Title: Technical Director, Agriculture, Resilience & Water
Team: Agriculture, Resilience & Water (ARW)
Reports to: Associate Vice President, ARW
Winrock International is recruiting a Technical Director within the Agriculture, Resilience and Water (ARW) Group. The Technical Director is responsible for leading program design, technical performance and management of a portfolio of technically and geographically diverse projects. This role oversees and ensures high quality project management and technical implementation, impact reporting, provides robust technical leadership, and leads strategic new business initiatives with a vision of strategic growth.
This role seeks a senior leader who is energized by the opportunity to develop a new generation of high-impact, at-scale programming utilizing a market systems approach to agriculture-led economic growth. All of our programming aspires to be equitable, inclusive, climate smart, and locally led. In addition to the design of new programming, this role will also manage a large portfolio of programming from West Africa to Southeast Asia with ample opportunity to mentor, inspire, learn and travel.
AGRICULTURE, RESILIENCE AND WATER (ARW) GROUP:
The Agriculture, Resilience and Water (ARW) group within Winrock, partners with communities, businesses, and governments to develop scalable market-oriented solutions that advance inclusive agriculture led growth and water security, ultimately building the resilience of households to recover from predictable and unforeseen shocks.
ARW’s approach to making agriculture and water systems more resilient to climate change has three focus areas:
1) improving agricultural production and water management systems, especially among the most vulnerable;
2) strengthening natural resource management; and
3) reducing environmental degradation. We also work with communities, public and private sectors to safeguard critical ecosystems.
Currently, ARW manages a portfolio of 13 projects across 16 countries, totaling over $231 million dollars. Implementation is focused on partnership, as well as technical and data-driven innovations and learning, adapting, and scaling proven models.
This role may be remote within the United States, preference may be given to DC area-based candidates.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Technical Director will be responsible for:
- Technical leadership, financial and operational management of projects in the portfolio.
- Quality control of Winrock’s ARW projects, and engagement with major donors.
- Expanding Winrock’s portfolio through new business development.
- Technical case studies and lessons learned linked to the technical areas of interventions of ARW.
The Technical Director is responsible for setting, implementing, and meeting strategic, long-term goals and objectives. The Technical Director will work closely with their team to ensure high technical impact and project management practices are applied across the portfolio, leverage and develop capabilities and resources within the broader ARW team for new business efforts and promote mechanisms for shared learning and healthy habits among project teams. As a senior member of the ARW management team, the Technical Director will be emotionally intelligent and lead by example, fostering an environment that is collaborative, conducive to growth, respect, equity, and thought leadership.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
- Leadership, strategy, and impact:
- Develop a vision and provide guidance to strategically grow the team’s portfolio, deepening impact, scale, and reach.
- Work with the ARW team, the Analytics, Gender, Inclusion, Learning and Evaluation (AGILE) Unit and other technical teams (Environment and Energy, & Human Rights, Education, and Empowerment) to identify, document, and promote technical best practices and methodologies in project implementation for future new business design, internal learning, and external promotion. Foster and promote the capture, utilization, and growth of knowledge and learning within the unit.
- Collaborate with ARW team in the home office and in the field to document evidence and learning from technical interventions and refine, develop and package methodologies, tools and learning material based on an iterative learning cycle.
- Lead the growth of the unit’s technical visibility with key stakeholders, practitioners, and donors with an eye towards identifying and engaging promising partners for collaboration and innovation through thought leadership activities including, but not limited to, penning op-eds; serving as a technical panelist, and identifying topics and convening technical fora/ensuring Winrock participation in relevant fora.
- Provide perspective and expertise on emerging issues and trends in the agriculture, resilience and water space.
- Proactive new business development:
- Grow ARW new business by: surfacing and recommending opportunities, leading proposals, and/or serving as a technical lead, contributor, or reviewer; leading decisions on whether to pursue ARW new business opportunities; mentoring staff; and working closely with the ARW leadership team, New Business Support Unit and ARW New Business Manager to ensure the delivery of quality proposals.
- Manage existing client and donor relationships, engaging new relationships with partners, donors, and clients through the life of project.
- Utilize professional network to build and maintain relationships with current and prospective donors in the portfolio through regular outreach.
- Represent Winrock at external events, nationally and internationally, and position Winrock for expanded work in relevant fields.
- Quality project implementation oversight:
- Provide consistent direction and advisory support to home office and project staff to ensure accountability for project technical, financial, and operational excellence.
- Ensure program adherence to organizational policies, strategies and quality standards and continuously monitor program results to ensure projects are on time, on budget, and delivering high quality technical impact. Identify, elevate and address risks quickly.
- Identify, develop and uplift existing technical project tools and approaches that can be incorporated into the larger technical area.
- Work with home office and project staff to problem solve and develop creative solutions to maximize impact of interventions on beneficiary populations
- Work with relevant internal Winrock operating units to ensure that program staff have the tools and skills needed to maintain full compliance throughout program implementation, including financial forecasting and budgeting, M&E, subaward management, procurement, and staff management.
- Nurture and build an effective ARW Team:
- Lead by example and inspire staff in the unit, promoting professional development and creating a positive working environment that encourages productive relationships, creative problem solving, and high performance.
- Lead team development, performance against strategic goals, personnel management issues, wellness and staff spotlights to promote recognition of individual and team efforts.
- Supervise and support home office team, in-country Project Directors and Chiefs of Party, traveling to country offices to visit programs and provide support, visibility, guidance, and reinforcement where safe and appropriate, post-COVID.
- Serve as a champion for Winrock’s Core Values (accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation) in the approach to management of the ARW team and encourage upward feedback and management.
WHO YOU ARE AND KEYS TO SUCCESS:
- Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in international development, agriculture, environment, natural resource management, climate change, or other related field required; advanced degree strongly preferred.
- Experience:
- Minimum 10 years’ experience, including overseas work, in international development required. Additional years of experience strongly preferred.
- Experience leading and building teams,
- Demonstrated technical innovation and leadership in agriculture, water systems, natural or resource management using a resilience building approach,
- Experience leading strategic planning, capacity development, project and financial management.
- Track record leading/designing winning proposals.
- Experience managing large, complex U.S. Government-funded projects required. Experience leading other donor-funded projects, in addition to U.S. Government-funded projects, an asset.
- Fluency in English and excellent communication skills (written and verbal).
- Fluency in a language in addition to English strongly preferred.
- Excellent leadership, problem solving, teamwork, interpersonal skills required.
- Willingness to travel to developing countries, ~25%, required once COVID-related health risks have abated.
- Experience working in developing countries required.
- Experience serving as Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Project Director or similar leadership role preferred.
Winrock offers competitive pay and an excellent benefits package.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Winrock would like to thank all applicants for their interest but only candidates who meet all requisite criteria and are shortlisted will be contacted.
Diversity
Guided by our belief that organizations do their best work when individuals with different backgrounds and perspectives are fully engaged, Winrock International is dedicated to building an inclusive workplace that respects the dignity of each individual. We are committed to fostering a culture that embraces diverse perspectives and believe that a diverse workforce broadens our understanding of the communities we serve and enhances and enriches our work.
Winrock International is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, and we comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce through our recruitment and employment practices.
At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation.
