Deputy Program Director - IGNITE (Short-term)

About TechnoServe:

At TechnoServe, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better life. For over 50 years, we have given smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs the skills, connections, and confidence to lift themselves out of poverty. We leverage the power of markets and the private sector to create sustainable economic growth to benefit people and the planet. Our unique mix of business solutions, deep knowledge of local contexts, and data-driven insights is helping to fight poverty across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

TechnoServe staff are local-95% are from the countries in which they work. We put a high premium on collaboration and entrepreneurship. We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standards of integrity and transparency. And we focus on delivering lasting impact for our mission.

Summary:

Through the IGNITE initiative, TechnoServe has been working to strengthen industry leadership in food fortification by building the Millers for Nutrition coalition, a platform that unites hundreds of food processors across Africa and Asia to champion fortification. The coalition provides millers with technical assistance, recognition, and business incentives to sustain fortification practices, while fostering peer learning and collective action. By positioning millers at the center of the effort, IGNITE ensures that fortification is industry-driven, scalable, and aligned with national nutrition priorities, ultimately expanding access to adequately fortified staple foods for millions of consumers.

We are seeking a Deputy Program Director to provide a leading role in implementation activities across eight countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Tanzania). Along with the Program Director, the Deputy Program Director is responsible for oversight of both operational and technical activities.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Responsible for all management and reporting in the absence of the Program Director
• Manage and facilitate activities - implemented through others, ensuring achievement of objectives and targets through high-quality, cost-effective, and timely implementation in accordance with donor regulations and expectations.
• Manage, motivate, and develop country field teams to guarantee successful execution of program activities as well as team members' professional development. Promote positive team dynamics.
• Maintain frequent communication with Program Director to ensure program activities, status and effectiveness are well-understood, drawing in the Program Director or other senior staff for problem-solving or other engagement as needed
• Lead finance and operations, including reporting, compliance, and budget management
• Ensure the technical and financial reporting requirements both within the program and among other stakeholders are fulfilled in a timely, accurate and professional manner
• Design, review, and continuously improve program implementation on the basis of feedback from internal and external stakeholders

Basic Qualifications:

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline with at least ten years of experience or a Master's degree in a relevant discipline with at least seven years of experience with donor-funded programs that focused on Food Fortification, Public Private Sector Partnerships, Development through Collective Impact or similar
• Prior experience working in Food Fortification, organizational and institutional development.

Required Languages: Fluency in oral & written English is required. Fluency in French is desired.

Travel: Travel up to 30 %

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience implementing Gates Foundation or other bilateral-funded projects is highly desirable
• Geographic experience across IGNITEs Geographies in Asia and Africa, and experience in Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia specifically is strongly preferred
• Knowledge of the latest developments in advancing best practices in Food Fortification, Public- Private Sector Partnerships, FMCG
• Knowledge of large scale food fortification programs and partners

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proven record of successfully managing complex private sector development programs with extensive local capacity building components.
• Demonstrated excellence in managing teams, projects, and budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively and collaboratively with a broad range of public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated capacity and experience to lead field teams and work to achieve the expected results
• Demonstrated ability to plan, monitor and deliver quality assurance; familiarity with M&E frameworks
• Independent judgment and strong decision making skills required, with limited supervision
• Ability to work under tight deadlines while managing multiple tasks and activities
• Ability to develop well written, cohesive analyses and reports

Supervisory Responsibilities: The Deputy Program director supervises a team of program professionals.

Position Duration: This position is currently funded through June 2026, with with the possibility of an extension based on funding.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a remote position, with a preference for candidates based in the United States or Kenya. Candidates must have work authorization from the country from which they are applying. TechnoServe will not provide sponsorship for this role.

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.