About Gatsby and FDT

Gatsby has funded and implemented programmes in Africa since 1985.  It currently supports efforts to catalyse and influence large-scale and lasting change in 11 economic sectors across four East African countries.  It established the Forestry Development Trust (FDT) in 2013 to work with stakeholders to transform the Tanzanian commercial forestry sector.  FDT’s dynamic, motivated team is established and is creating the conditions for a competitive, inclusive and resilient sector.

The Role

The Trust Director will lead FDT, ensuring successful development of both the organisation and the team and delivery of programme objectives. They will set the tone and image of the organisation, shape its culture, build and support the team, refine and articulate strategic direction, refine organisational systems and effectively position FDT with internal and external stakeholders.

The role requires strong strategic, leadership, management, communications, relationship building and influencing skills. The Trust Director will need to establish excellent relationships across all stakeholders in the sector and rapidly build the credibility for others to listen to
them.

While ideally the Trust Director will have prior experience running large-scale, complex sector development programmes and have substantial professional knowledge and expertise in private sector development, these are not a necessity and more emphasis will be placed on organisational leadership, team development, stakeholder influencing capabilities and strategic acumen. Similarly, knowledge of, and experience in, the commercial forestry sector is not a necessity.

Skills

• Excellent external stakeholder relationship management and influencing skills across the private and public sector at the highest level (Company Board and Ministerial level).
• Strong organisational leadership skills.
• Strong operational management skills and ability to run an organisation efficiently, develop processes, spot and deal with problems, and create a high-performing team.
• Excellent work planning and communication skills.
• Initiative and the ability to work independently, taking a high degree of personal responsibility for the team’s results.
• A private sector outlook on development, with enthusiasm for promoting private sector investment to drive results and commercial sensibility.
• Ability to think ambitiously and to combine thinking and analysis with programme delivery.
• Strong intellectual curiosity, with a keenness to learn and innovate.
• Strong analytical skills – able to provide deep assessments of industry constraints, rapidly identify problems with data and to use information to make compelling arguments.
• Strong project management skills – able to monitor multiple workstreams across a range of technical areas (economics, finance, technology, institutional development), co-ordinate contracting partners and stakeholders, foresee potential choke-points in delivery and take necessary action.
• Strong personnel management skills, including a deep commitment to staff development and coaching.

Experience

• Proven experience of managing an organisation and/or large-scale and complex private sector development programmes, including market facilitation programmes.
• A minimum of 10 years’ work experience at managerial level in industry or private sector consultancy or project management.
• International experience of working in developing countries, with deep experience of working in East Africa and preferably Tanzania.
• A demonstrable record of building relationships and influencing change at various levels across the private sector and government.
• Strong track record of successfully leading and managing projects with multiple stakeholders, handling annual budgets of at least $3m.

• Bachelor’s degree required. MBA or advanced degree, particularly in the areas of Business Administration, Economics, International Development, Agribusiness, Finance, or a business related field preferred.
• While not a necessity, substantial prior professional knowledge and expertise in private sector development and programme management is an advantage. To be successful, candidates without such knowledge will demonstrate interest in, and ability to learn and quickly contribute towards, the direction, content and quality of FDT’s programmatic work.
• A commitment to, and understanding of, market development solutions, with an ability to understand sector dynamics and approaches to transforming entire sectors.
• A detailed understanding of government systems, particularly in an East African context, and of approaches to policy reform. An understanding of public policy decision-making processes and of the means of influencing policy effectively.
• Knowledge of, and experience in, commercial forestry sector is not a necessity but would be an advantage. We place more emphasis on other criteria.