of the Rayuwa Project in Northern Nigeria.
• The project follows a community-driven approach to improve the livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers and their communities.
• The Project team collaborates with diverse partners on two critical interventions for farmers’ immediate and long-term success: 1) agricultural training to increase food security and farm profitability and 2) youth and adult education for increased equity. Agricultural efforts include increasing agricultural production and farmer resilience; strengthening sources of agricultural income and reducing vulnerability to shock with Village Savings Loan Associations (VSLAs); integrating cross-cutting themes of financial management, market linkages to input, and finance; and facilitating sustainable connections between farmers for increased effectiveness and efficiency. Key education objectives include improving the education levels of the children of farming families; increasing the capacity/capability of community-based educators; and supporting the holistic development of students in character development, literacy, numeracy, and STEM using inclusive pedagogies and digital tools.
• The Project Director is responsible for supervising all project activities and managing the project team to meet project objectives and targets. These responsibilities include strategic development and implementation, project implementation, strategizing monitoring and evaluation, financial and operations management, human resources management and organizational development, and communications with internal and external stakeholders.
• The successful candidate will exemplify the Project values of teamwork, equality, and a strong work ethic.

Key Position Responsibilities

The Project Director will work with relevant Project team members and report directly to the Vice President of Enterprise and Community Development. The position will have the following responsibilities:

• Oversee day-to-day programmatic operations of the Project
• Supervise and provide technical guidance and mentorship to the team on program implementation
• Lead program design and work plan development with the team in consultation with in-country stakeholders and PYXERA Global staff
• Ensure program achievement of high-quality results in accordance with the targets identified in the program’s work plan
• Ensure effective tracking of program and activity indicators per the program’s Monitoring & Evaluation Plan to drive work plan design, adjustment, and execution
• Supervise and provide technical guidance and mentorship to the project team on program implementation
• Develop achievable and detailed scopes of work for staff, consultants, volunteers, etc., and provide regular performance evaluations and feedback
• Serve as the primary liaison between the project offices and department leadership and the organization, promoting positive and constructive working relationships
• Ensure timely submission of regular programmatic and financial reports to PYXERA Global per donor and partner requirements
• Ensure and promote local staff development and progressive management responsibilities in all aspects of program implementation with the overall goal of long-term sustainability of the project’s impact
• Serve as the program’s external liaison in Northern Nigeria, establishing and strengthening collaborative relationships with key partners and stakeholders in the region in coordination with PYXERA Global
• Ensure compliance with local Nigerian laws and regulations, and adherence to PYXERA Global’s and donor’s legal, financial, and operational policies and procedures
• Exhibit and be committed to the Rayuwa values of honesty, transparency, integrity, humility, freedom to innovate, equality, keep a “light” attitude, quality, teamwork, focus on the goals, accountability to all partners, and monitoring to learn and improve
• Travel, as required by the project
• Other duties, as assigned by PYXERA Global.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Agriculture Extension, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, Project Management, Sustainable Development, Business Management, or any other relevant field
• At least 15 years of technical experience in leading projects for sustainably improving agricultural productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers; improving access to finance, markets, quality inputs, farm technology; overall resilient and sustainable community development. It should also include proven experience working or collaborating with private and public sectors for smallholder agricultural development.
• At least 3 years of leadership experience at the ‘director’-level to supervise field staff and associated operational, technical, and strategic responsibilities for effective and efficient implementation of large-scale development projects
• Very good knowledge of organizational effectiveness, project management, along with sound knowledge of business and project financial principles
• Excellent knowledge of procurement practices in development projects and programs
• Demonstrated ability to ensure compliance with local Nigerian laws and regulations and adherence to organizational and donor’s legal, financial and operational policies and procedures
• Very strong report writing skill is required
• Strong people management skills
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task ‘smartly’
• Fluency in English and Hausa languages required
• Nigerian national required; excellent knowledge of Northern Nigeria is essential
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.