Senior Governance Specialist

About the Organization

Connexus Corporation is an international development consulting firm that provides consulting services in the areas of agriculture, finance, and enterprise development. Connexus’ mission is to provide high quality global consulting services to transform international development and build local capacity. Connexus is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Position Description

Connexus is seeking a Senior Governance Specialist for the anticipated MCA Lesotho Horticulture Training, Gender, and Social Development (HTGSD) opportunity. The core objective of this initiative is to design and implement training and capacity building activities for smallholder farmers and emerging agribusinesses across the horticultural value chain, with a particular focus on the inclusion of women and youth. Falling under the Market-Driven Irrigated Horticulture (MDIH) Project, HTGSD seeks to improve the social, institutional, and business enabling environment for commercial horticulture production and to optimize the utilization of irrigation infrastructure investments.

As the Senior Governance Specialist, you will be tasked with helping to build the capacity of local government structures. The position will be based in Lesotho.

This position is contingent upon project award and approval by MCA Lesotho.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Design participant-driven methodologies and processes for the establishment of effectiveand sustainable scheme-level governance structures.
• Design governance structures necessary to successfully manage, operate, and maintain irrigation schemes – including farmer companies, cooperatives, farmer’s associations,water use associations, and scheme governance boards.
• Review the due diligence research to understand the factors that facilitate or underminethe scheme participants’ desire and ability to work together.
• Develop a work plan to provide ongoing capacity building and support to IFUs, WUAs, andscheme-level governance structures.
• Build institutional capacity for good governance, best practices, and corporate governance.
• Create collaborations between civil society and local government and the private sector.
• Build capacity for local structures to collect and analyze data.
• Build technical capacity around water management, contracting, and fiscal administration.
• Build capacity for local structures to plan and implement their own work plans with theprivate sector and local government agencies.
• Monitor data and assist in reporting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in community-led governance, participatory development or otherrelevant social science discipline required. Master’s degree in relevant social sciencediscipline preferred.
• Ten (10) years of experience designing and implementing community-led governance projects.
• Five (5) years of experience working in programming related to farmer’s associations in the context of irrigated, commercial agriculture.
• Five (5) years’ experience in project management at a strategic/managerial level.
• Experience in at least three projects integrating gender into community or project governance,
• Experience working in Lesotho required.
• Legally authorized to work in Lesotho.
• English (written and spoken) and Sesotho required.

Deadline: January 31, 2024

How to Apply

Interested candidates can send their resume and cover letter to careers@connexus.email with “Senior Governance Specialist - HTGSD” in the subject line. No phone calls please.