Location: Pongola (Zululand) and Mbazwana (uMkhanyakude), northern KwaZulu-Natal
Type of employment: Fixed-term contract

We are a small - but growing - team of highly committed, experienced and resilient community development workers who bring a big 'can do' attitude. We are as comfortable meeting with funders to talk about the learning, challenges and successes of our programmes as we are with rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty. We value team-work and sharing the load, but we also each lead on, and take responsibility for, our own area of work. We treat others - colleagues, participants in our programmes, community leaders - with respect. Our work is responsive and developmental, and draws on learning and research from others working in our field.

Role:

As Programmes Lead, you will oversee the implementation of Lulamaphiko’s ECD, early literacy and food gardens/nutrition programmes in the two communities of uPhongolo and uMhlabuyalingana, and contribute to the growth and expansion of this work.

This is a new senior position in the organisation and requires a close working relationship with the Executive Director and Finance Administrator, as well as with the Team Leaders working in the field. The Programmes Lead will need to be a multi-tasker who can hold the vision, values and goals of the organisation, while responding to the complexities and challenges of community development.

Qualifications and experience  

• 3-5 years’ experience in a Programme/Project management role, managing teams and a range of projects in a development setting (NGOs, under-resourced communities, civil society).
• 2-3 years' experience in training trainers and facilitators in community settings.
• An honours degree/postgraduate qualification – in Development, Early Childhood Development, Adult Education.  Training and experience in Agroecology/Permaculture/Sustainable Agriculture will be an advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (in English and preferably isiZulu).
• Proficient in Microsoft Office skills (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), OneDrive and Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Slides).
• Unendorsed driver’s licence.

Skills and attributes     

• Proactive, takes responsibility for delivering high-quality results and encouraging this in others.
• Adaptable and able to bring relevant ideas and solutions in the face of change, demonstrates good judgement and inspires hope and confidence.
• Builds effective teams, encouraging collegiality, and work across the organisation.
• Communicates clearly to grow understanding, trust and common ground.
• Facilitates the growth and development of self and others, encouraging learning from experience and through constructive feedback.
• Creates an environment that fosters effective and efficient work processes.

Ideally the successful candidate will be based in northern KZN.  As this role requires regular work and travel in uPhongolo and uMhlabuyalingana, and some travel to the head office in eThekwini, having your own vehicle will be an advantage.

Shortlisted candidates will need to show that they have the required clearance in terms of DSD’s National Child Protection Register.