Job Announcement

Country and Regional Lead

Georgia

 

1.     The Pakka Foundation

Established in 2018 in Switzerland, Pakka Foundation enhances the living conditions of smallholder farmers, their communities and local processing companies through the development and promotion of sustainable, organic production and processing. In Georgia, Pakka Foundation partners with economic actors, including Pakka Georgia, to develop a fair organic hazelnut and almond value chain for European premium markets. Focus lies on supporting farmers and processors in organic and fair-trade production and harvesting, post-harvest management, and access to premium markets.

Pakka Foundation, in partnership with Pakka Georgia, is seeking a Country and Regional Lead in Georgia. The Lead will be responsible for Pakka Foundation’s operations and positioning in the Caucasus, i.e. Georgia.

2.     Responsibilities of the Country and Regional Lead in Georgia

The Pakka Foundation Country and Regional Lead will be responsible for the following fields:

  • Project development and fundraising (20%): Identify partners’ needs and demands, develop relevant program and project ideas, establish project partnerships, identify funding opportunities, and formulate proposals that respond to partners’ and funders’ needs and demands.
  • Project management (25%-55%): Ensure an efficient, effective and coordinated execution of approved projects, including coordination between project partners, monitoring and follow-up on operational results as well as on financial incomes and expenditures, quality assurance, as well as preparation of operational and financial reports to funding partners.
  • Program coordination (10%): Keep strategic overview of Pakka Foundation’s project portfolio in Georgia, ensuring a consistent thematic engagement, financial overview, and coordination between project partners.
  • Partner and Stakeholder Management and Communication (10%): Establish and maintain a relevant network of professional partners, engages in target-oriented communication and dialogue about Pakka Foundation’s opportunities and successes, position Pakka Foundation in social media, responds to enquiries, and represent Pakka Foundation at relevant meetings and workshops.
  • Support to the Pakka Foundation Director and other tasks (5%) upon request.

The Country and Regional Lead’s work will result in Pakka Foundation’s active, strategic and coherent project engagement in Georgia and beyond, positioning Pakka Foundation as key partner with a strong value-added in value chain and market development. Pakka Foundation will develop and ensure funding for a foresighted project portfolio that ensures innovation, financial stability and operational performance. Projects will be implemented timely, lead to or exceed expected results for nut producers and processors, and yield learning. Pakka Foundation will position itself as a professional project partner in the development of nut and dried fruit value chain and market.

3.     Required Capacities and experience

Thematic skills:

  1. Masters Degree in rural development, agronomy, social science, or other fields relevant for the position.
  2. At least 10 years of professional experience in rural development, value chain development and/ or market systems development.
  3. Sound knowledge of sustainability and development cooperation.
  4. Solid understanding of good governance of organizations, incl. accountability, transparency and participation.

Methodological skills:

  1. Excellent capacity (min. 5 years’ experience) in stakeholder management, partner coordination and negotiation.
  2. Proven practical experience (min. 7 years) in project management and project cycle management, incl. project design and development, preparation and monitoring of logical frameworks and theories of change, assessment of results at output and outcome levels, operational reporting, learning and project adaptation.
  3. Proven practical experience (min. 5 years) in financial management, incl. budget preparation and monitoring, transparent procurement, fund flow management, and financial reporting.
  4. Sound understanding of operational and financial requirements of funding partners.
  5. Experience in communication to a wider public, incl. through social media and presentations.

Personal and social skills:

  1. Proven inter-disciplinary capacity, systemic thinking and empathy for different stakeholder groups. Strong capacity and proven interest in networking with relevant partners and in coordinating different stakeholders.
  2. Strategic and analytical capacity, combined with foresight, creativity and design thinking.
  3. Capacity to keep an overview and prioritize relevant actions and results.
  4. Curiosity, interest in learning and adaptive project management focusing on outcomes.
  5. Strong and proven teamworking skills and capacity in stakeholder dialogue.
  6. Convincing manner to represent and position Pakka within a larger professional community.
  7. Willingness and openness to align with financial partners’ legal, financial and operational requirements.

Language skills:

  1. Strong oral and written skills in Georgian and English
  2. Longstanding experience in writing proposals and reports

4.     What we offer

Pakka Foundation is part of a young and value-based group of companies, mainly based in Switzerland and spreading around several countries. It acts at the interface between business operation and development cooperation and thereby offers a relevant field for cross-sectoral and inter-cultural learning. Pakka Georgia is based in Western Georgia, offering local context knowledge and network. The Country and Regional Lead will be part of a supportive team combining knowledge from different backgrounds and experience.

5.     Application

Interested and motivated candidates who meet the mentioned requirements are invited to submit their applications (1 page motivation letter, max. 4 pages CV) in English by 14 July to jobs@pakka.ch. Interviews will take place on 28 July, written test on 30 July.