Senior Director of Innovation and Program Design

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive Innovation strategy for program design and innovation that aligns with Village Enterprise’s mission and goals.
• Lead the creation and refinement of programmatic models that address the root causes of poverty and promote economic development.
• Train and support other Village Enterprise Directors and staff to implement the innovation process
• Foster a culture of innovation within the organization, encouraging the exploration and adoption of new ideas and approaches.
• Build external partnerships with academia, program labs, and the industry at large to accelerate new material and process developments to scale programs.
• Actively seek opportunities to share learnings and advance Village Enterprise as a thought leader, through blogs, case studies, and public speaking engagements
• Lead a team of direct reports and design units to successfully develop, test, and lead the innovations pipeline. 

Innovations and Scalability

• Build on existing use of Human Centered Design and Lean Impact at Village Enterprise to formalize, iterate, and lead a comprehensive and well-documented innovation process outlining our approach to program design and testing that aligns with Village Enterprise’s mission and strategy and facilitates disruptive innovation.
• Lead innovation of scaleable programmatic models and adaptations that address root causes of poverty and promote economic development. This includes a strategic focus on rigorous and organized ideation, prioritization and pipelining, and testing and iteration.
• Support teams across Village Enterprise aiming to apply the innovation process within their own departments

Program Adaptation and Iterations

• Collaborate across teams to integrate innovative solutions into existing programs and create new program frameworks.
• Ensure programs are scalable and adaptable across diverse geographic and socio-economic contexts.

Research and Learning

• Monitor industry research findings to identify emerging trends, best practices, and innovative approaches in poverty alleviation and economic development.
• Oversee high quality lean testing and piloting of potential solutions
• Monitor the implementation of lean test and pilots
• Collaborate with the research department to rigorously test solutions as needed and appropriate
• Utilize data and insights to inform program design and drive continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Development

• Cultivate and manage relationships with key stakeholders, such as donors, partners, government agencies, and other NGOs as needed to successfully execute Village Enterprise’s design and innovation agenda.
• Represent Village Enterprise in external forums, conferences, and meetings to advocate for our innovative approaches.
• Collaborate with the development team to support efforts that secure funding and resources for Village Enterprise as needed.

Safeguarding

• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility at VE, and it begins with me
• Ensure compliance with VE’s safeguarding policies.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

Strategic Leadership

• Strategy Implementation: Formalize, iterate, and execute a program design and innovation strategy with clear goals, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
• Milestone Achievement: Achieve strategic milestones within set timelines, demonstrating progress in developing scalable innovations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Support other team leads aiming to implement the innovations process within their own team.

Innovation and Management

• Innovation Pipeline Management: Oversee the entire lifecycle of innovations, from ideation to piloting, iteration, and finalization.
• Pilot Implementation: Ensure high-quality, fidelity-aligned implementation of lean tests and pilots, validating assumptions and hypotheses.
• Data-Driven Design: Utilize data and proven methodologies to design programs and innovations aimed at achieving desired outcomes.
• Feasibility Testing: Develop and pilot innovations to assess feasibility and effectiveness before scaling.
• Iterative Improvement: Continuously refine and improve designs based on feedback, performance data, and evolving needs.

Stakeholder and Partnership Development

• Strategic Partnerships: Establish and maintain new strategic partnerships annually, contributing to innovation resources, or expertise.
• Funding Collaboration: Collaborate with the development team to secure funding for Village Enterprise. 

Education and Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, Development Economics, Social Innovation, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in program design, development, and innovation within the development sector.
•  Proven track record of leading innovations that can be scaled.
• Strong understanding of poverty alleviation, economic development, and micro-entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities

Interested and qualified candidates who meet the set criteria are invited to submit their resume, a cover letter detailing their experience online.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Please do not contact Village Enterprise to enquire about the status of your application, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Village Enterprise is an equal opportunity employer

• Insurance
• Pension