Senior Program Officer, Innovation Adoption In Livestock

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

The Global Growth & Opportunity (GGO) division works to catalyze sustainable transformative change in the face of inequities and market failures, to realize the potential of untapped markets, and to see the economic and social benefits of including everyone. We focus on the areas of Agricultural Development (AgDev); Financial Services for the Poor; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene; Nutrition; and Global Education. We seek solutions that are sustainable, transformative, and inclusive with an eye toward applying technology innovations as well as data evidence to motivate change in the world’s developing countries.

The livestock team within the Agriculture Development Program endeavors to reverse market failures within the livestock sector in order that all livestock keepers within Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia will be served by functioning markets enabled by committed Governments.

Your Role

We’re seeking a Senior Program Officer (SPO) to lead this portfolio of grants and investments seeking to support broader agricultural transformation that increases productivity, increases rural incomes, empowers women, better nourishes families, and spurs economic growth. Specifically, in collaboration with the wider AgDev team and internal business partners, the SPO will lead a subset of our partnerships with the private sector within our Animal Health, Animal Production, Animal Nutrition and Offtake Markets bodies of work.

Broad goals for each include:

• Enable Access to Offtake Markets - Functional markets for livestock output that reward increased productivity and quality with greater income
• Improve Animal Health - Discover, develop, register and deliver quality animal health products needed by small-scale producers
• Increase Animal Production - Discover and develop technologies and solutions to scale affordable access to productive livestock breeds adapted to local tropical conditions and access to farm management support tools
• Improve Animal Nutrition - Discover, develop, and deliver innovations that transform affordable and reliable access to quality animal feed, forage, and fodder solutions and alternatives

The role will be based in the Seattle, WA or Washington, DC office. This role is eligible for our foundation-provided relocation plan and benefits package.

What You’ll Do

• In partnership with the wider team, keep abreast of Investment organizations’ efforts (e.g. Development Financing Institutions like IFC) and private sector players focused on small scale livestock producers as one of their core target segments.
• This role is responsible for high quality interactions and clear and consistent communications.
• Establish, maintain and nurture an effective network of private sector players in the Animal health, animal genetics, animal reproduction, animal nutrition and food processing sectors who have core business aspirations in SSA and SA (not CSR efforts)
• Develop an understanding of the preconditions for private sector to enter and serve ‘bottom of the pyramid’ customer segments in livestock within the low- and middle-income countries. Identify transferable strategies and tactics for SSA and SA
• Become an authoritative resource for private sector partnerships and innovation adoption at scale within AgDev and support other efforts as needed.
• Represent the Foundation in livestock related private sector fora.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes that hinder private sector from serving the small scale livestock producers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA)
• In collaboration with the rest of the team, landscape and identify key systems and capacity needs required to attract and enable businesses to be inclusive of small-scale livestock producers in SSA and SA
• Lead part of the existing portfolio of private sector partnerships and for developing the portfolio further to achieve our program objectives.
• Partner closely with Innovative Financing/ Blended Financing and Strategic Investment Fund (Program Related Investments/PRI’s) teams to develop optimal partnership to attract and catalyze the right private sector partners to drive programmatic objectives.

Your Experience

• Language skills beyond English, especially those relevant to Africa and South Asia is a plus.
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a team.
• Highest levels of personal and professional integrity, along with a sense of humor.
• Deep familiarity with evidence on issues and constraints for private sector to work in developing countries, especially in sub–Saharan Africa, South Asia or LATAM/South America
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to convey complex situations in a clear and concise manner with a broad and diverse audience.
• Experience in Business Development or Strategic Alliances, preferably in a livestock/Agriculture related business in low- and middle-income countries, ideally in Africa or South Asia.
• Experience in interacting with business leaders at senior levels and have the gravitas to garner respect.
• A ‘can do’ attitude with an approach that guides and motivates the team to explore new directions and partners and take risks that can potentially accelerate our pathway to improve the lives of small-scale livestock producers.
• Bachelor’s/undergraduate degree required in relevant field; Advanced degree strongly preferred (e.g. MBA)
• Intellectual quickness, curiosity, discipline, resourcefulness, and resilience.
• Willing to travel nationally and internationally (30%).
• 12+ years of experience in sales/marketing with at least 5 years P&L responsibility for ‘bottom of the pyramid’ segments in low- and middle-income countries (eg FMCG). Experience in Livestock or Agriculture would be advantageous.
• Demonstrated passion for the Foundation’s values with commitment to deliver results against the Foundation’s mission.
• Extensive experience living/working in a low-income country context, with 5+ years of direct management and P&L accountability.
• Good knowledge of livestock industries, ideally with a good network in at least one sector (Animal Health, Animal Genetics, Animal Nutrition).

The typical salary range for this role is $149,800 to $278,700 USD. The exact offer will be determined by a variety of factors such as the candidate’s individual skills, qualifications, and experience relative to the requirements of the role.

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Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidate Accommodations

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Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.