PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR, SCALING PARTNERSHIPS WITH GOVERNMENT (RURAL ENTREPRENEUR ACCESS PROJECT (REAP) Full Time

Our client, an International NGO, BOMA (https://boma.ngo/) seeks to recruit a talented Portfolio Director who is highly respected in the fields of poverty graduation, government engagement, consortium management and social protection, enthusiastic about shaping the future of scaling economic inclusion programming with governments, and expanding BOMA’s portfolio in new directions. The role will be based in Nairobi and is a 2-year contract term reporting to Senior Technical Director, Graduation and Livelihoods

OVERVIEW OF THE RURAL ENTREPRENEUR ACCESS (REAP) Model &REAP FOR GOVERNMENT PRODUCT:

BOMA is recognized for developing an innovative, gender-focused poverty graduation model for the extreme-poor women in the ASALs, the RURAL ENTREPRENEUR ACCESS PROJECT (REAP). This program offers a highly sequenced, layered and timebound set of interventions that help the poorest and most vulnerable women gain financial literacy, receive two years of mentoring in businesses and life skills, and through a conditional cash grant provided by BOMA, start small businesses to earn an income and establish savings groups, and build their resilience to shocks and strengthen social capital. BOMA has developed a REAP for Government product to scale graduation and economic inclusion programs in partnership with African governments through our flagship work with the Government of Kenya

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

As The Portfolio Director you will lead BOMA’s entire portfolio of work related to scaling graduation, social and economic inclusion with governments. The role involves collaborating with various government departments, leading consortia of partners, engaging and building relationships with new partners as well as leading and developing a team of project managers. The role will also entail representation of BOMA in various conferences, events, workshops and other strategic working groups.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Product Strategy and Leadership:

• Setting and leading BOMA’s intellectual and strategic vision, direction and priorities as it relates to REAP for Government including setting and meeting annual targets for reach and fundraising.
• Engaging as a leader in the global landscape of graduation and social protection, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to develop innovative approaches to engage and scale with governments.
• Setting the pace for technical excellence in BOMA’s REAP for Government product across the portfolio.
• Develop innovations to BOMA’s REAP for Government approach to meet the changing needs which governments are looking to adopt and scale through graduation programs to meet the needs of ultra-poor and vulnerable people in the African drylands, including women, youth, refugees, IDPs and other marginalized populations.

Portfolio Impact and Performance:

• Track and monitor portfolio performance through real-time and retrospective metrics and assessments to ensure continuous improvement in quality, effectiveness, and efficacy.
• Implementing data-driven activities and initiatives to ensure a high-quality portfolio of learning experiences, including metrics of government satisfaction, partnership excellence and participant experience as drivers of success.
• Collaboration with Research and Learning to establish a product-specific research and learning agenda to drive the field – and BOMA’s work – forward.
• Inform the design of BOMA’s research on REAP for Government, including possible impact evaluations.
• Collaborate with teams to design, develop, implement, and provide technical assistance on M&E frameworks, evaluations and data collection tools.
• Document, disseminate/share lessons learned and best practices, including inputs for reports and technical publications to inform and shape the global graduation agenda

Business Growth:

• Collaborate with the Sustainability and Impact team to define and document BOMA’s 5-year approach to growth for the REAP for Government product
• Aggressively pursue business development opportunities to expand BOMA’s REAP for Government product in Kenya and new markets beyond Kenya
• Track and target governments and donor interests and shifts as they relate to graduation, economic inclusion and social protection
• Lead the design of new business development opportunities related to REAP for Government
• Grow existing REAP for Government projects and partnerships through thought leadership and quality implementation
• Identify and spearhead partnership development for expansion and growth opportunities for scaling REAP for Government

Oversee Project Management:

• Ensure Project Managers delivery on the scope of project on time, on budget, and with excellence
• Deliver high quality technical assistance to government and consortia partners, and provide operational support as needed to operationalize existing and new programs
• Lead the adoption and use of technologies such as Office 265, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and Taroworks to further BOMA’s efficacy
• Develop monthly and quarterly reports, and track Portfolio Budgets.
• Support the design and delivery of training to increase capacity, collaborating close with the Training and Capacity Development team

Representation/Advocacy/Engagement:

• Identify and purse partnership opportunities with governments and organizations in the social protection and economic inclusion space
• Recommend conferences, networks, and other collaborative spaces for BOMA to explore to expand organizational presence in social protection and economic inclusion
• Organize and/or represent BOMA and the Graduation agenda to enhance learning and promote adaptation of the Graduation approach.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s Degree in social sciences, international development, or another relevant field (Masters is an added advantage)
• At least seven (7) years of progressive experience in participatory program design, development, implementation, and budgeting of complex development programs required; including at least 3 years in a senior program/project management position.
• Extensive expertise in poverty graduation models, scaling through government, social protection, and adapted livelihoods, required;
• Experience developing relationships with government partners and NGOs, providing technical assistance and oversight to external teams to deliver programming;
• Experience managing a consortium of partners including government (both at national and county level), NGOs, private sector, grassroot organizations and government.
• Demonstrate an understanding of relevant government policies on social protection, economic inclusion, gender, climate change, nutrition, and Economic Transformation Agenda;
• Sector experience or exposure to programming in climate crises, nutrition, social protection, gender norms, health and targeting vulnerable populations (ultra-poor women, IDPs, refugees, youth, people living with disabilities);
• A proven track record in new business development with experience supporting project design, proposal development and fundraising efforts;
• Experience in curricula development, training, and facilitation preferred;
• Successful experience managing teams or individuals.
• Experience and understanding of drylands context are highly preferred.
• Willingness to travel
• Exceptional public speaking and written English communication skills, including communication to partners and clients via written products and presentations;

Tagged as: Kenya, The Boma Project