Director – REAP Consortium

About the role

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is recruiting a Director for the Rural Employment through Animal Feed production (REAP) program, a five-year multi-country initiative led by ILRI. REAP aims to give 1 million young people aged 18 to 35, 70% of whom are young women, access work in sustainable feed and livestock value chains across Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Morocco and Egypt. The Director leads the integrated consortium, holds partners accountable and reports to the Mastercard Foundation, based in Nairobi or Addis Ababa.

Key responsibilities

• Lead REAP as an integrated program across countries and partners, accountable for delivery against the approved theory of change, results framework, targets, budgets and timelines.
• Oversee annual and multi-year workplans, country coordination, staffing and delivery arrangements, and resolve implementation constraints.
• Hold accountability for program results and the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plan, ensuring credible measurement of youth in work and enterprise outcomes.
• Use evidence to guide strategic reviews, cross-country learning and timely adaptation of delivery models, staffing and interventions.
• Serve as the senior day-to-day contact with the Mastercard Foundation and lead programme reviews and governance discussions.
• Coordinate consortium partners, country leads and workstream leads, and lead recruitment, performance management and professional development of senior programme staff.
• Connect feed and livestock innovations with enterprise growth, market access and youth employment, integrating production, processing, supply systems, inclusive finance and policy.
• Oversee budgeting, procurement, fiduciary, safeguarding and compliance risks.

Required profile

• PhD or other advanced degree in agriculture, agribusiness, economics, development studies, market systems, public policy or a related field, with senior technical and program leadership experience.
• At least 15 years of progressively senior experience in development, agriculture, food systems, market systems, youth employment, enterprise development or inclusive finance.
• Substantial experience leading large, complex donor-funded programs across multiple countries and implementing partners.
• Experience leading senior, geographically dispersed teams and working with major donors, governments, private sector actors and research institutions.
• Experience as a Program Director, Chief of Party, Country Director or equivalent; significant experience in Africa; fluency in English; willingness to travel regularly across programme countries.

Required skills

• Program management, MEL and results frameworks.
• Agribusiness, agricultural value-chain development and large-scale youth employment programs.
• Inclusive finance, investment facilitation and government engagement.
• Working knowledge of French and/or Arabic is an advantage.

The position is at job level HG21, on a 3-year contract renewable subject to performance and funding, with an international salary and benefits including pension, medical and life insurance and allowances for education, housing, security, relocation and home leave. Applications with a cover letter, CV and three referees must be submitted by 25 November 2026.