ILC Secretariat Director

The International Land Coalition (ILC) is a global alliance of 150 civil society and intergovernmental organizations working together to promote secure and equitable access to and control over land for poor women and men through advocacy, dialogue, knowledge sharing and capacity building. Intergovernmental organisations are comprised of United Nations and International Financing Institutions as well as of CGIAR centres working on land and natural governance issues. Civil society members comprise national, regional, and global organizations of farmers, producers, women, indigenous peoples, agricultural workers, fishers, the landless, pastoralists, forest users, and other associations and social movements of rural peoples, including those that are community-based. They also include professional associations, national and regional academic and think tank institutions as well as some of the world's major non-state organisations advocating for improved natural resources governance and social justice.

ILC members share the common vision that secure and equitable access to and control over land reduces poverty and contributes to identity, dignity, and inclusion. The main governing bodies of the ILC are the Assembly of Members (AoM) and the Coalition Council (CC). The Assembly of Members, which meets once every two years, is the supreme governing body. It is responsible for establishing the overall strategies and policies of the ILC. The CC, elected by the AoM, is composed of 14 members (8 civil society organisations and 6 intergovernmental organisations). It acts as the Executive Board of the Coalition. Meeting twice a year, the responsibilities of the CC involve, among others, the approval of the Coalition¿s annual programme of work and budget.

The Secretariat of the ILC is hosted by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), one of the ILC members, with headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Secretariat, headed by a Director, is responsible for the execution of the programme of work and budget. It reports to the CC. The Secretariat is organised into three clusters: (a) Network Coordination and Country-level Land Monitoring; (b) Global Policy and Technical Support; (c) Corporate Administrative and Planning Support. The ILC Director assumes direct supervision of coordinators of clusters and ensures overall coherence of the work of the Secretariat.

Purpose of the position

The Director of the ILC Secretariat is responsible for providing leadership to the CC in establishing the multi-year strategic framework and institutional policies and to manage the operations, programmes, and institutional relationships involved in achieving the mission of the ILC. The Director of the ILC Secretariat has major representational responsibilities and networking roles with senior policy makers at national, regional, and international levels. The Director of the ILC Secretariat reports directly to the CC.

The incumbent should have a demonstrated record in managing diverse and often conflicting views given the multi-stakeholder nature of the ILC and the political sensitivity of the issues involved. The incumbent will have strong skills in team building, promoting dialogue among diverse constituencies and facilitating consensus. He/she will bring practical experience in working at the interface of civil-society, intergovernmental and governmental organisations.

Duties and responsibilities

The Director of the ILC Secretariat is responsible to:

• Promote and preserve the vision and mission of the ILC among the members and other parties, to ensure common understanding and shared commitment to the goals of the Coalition.
• Lead the development and implementation of medium to long-term strategies for ILC's partnerships with intergovernmental, civil society and governmental organisations to create opportunities for collective action.
• Support and negotiate with the CC in meeting its governance responsibilities. Coordinate biennial reviews of the governance framework and organisational policies to identify additions/amendments required for the effective functioning of ILC.
• Provide, in collaboration with members, the CC and the AoM, leadership in the implementation of the Strategic Framework, the Operating Framework and Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
• Report annually on results achieved, and, based on lessons learned, recommend ways to strengthen the performance of ILC.
• Manage the operations of the Secretariat in accordance with the approved annual programme of work and budget, including the maintenance of agreements, practices, and systems for the effective and efficient administration and management of the ILC Secretariat within the host organisation.
• Motivate, coach and support staff of the Secretariat to create a cohesive team that works effectively to achieve the ILC goals and cost effectiveness goals. Manage staff performance and development.
• Mobilise resources, in accordance with the Resource Mobilisation Strategy, through direct secretariat initiatives and co-ordinated funding with member organisations for regional operations.
• Promote member-to-member collaboration, joint action, and replication of policies, practices, and lessons learned within the ILC network.
• Implement innovative concepts and tools to improve or re-orient programme and project design.
• Serve, together with the CC co-chairs, as one of the official spokespersons for the ILC.

Education and experience

• Advanced university degree in a relevant development field.
• Substantive experience of at least 12 years at an international level in development-related organisations in the area of poverty reduction, land issues and rights of poor men and women in developing countries.
• Proven record in leadership and strategic management in developing and implementing a multi-stakeholder strategic framework and regionalised programme of work. Experience of working with civil society organisations (CSOs).
• Proven managerial experience with a focus on people management.
• Demonstrated experience and commitment to resource mobilisation.

Technical/functional competencies

• Strategic thinking and organizational development: Proactively reviews and develops strategies to address evolving organisationalobjectives.Contributes to the development of a capacity for early response to emerging changesin the external environment. Demonstrates effective decision-making and use of resources at the corporate level. Fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement.Draws on diverse viewpoints to develop inclusive strategies
• Demonstrating Leadership: Leads through emotional intelligence: demonstrates empathy and maturity. Builds collaborative relationships and positive influence across the wider organisation. Clarifies direction and facilitates the process of change, focusing on results.Builds a powerful and rigorous case for change, inspiring others to embrace it.Motivates others to overcome obstacles to achieving results and effectingpositive change.
• Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating: Owns and drives personal growth and learning, while supporting others to do the same. Constructively challenges the status quo, continually looking for more effective ways of working. Fosters innovation by keeping alive the innovator's enthusiasm and emotional engagement. Contributes to an environment that is conducive to innovation and learning, and supports mobility assignments. Encourages controlled risk-taking and supports others to embrace failure as part of constructive growth. Rewards knowledge-sharing and ensures that knowledge is captured, recorded, and disseminated appropriately. Generates best practices and introduces it to the wider organization.
• Focusing on members: Promotes member and partner orientation and customer service excellence.Proactively and explicitly manages member and partner expectations. Looks for ways to improve service and add value beyond members' and partners' immediaterequests. Both demonstrates and recognises positive customer service attitudesand actions.Shares appropriate members' and partners' knowledge and information with the team tobuild excellence.
• Problem solving and decision making: Makes prompt, clear decisions which may include tough choices or considered risks. Utilises a variety of thinking techniques to analyse problems and create solutions.Consults and involves others in decisions that may directly affect or impact them. Elicits support for decisions at all levels, both internally and externally.Champions the equal voice of women and men in decision-making
• Managing time, resources, and information: Ensures the allocation of human and financial resources to deliver on corporatepriorities, including gender equality.Encourages others to achieve challenging goals.Liaises with others to identify changes to optimise the efficient use of resources.Applies systems thinking to internal processes to maximise the use of resources.Utilises data and information to identify new opportunities and to support widerbusiness decisions.
• Team Work: Identifies and builds on the unique talents and strengths of team members.Builds team spirit, fostering trust, loyalty, and engagement; exemplifies commitmentand a positive attitude. Encourages colleagues to share their perspectives and consider all views beforemaking decisions.Promotes integrity, mutual respect, cooperation, cohesion, collaboration, andcommitment within the team.Encourages understanding among colleagues and facilitates constructiveconflict resolution
• Communicating and negotiating: Adopts a communication style appropriate to the needs of others and the situation. Engages audiences confidently, commanding attention and enhancing credibility. Presents arguments and counter-arguments constructively. Acquires and selects from a wide range of influence styles and strategies. Conducts complex negotiations in a principled manner and finds sustainable compromises. Asserts self and resolves conflicts in diverse settings using a variety of modes
• Building relationships and partnerships: Forms and champions alliances, builds ethical coalitions, and networks to extend professional sphere of influence. Identifies and maintains contact with relevant stakeholders as part of business network. Proactively seeks opportunities to further develop network and establish beneficial partnerships. Builds and manages strategic partnerships and networks with country sector counterparts, governments, donors, private sector, and development partners. Promotes, facilitates and contributes to communities of practice
• Managing performance and developing staff: Supports staff to identify individual strengths and talents, matching them to the appropriate tasks. Creates opportunities for staff growth, learning, and development, and supports mobility assignments. Recognises and rewards individual and team success and proactively manages underperformance. Guides staff in the definition of the performance plan by identifying clear objectives and competencies. Monitors progress, regularly discusses performance, and provides constructive feedback and coaching. Demonstrates commitment to equal and fair opportunities for employment, career development, and learning.

Communication

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English including the ability to set out a coherent analysis in presentations. Working knowledge of French or Spanish is desirable.
• Strong diplomatic and communication skills and the ability to develop a close and effective relationship with members, partners, and other stakeholders.

Applications must be submitted on the IFAD website.