WeForest is a fast-growing international non-profit organisation headquartered in Belgium and with current projects in Brazil, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Senegal and Zambia. The mission of the organisation is to advance innovative, scalable and lasting solutions to restore forest and landscapes for climate, people and planet. We promote scientific evidence for the ways in which forests contribute to climate change mitigation, beyond their impacts as stocks of carbon, by increasing water availability, enhancing local biodiversity conservation and rural livelihood and resilience.

Job Summary

The Organisational Development Specialist will be responsible for strengthening the organisational and technical capacity of the program partners in such fields as governance and organisational sustainability, financial management, legal compliance, administration, human resource management, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy, among others according to the particular institutional needs. Farm and Forest Community-based Organisations (CBOs) will be supported through a structured process to reach financial and operational autonomy, allowing them to continue to deliver on their mandates toward farmers and forest-dependent communities without relying on project support. The Organisational Development Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the Country Director, and will be based in Ndola or Lusaka.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Lead on farm and forest Community-based Organisations (CBO) development

• Lead on the implementation of WF Zambia strategy on partnership and organization development, ensuring alignment of CBO operations with the minimum standards and principles on (i) leadership and governance, (ii) financial management and internal controls, (iii) general administration, (iv) programme planning, management and implementation, (v) sustainability, and (vi) external relations and partnerships.
• Lead on WF Zambia’s strategy, process and tools to support project-supported farm and forest CBOs to reach full autonomy through the different components of Organisational Development focusing on Governance, Leadership, Identity & Strategy, Business models and Partnership
• Work closely with project teams to develop and implement strategies to support CBO development through structured processes and throughout the different stages of project cycles (design, planning, implementation, monitoring & evaluation, learning)
• Conduct periodic organization capacity assessments (OCA) and use the process to gauge progress on growth indicators, and devise solutions to address the capacity gaps.
• Conduct periodic full autonomy assessments (FAA) of the CBOs based on the standard tool, and provide tailor-made mentoring and coaching of the CBO to stimulate attainment of comprehensive self-reliance.

2. Capacity building and facilitation for the Project Teams

• Design and administer organization development training for the Organisation Development Anchor Officers from WF Zambia project teams, including recommending to management to outsource short-term professional training with relevant institutions in Zambia if needed
• Provide tailor-made mentorship and coaching support to the Organisation Development Anchor Officers, ensuring that they fully understand the principles and approaches in organization capacity development and change management for the CBOs.
• As appropriate, directly deliver trainings on identified gaps, or facilitate/coordinate trainings with external trainers on organisational development.

3. Partnerships, resource mobilisation and financial autonomy

• Lead on resource mobilisation for WF Zambia to implement its’ organisational development strategies
• Support CBOs to secure alternative sources of funding and partnerships, in order to shift away from dependency on project funding
• Work with the Project Managers and other partners to facilitate context-specific enterprise schemes for the CBOs (business planning, gross-margin, cash-flow, market linkage facilitation and capital brokering).
• Support CBO to create external relations and partnerships with like-minded entities like WDCs, and facilitate mobilization of resources including CDF.

4. Networking

• Represent WF Zambia on relevant forums related to OD/CBO/CBNRM developmen
• Network and stay updated on relevant national level policies, trends and programmes.
• Become a thought leader on CBOs for WF Zambia, and keep the organisation updated on relevant national level policies and programmes.
• Create relevant content on WF Zambia’s work with CBOs to communicate and share experiences with external audiences.

Candidate Profile

Essential

• A Master’s of Arts Degree, MBA or its equivalent.
• Additional training in Organisation Development/Change Management courses at diploma or certificate level is essential.
• Ability to design organization development modules/manual and delivery trainings for non-OD audiences.
• A Master’s degree in, Public Administration, Law, Political Science, Social development, Sociology, Anthropology, Business Administration, Economics, Management or equivalent
• Fluent in English (both speaking and writing)
• Minimum 5 years’ relevant experience in Organization Development and CBO Capacity building, track record of working with CBOs, i.e. setting up CBOS from registration up to functioning, preferably with CBOs working on CBNRM.
• Knowledge of policies/framework/trends in Zambia related to Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
• Excellent management, coordination, training, reporting and communication skills
• Flexible in terms of travelling and living conditions
• Excellent team player
• Ability to develop and manage complex budgets
• Possess good facilitation skills and participatory approaches
• Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) experience will be an added advantage

Terms & Conditions

Position: Full-time employee, 5 or 6 days per week.

Base: Lusaka or Head Office in Ndola, Zambia

Start date: As soon as possible, preferably by 01/10/2024

Package: Competitive package for a small organisation, level 4b salary package