Jobs at Village Enterprise

About the Role

• In the journey towards implementing these strategic goals, we are seeking to recruit a highly skilled and experienced Senior Director of Systems Architecture to join our dynamic technology solutions team. This role is crucial for developing a comprehensive system architecture that supports decision-making across all levels of the organization. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills, extensive experience in systems architecture, and a strategic vision to drive the integration and optimization of multiple systems. He/She will be at the forefront of our technological innovation, responsible for crafting a unified business architecture that seamlessly integrates diverse systems. This vision will be instrumental in enabling data-driven decision-making at all levels of the organization, ensuring that our architecture is scalable, secure, and adaptable to future needs. By collaborating closely with internal stakeholders and leveraging cutting-edge technologies, he/she will help drive our strategic objectives and foster a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.

Deliverables for the Role:

Architectural Design and Planning

• Develop and implement a robust systems architecture that aligns with organization’s goals and supports decision-making processes.
• Design scalable, flexible, and secure solutions that integrate various systems within the organization.

Integration and Interoperability: -

• Collaborate with functional teams within the organization to understand requirements and translate them into architectural solutions.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to development teams, most of whom are external providers.
• Work with the technology solutions team as well as external provides to ensure seamless integration and interoperability of disparate systems using standard protocols and APIs.
• Oversee the implementation of middleware solutions as needed to facilitate communication between multiple systems.

Data Management and Governance:

• Establish and enforce data governance policies to maintain data consistency, integrity, and security.
• Implement master data management (MDM) practices to ensure a single source of truth.

Performance Optimization, security and compliance:

• Monitoring and enhancing system performance, ensuring high availability, efficiency, and reliability.
• He/she will be responsible for addressing performance bottlenecks and implementing solutions for improved data retrieval and processing.
• Ensure robust security measures are in place to protect data and comply with relevant regulations
• Conduct both routine and on-demand security audits and risk assessments.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance system capabilities and business outcomes.

Key Performance Indicators (Outcomes)

• Village Enterprise has a robust, flexible and secure systems architecture that supports decision making at all levels
• A scalable systems architecture fully implemented that supports business growth without performance degradation
• Seamless data flow and interoperability between all critical systems
• High user satisfaction and efficient access to data for decision making
• Comprehensive documentation supporting knowledge sharing and maintenance

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field with a strong focus on software and systems architecture design, development and implementation.

Skills and Experience:

• Demonstrated strong practical understanding of architectural frameworks and methodologies.
• Proficiency in designing scalable, secure, and high-performing systems.
• Expertise in data governance, master data management, and data integration techniques.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Should be able to practically demonstrate ability to think strategically and translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in systems architecture, with at least 2 years in a senior or lead role.
• Proven track record of designing and implementing complex systems architectures in a multi-system environment.
• Experience with data management, integration technologies, and middleware solutions.

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POSITION OVERVIEW

• Village Enterprise’s Vice President of Partnerships, will play an essential role in the Development team as a leader responsible for implementing the organization’s fundraising strategy. The Development team’s institutional fundraising efforts globally are co-led by this position and Village Enterprise’s Vice President for Development (VPD, based in Washington DC, USA). The US-based VPD is ultimately accountable for meeting the Development team’s targets; as such, this role will report into the VPD and work closely with the Director of Business Development (based in Nairobi) and the Director of Grants (based in the US) to achieve targets. The VPP will be accountable for implementing the fundraising strategy within Africa to develop revenue streams with funders based in the region, including bi- and multi-lateral funders, in alignment with organization's long-term vision for growth and sustainability.
• The VPP is a strategic thinker who is able to position Village Enterprise with future funders and implementing partners and forge impactful collaborations that propel the organization towards unprecedented success. Experience working within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), particularly understanding USAID’s funding processes and key decision makers in the region, is valuable and preferred for this role. Your commitment to excellence and collaborative approach will drive shape strategic growth initiatives, drive innovation for the development team, and cultivate a culture that drives continuous growth. Success for a VPP is marked by achieving sustainable growth, fostering strategic partnerships in the region, and building networks to identify funding opportunities. It involves building a robust pipeline of innovative projects, securing funding, and expanding the organization's influence.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• The VPP will contribute to Village Enterprise’s multi-year fundraising target, working 1) with the VPP to set targets and 2) with the Development team to develop pathways to achieve these targets. This role reports to the US-based VPD and directly manages a Director of Business Development.As a member of the Village Enterprise team, you will be consistently guided by our 5 core values of Ubuntu, Passion, Sustainability, Innovation, and Integrity.

Fundraising Strategy:

• In close collaboration with the VPD, set and implement institutional fundraising targets, annual Key Performance Indicators, and quarterly Objectives and Key Results that are in line with the Development Team’s overall targets and Village Enterprise’s organizational strategy to scale through partnerships.

Business Development:

• Lead prospecting within the Development team for funding and partnership opportunities across sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly East Africa, to map strategic pathways for achieving growth through the organizational strategy.
• Serve as the lead in Africa within the Development Team for strategically aligning programmatic needs with funding opportunities by maintaining a keen awareness of programming developments in alignment with Village Enterprise’s Programs Team.
• Leverage formal (e.g. multi and bi-lateral funding platforms) and informal means (e.g. strong networks with donor and non-profit partners) to track and assess funding opportunities across priority geographies in Africa.

Partnership Cultivation:

• Build and cultivate new partnerships that will drive scale of Village Enterprise’s model through direct implementation and technical assistance.
• Identify and embed yourself in key networks operating in priority geographies and thematic areas to represent Village Enterprise as a best-in-class implementer and trusted partner.
• Nurture existing partnerships through consistent engagements to provide timely updates on developments at Village Enterprise that cultivate deeper trust and open pathways to secure additional funding.
• Serve as the face of Village Enterprise’s Development team at key fora, conferences, workshops, and working group meetings.

Proposal Development:

• Lead complex proposal development processes and writing of proposals for all fundraising opportunities where the funding originates from African based funders, including country and regional offices/missions of bi-laterals, multi-laterals, corporations, or foundations.
• Coordinate project design for funding opportunities based in Africa, including working closely with Village Enterprise (and consortium partners as appropriate) Country Directors, other program staff, M&E staff, and finance staff.
• Oversee management of proposal development timelines to ensure internal alignment of relevant team members and coordination with external partners (in the case of consortiums) such that high quality, competitive proposals are developed in a timely manner.
• In the case of a consortium, serve as the central liaison for consortium partners and nurture relationships in the strategic interests of Village Enterprise.

KEY CAPABILITIES

Essential:

• 7-10 year track record in raising funds from institutions (bi-laterals, multi-laterals, foundations, etc.)
• Experience fundraising in East Africa, preferable across multiple Village Enterprise geographies
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to collaborate with a culturally and geographically diverse team
• Existing donor and non-profit networks in East Africa
• Desire, drive and ability to be an ambassador for the mission and work of Village Enterprise

Desirable:

• Experience leading consortium and complex proposals that have resulted in securing multi-millions USD in funding
• Experience in economic livelihoods or similar sector
• Strong understanding of USAID funding mechanisms developed through experience working within USAID or as a primary liaison with USAID for a funding partner
• Familiarity using Salesforce