Daphine Gitonga

Vacancy Announcement No.: AAS/ED/22/01
Position Title: Executive Director
Department Executive Director’s Office
Position Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Reporting to President AAS
Organization African Academy of Sciences
Duration: 3 years Renewable
Closing date: 5 th August 2022

Organisation Overview
The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a non-aligned, non-political, not-for-profit pan African organisation headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, whose vision is to see transformed lives on the African continent through science. Its tripartite mandate is recognising excellence through the AAS’ highly prestigious fellowship and award schemes, providing advisory and think tank functions for shaping Africa’s Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) strategies and policies and implementing key STI programmes addressing Africa’s developmental challenges. The current strategy for the AAS focuses on five strategic focus areas: Environment and climate change, health and wellbeing, natural sciences, policy and governance and social sciences and humanities. The AAS’s mission is to shift the centre of gravity for African science to Africa through agenda setting, mobilising Research & Development (R&D) funding, and managing continent-wide Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) programmes.

Position Overview
The Executive Director will provide leadership and strategic direction of AAS’s programs to achieve the Academy’s vision, mission and objectives. The Executive Director works under the guidance of the Governing Council. The position is responsible for the programmatic and operational management of the organisation. The incumbent will sustainably drive the mandate of AAS through the secretariat team. The incumbent may be called upon to represent the Academy in some interactions with external key stakeholders.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities
1. Strategic Management and Leadership

Under the supervision of the Governing council, the ED shall:
• Lead the development and implementation of the overall AAS strategy.
• Develop the annual business plans and performance targets that are aligned to AAS goals;
• Work with the Governing Council to develop sustainable strategies and policies for the AAS.
• Lead the engagement with all stakeholders to sustain the AAS vision.
• Lead the management team in realising the AAS vision for the overall programmes agenda.
• Implement policy direction by capacitating the AAS to become Africa’s strategic advisory body and think tank.
• Shape strategies and policies by implementing key science, technology and innovation programmes.
• Provide oversight to all finance and administrative services to ensure compliance with organisation financial, grants, contracts and donor requirements.
• Lead the team in designing policies that contribute to creating an environment where partnerships can thrive and ensure AAS has an effective framework for creating and maintaining relationships.

2. Programmatic Management:
Under the oversight of the Governing Council, the ED shall:
• Provide management and financial oversight of all programmes activities, training and technical assistance.
• Supervise the implementation of all Programme activities; ensuring that performance schedules are observed, and outputs are completed and delivered according to schedule and within budget;
• Present requests for the approval of new programmes and report regularly on the progress of on-going programmes to the Governing Council;
• Work in liaison with the various stakeholders to ensure that programmes and activities approved by the Governing Council are appropriately implemented;
• Mobilise funds for the Academy; This includes engaging with African governments, International governments, philanthropists and donors through AAS’s fundraising efforts to drive the agenda of the Academy;
• Keep abreast of the trends within the donor environment to ensure funding diversification initiatives both locally and internationally to strengthen program funding and organisation stability
• Provide regular reports to the Governing Council on programmes, funding, operations and activities.
• Foster a learning environment among the team members to encourage innovation and sharing of ideas.
• Ensure appropriate training and capacity building activities for program staff members to support high-quality program implementation.

3. Sustainability and Membership Recruitment:

Under the oversight of the Governing Council, the ED shall:
• Coordinate AAS Fellows and affiliates’ recruitment, nomination, evaluation, and induction procedures.
• Build a strong global advocacy strategy for the Academy to ensure its visibility and credibility.
• Work to secure long-term commitments from our global partners.
• Participate in international meetings, make strategic visits to key stakeholders and show continued interest in those that contact the Academy;
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with key policy decision-makers within donors, partners, governments, and other relevant regional and international bodies to secure AAS’s ability to influence policy decisions favouring its strategic agenda.
• Serve as the principal liaison officer for the Academy and keep in contact with the
scientific community and donor agencies.

4. Academy Administration
• Ensure that the academy accounts are audited annually;
• Oversee the management of human resources within the AAS.
• Maintain oversight on developing and implementing management information systems.
• Develop a risk management framework that must be adhered to when approved by the Governing Council.
• Provide management leadership in staff supervision, performance appraisals, hiring and mentoring employees to ensure quality and retention of core program staff.

5. Qualifications and Attributes
The successful candidate should have the following qualifications and attributes:
• Degree from a recognised university.
• A relevant Masters, MBA or PhD.
• An established record and history of leading, building and managing a successful organisation or institution.
• The ability to raise funds and build sustainably beneficial networks with governments, major scientific communities, the private sector, institutions of higher learning and relevant NGO/Foundation.
• Ability to build a self-sustaining Academy.
• Excellent managerial and leadership skills.
• At least 5 years’ experience in a senior leadership role.

Application Process
• All applicants must submit a filled application form from the AAS website
http://aasciences.ac.ke/silo/files/aas-job-application-form2.doc curriculum vitae/resume, and a cover letter submitted by email to recruitment@aasciences.africa  with the Position and Vacancy Number as the Subject no later than 5th August 2022 on or before 1700hrs. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted