Chief Executive Officer – Kenya Full Time Senior level

About PAL Network

The People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network is a south-south partnership of 15 member organizations working across Africa, Asia and the Americas to assess children’s basic reading and numeracy skills. Member organizations conduct citizen-led assessment and action intervention programs aimed at improving learning outcomes. Registered as a standalone NGO in Nairobi (Kenya), PAL Network was formed to accelerate and coordinate the shared work of its members towards achieving common goals and objectives.

Purpose of the Role

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will provide overall leadership to the network, nurturing a sense of collective ownership and belonging to the network, in order to ensure its sustained growth, health, and impact. The CEO will lead the PAL Network Secretariat Staff, supporting them to excel in their respective positions. The CEO will provide overall oversight of the finances and be accountable to the PAL board; fundraise for PAL and ensure it delivers on its strategy; lead strategy development, monitoring and evaluation and oversee the annual planning; ensure that the PAL Network is in correct legal standing, meeting its obligations; and ensure governance meetings are held as scheduled and be the link between management and the board. Specifically, the CEO will perform the following functions:

Job Description

LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE (20%)

• Provide leadership to PAL Network so that it grows in size, capability, and visibility, in order to meet its stated mission
• Be the spokesperson for the PAL Network, seek and participate in national and international fora to communicate about PAL
• Ensure that PAL Network, as an organization, adheres to all the legislative requirements as established by the regulatory authority
• Ensure that all relevant policies are developed, updated and approved by the board and signed off for implementation
• Ensure that strategies and plans are developed and approved by the board
• Ensure that all staff are duly contracted with updated job descriptions; service providers are competitively procured and best value received by the organization
• Ensure that scheduled PAL Board meetings are held; board packs are prepared, translated and shared with board members on time and board decisions are acted upon
• Finalise and present financial and narrative reports to the PAL Board
• Ensure that systems that embrace the advantages of technology are used to support program implementation.
  

MANAGEMENT (20%)

• Ensure that the PAL strategy is well resourced and the secretariat adequately staffed
• Lead PAL managers to develop understanding, expertise and confidence to support other team members; review team reports
• Plan and manage management team meetings to strategize and allow better connection between the administrative/finance and program departments
• Hold regular one to one meetings to discuss individual progress of managers and staff reporting to the CEO, identify capacity gaps and possible solutions
• Ensure that the organization retains a learning posture
• Undertake annual appraisal of assigned staff; finalise appraisals of the other staff members.

STRATEGY, PLANNING, MONITORING AND EVALUATION (15%)

• Initiate and ensure that Strategy development, and review, is undertaken in a membership driven process
• Ensure that the monitoring and evaluation framework and plan is developed; ensure that tracking against the indicators is undertaken and that recommendations are acted upon
• Ensure that each strategy period is evaluated and that insights are used to build on the next strategy period.

FUNDRAISING (40%)

• Identify, develop and nurture relationships with funding partners, as guided by the PAL constitution and fundraising strategy;
• Lead fundraising and develop other innovative (financial) resource streams necessary to support PAL Network’s mission
• Plan for a donor conference every two years, ensure that the donor table is updated and that periodic contact is retained with potential funders
• Ensure effective communication to donors where regular, appropriate and timely information is shared; and quality and accurate quarterly and annual narrative and financial reports are shared
• Prepare funding proposals
• Nurture partnerships that promote sharing of resources and support resource mobilization for the PAL Network.

OTHER (5%)

• Attend, and fully participate in, network and staff meetings and retreats as required
• Perform such other duties as may be required from time to time.

Core qualifications

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field required, a PhD preferred
• Minimum 12 years relevant work experience, preferable in Africa, Asia or Latin America.
• Demonstrable personal and professional commitment to the advancement of PAL Network’s mission, values and philosophy, hence, embodies the principles that PAL Network seeks to promote
• Strong analytical and conceptual capacity and ability to translate these into program and organization development
• Excellent public relations skills. Experienced in navigating a complex stakeholder terrain and or building/ leveraging strategic relations to scale organizational mission. Track record of high-level engagements and/or relations with civil society sector players, funders, State, private sector and other leaders in the education space
• Knowledge and experience of the not for profit sector, especially in education
• Experience working with donors.

Personal Skills

• Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Commitment to continuing development of self and team members
• Strong emotional intelligence and values driven
• Excellent verbal, writing and communication skills in English required. Knowledge of Kiswahili, French, Spanish and/or Portuguese will be an added advantage
• Strong analytical skills
• Political acumen to navigate local and international contexts
• Business acumen, commercial discipline and financial literacy
• Familiarity with information technologies and the use of online/remote communications platforms
• Demonstrable leadership skills

Competencies

• Works effectively and cooperatively with others; establishing and maintain good working relationships
• Develops original ideas to improve existing conditions and processes; identifying improvement opportunities, generating ideas, and implementing solutions
• Sets high standards of performance for self and others
• Assumes responsibility and accountability for successfully completing deliverables
• Works hard to meet or exceed goals while deriving satisfaction from that achievement and continuous improvement
• Curiosity and passion to learn, push the envelope, innovate, be creative, take thoughtful risks and get things done
• Proven ability of achieving organizational goals
• Proven track record of thinking and acting strategically

Application Procedure

• Applications by qualified candidates should be submitted only by email to: [email protected] addressed to the Chairperson, PAL Network quoting the position ‘PAL NETWORK CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’.
• Attach your résumé and daytime contacts of three referees.
• The deadline for submission of applications is March 31^st 2021.
• PAL Network is an equal opportunity employer and only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted