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About Greenpeace Africa

Greenpeace Africa works in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal. These countries face urgent environmental challenges that affect the entire continent, including climate change, over-fishing and rainforest destruction. Since the office was established in 2008, Greenpeace Africa has realised major campaign achievements in these priority areas, and recently launched its sustainable farming campaign, ‘Food for Life’ in East Africa, as well as expanded the forest campaign to include Cameroon.

Greenpeace Africa works with local organisations as their partners to let African voices be heard and African ideas be understood. By finding and assisting African experts and leaders, the organisation strives to establish real, sustainable solutions for the entire planet and a greener future for the continent.

About the role

The executive director, who will be reporting to the Board of Directors, is responsible for the successful leadership and management of the organisation according to the strategic direction set by the Board.

Key Performance Areas

Leadership and Culture:

• Act as a change agent and provide leadership towards Greenpeace’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.*
• Provide direction and leadership for the growth and management of the organisation’s overall strategy, operations and communications towards Greenpeace Africa’s mission and vision.
• Oversee, cultivate, and promote the brand image, values and culture of Greenpeace Africa by consistently representing the organisation to internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure alignment of Greenpeace’s mission, vision, and values with departmental objectives, ensuring all management, staff and volunteers have a shared vision and goals, supported by the competency and motivation to achieve them.
• Demonstrate an understanding of Africa’s unique social, economic, and environmental issues relevant to the Greenpeace agenda in Africa.
• Ensure the execution of effective and seamless change management processes.
• Demonstrate a collaborative leadership style towards employees and all stakeholders.
• Mentor and grow leadership from within.

*Greenpeace’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion challenges the systems of power and privilege that destroy the environment and place disproportionate, burdens on vulnerable communities. Diversity is essential to life on the planet and success in the organisation. Greenpeace Africa welcomes, values and relies on a diversity of people, cultural experiences and perspectives to learn from one another. Through campaigning, Greenpeace creates solutions that promote environmental sustainability rooted in social justice. Greenpeace offers a number of opportunities for employment. While passion for protecting the environment is a key requirement for getting a job with Greenpeace, the office seeks diverse people with solid work experience for all departments of the organisation.

Strategy:

• Establish the direction and objectives for Greenpeace Africa policies and programmes, while contributing collaboratively to the overall achievement of strategic objectives of Global Greenpeace.
• Direct, oversee, and ensure the implementation of the Board’s directives and facilitate communication between the Board and Greenpeace Africa towards strategic objectives.
• Lead and ensure creative and innovative campaigns that are solution-oriented and locally-relevant.

Communications, Relations, Advocacy:

• Advance the work of Greenpeace Africa to drive independent and collaborative global campaigns, advocacy, and outreach to the public, government, and other international organisations.
• Develop effective relationships and collaborative partnerships with external and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain trusting relationships and work closely with Greenpeace globally, direct reports across various functional areas – Programs, Finance, Fundraising, Engagement, and create a cohesive team across the organisation (move to Operations).
• Communicate in a manner that demonstrates commitment and conviction, inspiring and empowering audiences to take action.
• Engage and mobilise government with the ability to present complex issues with clarity, supported by a demonstrated understanding of the policy process.
• Represent the organisation in all functional areas and creative and innovative campaigns that are solution-oriented and locally relevant.
• Fluency or a working knowledge in another language is advantageous (i.e. French, Portuguese).

Operations:

• Manage direct reports and the SMT.
• Oversee the planning, implementation, management, and evaluation of all aspects of Greenpeace Africa programmes in alignment with the organisational strategy, policies, procedures and relevant laws.
• Work with Senior Management Team (SMT) to develop results-driven strategies for all departments.
• Oversee coordination of all Greenpeace Africa departments with SMT, ensuring staff are competent and motivated to achieve departmental objectives.
• Implement a people strategy that motivates staff to achieve their full potential, while attracting and retaining high performing staff.

Innovation and Collaboration:

• Challenge the status quo with ‘out-of-the-box’ solutions.
• Promote and encourage staff to create and share new ideas.

Competencies

Systems thinking:

• Demonstrates leadership and courage in making tough or unpopular decisions.
• Creates an environment of accountability and responsibility for smart decision making across all functions of the organisation.

Strategic adaptability:

• Seeks opportunities for change in order to achieve improvement in work processes, systems, etc.

Strategic insight:

• Identifies funding /revenue/ opportunities to action ideas.
• Is able to articulate strategy to a wide audience.

Sets the pace:

• Seizes new opportunities to create growth.
• Creates a highly energising and inspiring organisational climate across divisions and regional offices which stimulates innovative thinking and striving for continuous improvement.

Direct action:

• Identifies strategies based on Greenpeace goals and objectives and ensures alignment.
• Creates a performance culture of ownership and standards of excellence across the organisation.

Displays and drives purpose:

• Is continuously self-motivated and influences team to retain self-motivation under difficult circumstances to achieve objectives.
• Exhibits a work ethic of focus and drive which transforms others to continuously display persistence and energy in achieving results.

Communicate relentlessly:

• Is capable of communicating to diverse audiences.
• Effectively influences outcomes, sells the benefits of the position they are proposing, and negotiates to find solutions that the majority will accept.

Develop talent growth:

• Sets clear goals and standards, ensures shared expertise and ownership of these.
• Ensures individual contributions are maximised and instils a culture of talent development/people growth.

Passion for stakeholder service:

• Cultivates a deep, proactive understanding of stakeholder requirements.
• Develops networks and partnerships with key governments, business, civil society and suppliers which have an impact on Greenpeace success.

Enables achievement and develops expertise:

• Sets and agrees challenging performance objectives at an individual and team level across departments and country offices.
• Creates empowerment in people to immediately address performance gaps.

Creates team synergy:

• Able to stimulate cross functional teamwork and understanding of team roles at all levels.
• Creates high synergy between teams in the organisation and external teams comprising of stakeholders / other parties.

Leverage own potential:

• Does not fear to receive feedback or to be questioned by others.
• Creates and retains enthusiasm and continues commitment at all levels in the organisation to properly leverage their potential at all times.

Personal energy:

• Continuously facilitates discussions across organisational functions to acquire feedback to stimulate own growth.

Resilience:

• Ensures strategic focus is maintained in self and others despite obstacles/challenges.
• Stays the course in the face of adversity while ensuring the motivation and commitment of others.

Instil the values:

• Models the organisational values in a way that instils value leadership in the organisation.