Title: Program
Director, Seeds of Survival, Global South
Organization: USC Canada
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Are you looking for a stimulating and dy
namic work environment within
a value-driven social justice organization? If you have at least ten
(10) years of management experience and a history of solid fieldwork
related to rural communities in the global South, then we have a job
you should consider.
Founded in 1945 by Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova, USC Canada is one of
Canada’s most experienced non-governmental organizations with
programming in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Canada. Through our
Seeds of Survival (SoS) program, we promote vibrant family farms,
strong rural communities, and healthy ecosystems around the world.
With engaged Canadians and partners, we support programs, training,
and policies that strengthen seed and food security, biodiversity, and
the rights of those at the heart of resilient food systems – women,
indigenous peoples, and small-holder farmers. We have a modest budget
but strive to build excellence in everything we undertake. For more
information on USC Canada visit us at http://www.usc-canada.org.
We are looking for a creative and strategic thinker to lead our
international program. You would work in close collaboration with our
Executive Director, a seven-member SoS Global South program team, a
three-member scientific advisory team, and colleagues working on our
SoS Canada program to deliver a dynamic 2015 to 2020 program that
promises to spread and scale-up farmer-based seed and agro-ecological
farming systems of benefit both to farm families and to their
landscapes. Your team engages with over a dozen committed partner
organizations as well as government, foundation and multilateral
donors. You would also collaborate with a senior management team (SMT)
on strategic, cross-team organizational issues and work closely with
our Director of Finance and Human Resources in establishing and
monitoring budgets and expenditures.
Demonstrated Skills and Qualifications:
• Strong commitment to the values and mission of USC Canada and a
minimum of 10 years management experience related to rural,
community-based development in the global South;
• Strategic thinking for complex, multi-faceted programming and a
well-developed understanding of food security, food sovereignty and
agroecology;
• A preference for shared leadership and the sense of humour,
constructive outlook and organizational skills for strong
collaborative team work;
• Excellent communications and cross-cultural skills to engage
audiences from and within diverse contexts;
• Experience with, and ability to guide, applied research, monitoring
and evaluation systems and the documentation of good practices;
• Solid experience with public policy and advocacy work;
• Top-notch skills in identifying funding opportunities and
spearheading proposals and reports, particularly related to
government, multilateral and Foundation donors;
• An advanced university degree, with concentration in a relevant
field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Solid computer skills including competence in Excel spreadsheets.
This is a full time position based in Ottawa. The incumbent must be
available and willing to travel internationally and in Canada for at
least 8 to 10 weeks a year. Preference will be given to candidates who
are fluent in English, French and Spanish.
USC offers a comprehensive benefits package and competitive salary.
To apply, send by e-mail to:
mdulude@usc-canada.org
Please specify: Program Director, SoS Global South in the subject of
the e-mail, include your curriculum vitae with recent references, and
attach two succinct two-page max accounts of: (1) your approach to
collaborative leadership; (2) the relationship between resilience and
seed security. Please note: Given the volume of material received, we
stop reading after page two!
USC is committed to employment equity practices and welcomes
applications from all qualified candidates with the legal right to
work in Canada.
Deadline for receiving applications is June 8th, 2015.
There is generally a high volume of interest in the positions we post.
We appreciate your understanding that only candidates short-listed for
the position will be contacted.