Head of Digital Programmes (12 Month Maternity Cover)

Job Title: Head of Digital Programmes 

Reports to:  COO 

Contract: Fixed term 12 month, pending successful completion of a 3 month probationary period. 

Contract Start Date: August 2023

Location: UK or Kenya (Predominantly remote)

Goal: Producers Direct has ambitious targets to ensure farmers in East Africa and Latin America benefit from digital tools and data services. To enable us to achieve this, we are looking for a Head of Digital Programmes who will effectively balance: 

• Strategic leadership and strong vision for the role of pioneering ICT4Ag innovations to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Alongside a healthy skepticism and strong commitment to ensuring technologies developed are practical and actionable by smallholder farmers - many of whom still do not have a smartphone.
• Exemplary day-to-day team and project management skills to deliver on this strategic vision, by coordinating global teams and engaging with farmers across the globe.

Key tasks include:

• Lead the Digital Team and facilitate coordination with our Global Programme and Commercial Teams to deliver on joint KPIs and Goals.
• Mentor, manage and support a 5 person Digital Team 
• Plan, organise and direct completion of multi-year projects, ensuring projects are on time, within budget and within scope, liaising with multiple teams and functions across our global organisation. 
• Own our digital products and their development to support our organisational goals and objectives
• Bring together and maximise diverse skill sets across a global team of: Software Developers; User Researchers; Commercial team and a Programme team working directly with smallholder farmers in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Peru and Colombia. 
• Identity and remove obstacles and distractions that may impede teams from achieving goals. Have a creative eye for problem-solving. 
• Understand a range of software / digital tools that could be employed to support Producers Direct’s Digital Strategy, in order to recommend and communicate that to team members across the organisation (commercial, programme, fundraising etc).
• Make decisions on when it makes sense for Producers Direct to invest in tailored/bespoke software development and when it makes sense to partner with existing technology software providers.

Requirements: 

• Passion for harnessing the power of digital innovation to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
• Knowledge and understanding of software development / technology innovation (in the smallholder agricultural sector is desirable but not essential if you can demonstrate transferable skills or work in rural/remote settings).
• 7-10 years of relevant professional experience in project management leading diverse teams to achieve goals, preferably in the digital space with NGOs or social enterprises. 
• Experience working in rural settings with farmers or low IT literacy populations (or other digitally ‘hard to reach groups’.
• Experience leading diverse teams (cultures, skills sets - digital and non-digital).
• Experience managing donor funded programmes with ambitious KPIs and balancing donor commitments and ambitious KPIs with the realities of farmer-led design and programme delivery on the ground. 
• Clear written and oral communication skills with an attention to detail and ability to empower teams who speak different languages to work effectively together e.g. software developers and user researchers or native Spanish speakers and native Swahili speakers.
• Flexible and creative approach to problem-solving and willingness to work with limited resources. A natural problem solver. 
• Comfortable working with a small team across multiple cultures and languages.
• Working proficiency in Spanish (desirable but not essential) and willingness to travel.

We are looking for someone who is:

• A strong technical communicator with understanding of a range of technologies, and can communicate complex technical ideas with non-technical audiences
• An excellent product or project manager who is comfortable working across teams, cultures and geographies to deliver on joint KPIs and goals.
• Eager and ready to play a key role in co-designing and delivering digital tools to support smallholder farmers.
• Willing to try new things and take the unconventional approach to solving problems. Quick to identify both challenges and solutions. 
• Creative and innovative, and excited about working with a passionate, diverse & pioneering team. 

What we can offer:

• Annual Salary: UK-based: £40,000 - £44,000 or Kenya-based: Ksh 2.9m - Ksh 3.6m
• 9-12 month contract to cover maternity leave
• Hands on experience and responsibility from day one. Opportunities to travel globally. 
• The opportunity to make a real impact in a small, but ambitious organisation!