Cooperative Development Manager

The Cooperative Development Manager will serve as Land O'Lakes Venture37’s technical and cooperative development expert based in Beirut, Lebanon. This position will manage the entire CDP program in Lebanon, ensuring quality program implementation with direct reporting relationship to the Chief of Party. The primary role is to provide technical leadership (60%) and program management (40%) for the USAID-funded Cooperative Development Program operating in Lebanon.

The individual will have a role in contributing to the program objectives by working directly with cooperatives, building relationships with cooperatives, unions, apex organizations and other stakeholders, as well as managing parts of the program. He/she will liaise with other individuals on the project team, specifically the Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party based in the US. The individual also provides expertise on areas of cooperative financial management, business management, business plan development, producer group accounting and operations, governance, financial models and linkages/access to financial institutions and services. Program management duties such as report writing, event planning, procurement of supplies and services, and management of consultants is required.

Responsibilities include:

• Lead implementation of the Cooperative Development Program activities in Lebanon.
• Liaise and visit regularly with program partners, including cooperatives, government ministries, apex organizations and agencies and private businesses.
• Provide guidance to cooperatives through training and/or mentorship.
• Manage various parts of the program (e.g., create Lebanon work plan. oversee budget; track program activities and deliverables; produce donor reports; assist in coordinating M&E activities) as directed by the Deputy Chief of Party and Chief of Party.
• Manage staff and provide leadership, development opportunities, and training to the entire five person CDP Lebanon team.
• Provide oversight and direction to staff shared within the Venture37 Lebanon office including accountant, procurement and administrative assistant, communication and outreach specialist, and driver.
• Develop scopes of work for short-term technical assistance (STTA)/consultants and monitor their performance, review their deliverables for quality and completeness and ensure proper invoicing.
• Ensure the project is compliant with USAID rules and regulations (e.g., maintaining proper records and files, following procurement standards, etc.).
• Develop and maintain relationships with model cooperatives and their leadership.
• Organize and create local ownership of the Cooperative Learning Platform events.
• Liaise closely with the Directorate General of Cooperatives in Lebanon.
• Provide support to organize trips and events associated with the program, as necessary.
• Keep information and documents up to date on the project SharePoint site.
• Other duties as to be assigned to support the projects and/or the work of Land O’Lakes in Lebanon.

Reporting & Supervision:

• Supervised by the Chief of Party, based in the U.S. This position will oversee at least two positions.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business or in a related field or comparable years of experience in cooperative development.
• 7 years of experience working with USG-funded programs and cooperatives in Lebanon.
• Experience with agricultural value chains and enterprise development.
• Experience working with and building capacity of cooperative businesses and apex organizations.
• Experience managing relationships with local, regional, and government officials and agencies. 
• Experience overseeing a project of similar scope and scale to CDP.
• Experience managing and developing teams.
• Experience working on USAID-funded project preferred.
• Strong track record of being flexible and adaptable to program changes and needs.
• Ability to manage support staff and remotely liaise with Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party on program management and technical activities.
• Available to work evening and weekend hours when necessary to accomplish work successfully.
• Proven ability to work on cross-cultural teams across different global locations.
• Excellent English and Arabic language skills.