Planning and Effectiveness Manager- Little Rock, AR

Organization: Heifer International

Position Title: Planning and Effectiveness Manager

Location: 1 World Ave, Little Rock, AR, 72202, US

Hours and Compensation: Full time, salary based on experience

Application Deadline: November 8, 2013 (Start date: November 18, 2013)

Organizational Overview

Heifer International has a unique and successful approach to ending hunger and poverty. Since 1944, Heifer has provided food- and income-producing animals and training to millions of resource-poor families in 115 countries.

Giving microcredit in the form of livestock promotes self-reliance, which builds self-esteem and helps families lift themselves out of poverty.

Milk, eggs, wool, draft power and benefits from the animals provide families with food and income. Selected appropriately and managed well, animals improve nutrition and help families earn money for education, clothes, health care, better housing and starting a small business.

Heifer’s grassroots approach lets people make their own decisions about how to improve their lives. As partners work together to overcome obstacles, they strengthen their communities and foster democracy.

By training partners in environmentally sound, sustainable agriculture practices, Heifer makes lasting change possible. At the heart of Heifer’s philosophy is the commitment families make to “pass on the gift,” by sharing one or more of their animal’s offspring with other families in need. Helping others ensures dignity and multiplies the benefits of the original gift from generation to generation.

Heifer’s time-tested approach helps build stronger families,gender equity, vibrant communities and a healthier planet.

Description

The Seeds of Change Planning and Effectiveness Manager is a key contributor in building Seeds of Change into a high performing, self-managed social enterprise in collaboration with Heifer International. The goal of the Seeds of Change Enterprise is to build local food systems through organizing smallholder farmers in wealth creation value chains, connecting them to diverse markets, and improving access to infrastructure, capital, and entrepreneur support services. The Planning and Effectiveness Manager will provide direct support to the Seeds of Change entrepreneurs and lead coordination across Heifer International integrating with all functions: finance, legal, human resources, program development, monitoring and evaluation, fundraising, communications, public relations, and business analysis.  As well as ensuring support for and advancement of the Seeds of Change Initiative, the position will represent the needs/realities of the Seeds of Change team in the development of relevant institutional policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Support the programmatic development and field work of Seeds of Change entrepreneurs and coordinate on their behalf with all Heifer Headquarters functions.
• Be the first point of contact to Heifer functions for Seeds of Change: coordinate and trouble-shoot Seeds of Change needs, questions and issues; and provide accurate information and representation of Seeds of Change team to Heifer International stakeholders.
• Ensure support for the development of business and management plan for Seeds of Change with clear framework and practices to enable high performance, timely and accurate business information and analysis for decision making, and an agile and accountable environment.
• Work with the Seeds of Change entrepreneurs and Heifer’s Finance and Administration Division to coordinate the oversight and implementation of a multi-million dollar annual budget, including fulfillment of Heifer processes in budget development and management, expenditure approval, audit support and business analysis.
• Coordinate with Heifer teams and legal compliance in the development and application of appropriate business development tools and innovative financing mechanisms for the emerging enterprise.
• Ensure support in efficient disbursement of funds to partners and associated reporting processes.
• Work with Seeds of Change team and Heifer’s Legal Services team to develop and maintain legal contracts with partners and consultants.
• Ensure clear timely and accurate information and communication to all Heifer’s internal stakeholders and for external audiences on the program and operations of Seeds of Change.
• Represent Seeds of Change team to external stakeholders including government officials, partners, funders, and local and national media.
• Support fundraising efforts, including coordinating program development and reporting information requirements for donor accountability and stewardship.
• Assist in the design and implementation of impactful, market-driven strategies to combat hunger, poverty, environmental degradation and social injustice.
• Develop and review diverse, innovative social enterprise business plans, including those specifically related to the exploration and potential launch of the Seeds of Change Initiative as a fully functioning social enterprise.
• May perform other job-related responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, International Management, Finance/Accounting and/or other related area of study required, preferably with focus on these areas as applied to non-profits, plus seven (7) years of related experience.
• Operational experience in a start-up or growth phase enterprise—especially social enterprise.
• Minimum of three (3) years in a supervisory or leadership capacity.

Preferred Requirements:

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Additional education or experience in human resource management or organizational development preferred.
• Direct experience in budget development and monitoring required.
• Entrepreneurial experience, including a leadership or management role in startup/growth-phase businesses.

Most Critical Proficiencies:

• Strong personal and professional commitment to social justice and service leadership.
• Collaborative, team-builder with strong systems thinking, organization and management skills.
• Flexibility and ability to balance entrepreneurialism, creativity and innovation, with policy and procedural compliance to advance enterprise and organizational objectives.
• Experience with financial and business management.
• Knowledge and experience in good communication practices for getting work done and to support external communications and public relations.
• Knowledge of, and skilled in setting up effective planning and management systems for tracking measurable change in results.
• Skilled facilitator with capability in training adults of diverse educational backgrounds.
• Knowledge of the non-profit sector with awareness of the context in which non-profit organizations operate.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word) and financial/accounting software.
• Working knowledge of sustainable agriculture and rural community development.
• Strong analytical and practical problem-solving skills.

Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands:

• Exceptional interpersonal skills required, with the ability to work cooperatively, tactfully and diplomatically with a culturally diverse group of people.
• Ability to communicate clearly to a variety of colleagues and constituents at all levels, in both oral and written communication via phone, email or in person.
• Willingness and ability to work occasional weekends, after hours and holidays as required.
• Ability to work under pressure, to multi-task and manage consistently competing priorities.
• Must be comfortable in a rapidly changing environment.  Must be flexible and able to improvise to handle a variety of situations.
• Produce and present critical, analytical reports in a well-designed and attractive format with superior attention to detail.
• Highly motivated with a willingness to work closely in a team as well as independently for extended periods of time.
• Ability to work with sensitive information and to maintain confidentiality.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively throughout the United States.
• Ability to lift from floor to waist and carry up to 30 pounds (14 kilograms) at various locations/project sites.
• Ability to work in outdoor temperatures and various weather conditions as needed.
• May require constant sitting; working at a computer and focusing for extended periods of time and performing office environment activities while on the road and/or in remote conditions.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please visit www.heifer.org/careers. Heifer International is an AA/EOE.