The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation. 

The Office of Technical Delivery is responsible for providing expert technical guidance to IFAD teams engaged in the design and implementation of projects and programmes to deliver the high technical quality investments that facilitate rural transformation, and which comply with IFAD’s mandate and operational policies. The Office ensures IFAD applies and disseminates state of the art knowledge in its investments and evidence on strategic themes and encourages the innovative application of global knowledge and evidence in IFAD investments. This helps countries tackle complex development challenges in fostering inclusive and sustainable rural transformation including mainstreaming areas. The Office of Technical Delivery comprises the Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG) and the Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI).  

The Office of Technical Delivery works in close coordination with other departments, offices and divisions in IFAD and the Managing Director, works under the direct supervision of the Vice-President of IFAD.

*The structure of IFAD is currently undergoing a recalibration process. The definite set-up of the Office of Technical Delivery is being finalized and is subject to confirmation of institutional process requirements, which will be confirmed during the recruitment process
 

Managing Directors are responsible for managing an IFAD Office and serve on IFAD’s senior management team. The main focus of Managing Director positions is on strategic leadership of IFAD development effectiveness, innovation and management. The incumbent is responsible for the management and delivery of the Office’s programme of work within an allocated budget.

The Managing Director, OTD, manages and directs the human, financial and material resources of the Office and holds responsibility over the effective and efficient delivery of its programme. The incumbent provides authoritative and technical advice to senior management on the, operational results, policies and management, and contributes to the Fund’s strategic planning, policy, organizational change, policy implementation and corporate development by ensuring the technical quality of IFAD’s programme of work and encouraging a focus on outputs, outcomes and results whilst encouraging innovation. The incumbent provides inputs and advice based on OTD products at the request of the President, vice President and senior management. 

As a member of the senior management team of IFAD, the incumbent is expected to contribute to corporate and operational policy discussions and decisions of the Executive Management Committee (EMC), chaired by the President of IFAD. 

The incumbent is a member of the IFAD Executive Management Team with a corporate responsibility for the Fund and an active member of IFAD’s Operational Strategy and Policy Guidance Committee (OSC) the Programme Management Committee (PMC) and any other relevant committees pertaining to the area of work.
 

 •    STRATEGIC PROGRAMME DIRECTION AND IFAD’S MISSION: The Managing Director, leads the work of IFAD’s Office of Technical Delivery by providing strategic leadership and guidance to staff on IFAD’s mandate.  The incumbent also guides the direction in the development and interpretation of major policies, regulations and rules, and systems that govern the work of the office and ensure they support office goals and objectives within the overall Fund mandates and strategies.  The Managing Directors act as a trusted business/programme advisor with a significant role in authoritative policy advice within the Fund at the senior management level as well as in policy dialogue in their representational activities. 
•    ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND POLICY STRATEGY: The Managing Director, acts as a champion for change, promoting and endorsing solutions to intractable challenges and has an entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas that will stretch the organization to achieve its mandate. They encourage evidence-based knowledge generation and its dissemination in all activities and contribute to resource mobilization activities and to evidence-based policy making at the international, national, and local level to advocate for the extreme poor and food insecure in rural areas. The incumbent advocates for the Organization’s policy positions and expands the Organization’s external visibility and positioning. In order to promote organizational change and keep abreast of technology advancement they set clear priorities for the Office and lead by example.
•    CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AND RESULTS BASED MANAGEMENT: The Managing Director contributes to the corporate development effectiveness agenda and plans, monitors and supports IFAD’s collaboration with its institutional partners and member countries on resource mobilization and corporate partnerships, in accordance with agreed priorities, approved programme/budgets, strategic objectives and corporate policies. They promote lessons learnt to inform IFAD’s lending and non-lending portfolio (including country programme strategies, policy engagement initiatives, Private Sector etc.), particularly on issues surrounding food systems transformation, food security, agriculture, agribusiness and rural development. The incumbent oversees the development and implementation of the annual programme and budget of the Office in the context of IFAD’s Strategic Framework and IFAD Replenishment Commitments and provides contributions to the assessment and reporting of corporate impacts of IFAD’s funded projects.
•    REPRESENTATION AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS: The Managing Director, in coordination with relevant Departments, develops and maintains political and business relationships with key donor Member States and strong collaboration with strategic partner organisations, including borrowers, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, UN agencies, funds and programmes, international financial institutions (IFIs), non-governmental organizations and academic institutions, which among other partnership priorities, can help drive mobilisation of resources from the multilateral climate and environment funds, financial sector and private sector as desirable. Managing Directors serve as designated representatives of the Fund in official United Nations committees and networks, and in IFls, multilateral and bilateral meetings, symposia, fora and Global conferences and other technical bodies upon request of the President, and build organizational networks with peers in major private, public and international institutions.
•    MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES: The Managing Director is responsible for ensuring the transparent, equitable, and efficient management of IFAD’s resources, including human, financial, and material resources. This includes managing staff through workforce planning, recruitment, performance management, and career development. They are also responsible for managing the division’s budget, ensuring accountability and fiduciary integrity. Additionally, they are responsible for managing material resources and promoting knowledge and content management to achieve innovative outcomes and cost-effective processes. The Managing Director also leverages information technology to improve business results, reporting processes, and client services.

Under the guidance of the President and Vice President, the incumbent is responsible for designing and implementing adjustments to the roles and responsibilities as well as the structure of the Office as required to enhance its effectiveness. 
In parallel, the Managing Director is responsible for providing intellectual leadership and an authoritative contribution to the integration of knowledge and innovation into IFAD’s operations and overall business model.  

The key responsibilities for the Managing Director, Office of Technical Delivery include:

•    Strategic Leadership: Oversee IFAD’s strategy and operations related to key areas such as Environment and Climate Change, Social Inclusion and Gender, Sustainable Production, Markets, and Rural Institutions.
•    Technical Quality: Ensure the technical quality of IFAD’s operations, initiatives, and projects, delivering sector strategy, initiatives, and integrated solutions that advance IFAD’s strategic agenda across all regions and member states.
•    Thematic and Sectoral Expertise: Provide technical expertise for IFAD’s operations and special initiatives, working closely with the Programme Management Department to support the design and implementation of projects and programmes.
•    Development Effectiveness: Collaborate with the Office of Development Effectiveness to monitor and assess the impact and effectiveness of IFAD’s portfolio, ensuring continuous improvement in development outcomes.
•    Cross-Cutting Issues: Integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, diversity, climate change, environmental sustainability, and institutional capacity into IFAD’s sectoral and operational strategies to promote inclusive and sustainable development.
•    Policy and Strategy Formulation: Lead the formulation and implementation of development thematic policies and strategies, ensuring alignment with global development goals and IFAD’s objectives.
•    Stakeholder Engagement: Strengthen relationships with international partners, including governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector, to foster collaborative efforts towards sustainable rural development.
•    Innovation and Knowledge Sharing: In collaboration with the Regional Divisions and the Office of Development Effectiveness, promote the exchange of knowledge and best practices and ensure the use and application of innovative and impactful best practices in the design and implementation of IFAD projects.
•    Monitoring and Evaluation: Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of IFAD’s performance on thematic issues, informing lending and non-lending portfolios on sustainable and inclusive rural transformation.
•    Internal Relations: Ensure and strengthen coordination and collaboration with other IFAD offices, departments, and units to foster cohesive policy approaches and integration across different sectors and regions.
•    Risk Management: Lead and ensure appropriate internal control mechanisms for mitigating risks in line with IFAD’s organizational framework and policies.
•    Management of the Office: Managing the technical divisions within the Office:

o    The Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG), responsible for aligning IFAD’s investments and policy engagement to its policies and guidelines on environment, biodiversity, climate, gender, nutrition, and youth; the application of IFAD’s environmental and social safeguards; and the implementation of IFAD’s targeting policies to ensure investments reach its intended beneficiaries.
o    The Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI), responsible for IFAD’s technical leadership in a broad range of areas driving rural transformation, including agronomy, land issues, and rural finance and infrastructure.
 

Managing Directors establish IFAD’s priorities and provide leadership to division-level programme and operational management activities, ensuring a results-based approach to meeting assigned goals and objectives.

Leadership activities include the optimal utilization of human, financial, technology, and material resources for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

The Managing Director, OTD is responsible for IFAD’s operational effectiveness, providing strategic leadership and assisting the President and Vice President.  The incumbent is accountable for the quality of IFAD’s programmes and projects.

The Managing Director, OTD works with the executive management team to establish operational goals and strategies, overseeing their implementation to ensure IFAD’s sustainability in delivering quality assessments in support of IFAD-funded programmes and projects

The incumbents’ impact extends beyond the successful achievement of the Office goals and objectives to include larger –organizational goals and objectives in strategic planning collaboration. The expected results directly and/or indirectly benefit the ultimate stakeholders, the rural poor in developing countries and have a direct impact on the organizational reputation.
 

Managing Directors are responsible for building and maintaining strong working relationships both within and outside of IFAD. Internally, they provide strategic advice to the President and Vice-President and collaborate with other departments, offices and divisions to ensure effective coordination of programme planning and activities. Externally, they develop strategic partnerships with a range of institutions, including borrowers, development agencies, UN agencies, and non-governmental organizations, for the purpose of programme cooperation, knowledge sharing, policy dialogue, and resource mobilization. Managing Directors also represent IFAD in official committees, meetings, and conferences, and build organizational networks with peers in major private, public, and international financial institutions.

As a member of IFAD’s ’s senior management, the Managing Director, OTD, supports the President and Vice President in providing vision and oversight, as well as reporting to governing bodies.

Organizational Competencies – Level 2

• Strategic thinking and organizational development: Strategic leadership
• Team building; technical guidence
• Demonstrating Leadership: Leads by example; initiates and supports change
• Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating: Challenges, innovates and contributes to a learning culture
• Focusing on clients: Contributes to a client-focused culture
• Problem solving and decision making: Solves complex problems and makes decisions that have wider corporate impact
• Managing time, resources and information: Coordinates wider use of time, information and/or resources
• Team Work: Fosters a cohesive team environment
• Communicating and negotiating: Acquires and uses a wide range of communication styles and skills
• Building relationships and partnerships: Builds and maintains strategic partnerships internally and externally

Managing performance and developing staff: Manages staff and teams effectively

Education:

Level – Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in a related area.

Areas – Agriculture and related Sciences, Agriculture economics, Economics, Development Economics, rural Development, Agriculture value chain management, life Sciences, food System management, international development, or in any other relevant area.

Degree must be an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php .

Work experience:

• At least fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible professional experience, including senior management experience within an international organization, financial institution, Multilateral Development Bank, and/or the United Nations system.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with strategic vision and proven skills to manage a complex organization with staff of diverse cultural backgrounds in multiple locations.
• Extensive experience in designing, implementing, and overseeing development projects, with a particular focus on rural development investments, including providing technical leadership and strategic advice to ensure high-quality project outcomes aligned with organizational goals and mandates.
• Extensive and proven managerial experience with a focus on people management.

Progressively responsible management experience in senior level positions

Languages:

• Required English (4 – Excellent)
• Desirable: French, Spanish and/or Arabic (3 – Good)

Skills:

Job role specific

• Leadership, Group thought leader, sought out by others and providing mentorship and effective guidance to others; Ability to build trust, inside and outside the organization by acting as a role model for IFAD’s core values and competencies, and to provide a clear sense of direction, mentorship and effective guidance to the team, strategizing the IFAD’s goals, giving the vision, empowering the team and ensuring a positive environment for all.
• IFAD governance & mandate: In depth knowledge of IFAD`s governance structure, mandate, strategic priorities and technical work.
• Policy making: Ability to provide expert guidance on IFAD’s strategic direction and contribute to corporate and operational policy discussions.
• Topical expertise: Expertise in project design and implmentation and integration of technical inputs into the design of country programmes and corporate strategies with particular focus on rural development issues, including mainstreaming areas.
• IFAD partners: Knowledge of IFAD’s partners’ functioning and mandate, such as the public sector (e.g. governments and policy, institutions and system), non-state actors (NGOs, CSOs, Foundations, etc.) and private sector actors
• Strategy implementation: Ability to lead and manage the development and implementation of medium to longer-term strategies for IFAD/for respective divisions.
• Policy dialogue: Know-how in the representation of IFAD as a trusted and strategic partner, advocating and promoting IFAD’s mandate and vision; effective consultations with IFAD counterparts – like ministries and governmental bodies at all administrative levels, donors, civil society.
• Change management: Role modelling, anticipation of key risks & conflicts and formulation of contingency plans/solutions, action-oriented.
• Confidentiality & Discretion: Establishes self and division as trusted advisor to internal stakeholders by maintaining high level of discretion and confidentiality in assignments; demonstrates sound judgement when dealing with sensitive and/or confidential matters; drives good governance and is a “Culture Carrier” demonstrating IFAD institutional conscience through his/her work.
• Corporate approach: Ability to bring in corporate vision and priorities into one’s area of work (e.g. budgeting going beyond simple budgetary considerations, taking into account strategic priorities).
• Integrity and ethics: Strong emphasis on acting with honesty, not tolerating unethical behaviour, demonstrating equity, impartiality and sensitivity in exercising authority and interacting with staff, and other stakeholders. Conduct must be guided by IFAD core values, the Code of conduct and a high sense of ethics.
• Political acumen: Ability to conduct sound political analysis and understand complex environments, providing options and advice.
• Strategic mindset, Proactive, ongoing identification of strategic opportunities, potential synergies and partnerships.
• Stakeholder management, Strong alignment capabilities and consultation skills, building on effective interactions and relationships with different stakeholders (e.g. for the co-creation of communication material with member states) and ability to build and maintain a strong network (e.g. with journalists, media outlets, etc.).
• Specialized communication skills, Ability to negotiate on behalf of IFAD and drive for creative and pragmatic solutions in complex negotiations with key partners, both public and private sector.

Position specific: 

• Analytical and strategic thinking skills: Outstanding ability to analyze and synthesize qualitative and/or quantitative information from a variety of sources and filter out key insights and recommendations.
• Quantitative skills: Significant understanding of the collection and quantitative analysis of impact assessment and operational data
• Operational experience: Significant experience in working with operations in the context of an International Financial Institution
• Results management: Strong understanding of managing for results in the context of an International Financial Institution
• Social & Environmental Safeguards: Know-how in Social & Environmental compliance in the context of an International Financial Institution

Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD. In accordance with IFAD’s Human Resources Policy, the President can decide to assign them to any of the activities of the Fund. All International Professional staff members are required to be geographically mobile and positions in the professional category are subject to changes in location at any time in line with strategic priorities and reform initiatives in IFAD.

In accordance with IFAD’s provisions, all new staff members will normally be placed at the first step in the grade level for which they have been selected. For information on IFAD’s remuneration package, please visit IFAD’s compensation and benefits page on our website. Applicants are invited to use the ICSC compensation calculator to estimate the salary and benefit entitlements.  See here. 

Candidates may be required to take a written test and to deliver a presentation as well as participate in interviews.

The structure of IFAD is currently undergoing a recalibration process. The definite set-up of the Office of Technical Delivery is being finalized and is subject to confirmation of institutional process requirements, which will be confirmed during the recruitment process

In the interest of making most cost-effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are short-listed for interview. Candidates who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful.

IFAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnic, social or political background, colour, nationality, religion, age, gender, disability, marital status, family size or sexual orientation in line with its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy and the Policy to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse.

Please be aware of fraudulent job offers. IFAD does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process. Official communication from IFAD will always come from e-mails ending in @ifad.org