Category: Career

CERD is dedicated to supporting the sustainable development of rural communities with a strong focus on green economy, environmental protection and the promotion of various ecological production systems in agriculture. We believe that rural communities deserve special attention, which is why our motto reads: Rural is IN!

CERD is now searching for a committed, reliable, dynamic individual who is ready to take full leadership within our organization as a Program Director. We look forward to welcoming a new and motivated leader who is enthusiastic about sustainable and rural development, connections with nature, and has a strong sense for environmental protection and organic agriculture. Apply until February 14th, 2025 and compete for this unique job opportunity.

Location: Village Krnete, Laktaši, 25 kilometers from Banja Luka, transportation provided

Position Title: Program Director (senior position)

Classification: This is a negotiable full-time or part time position (with a three-month probation period). Flexible working arrangements are possible.

Language Requirements: Excellent command of written and spoken English and B/H/S

Supervisor: Executive Director during the initial stage with possible transitioning to independent top management position reporting directly to the highest governing body

Starting date: Preferably by the end of March 2025

Duration of engagement: The position is offered initially until the end of 2025, with a possible extension, subject to the availability of funding.

CERD in Brief:

The Center for Economic and Rural Development (CERD) is a developmental NGO based in the village of Krnete in the Laktaši municipality. CERD focuses on its beneficiaries, who rely on their work and aim to create value for future generations. By collaborating with other organizations active in rural areas, CERD creates a network of stakeholders and fosters synergy among them.

CERD collaborates with various stakeholder groups, including local rural groups (producer associations, cooperatives, women’s groups, youth organizations, small local NGOs, community associations), local authorities, and relevant policy and decision-making bodies as well as vast partners’ networks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Western Balkan region and Europe which are active in similar area of interest as our organization.

To better serve its primary target group, CERD relocated its headquarters from Banja Luka to the rural area in the village of Krnete, where it rehabilitated an old, abandoned school building and transformed it into its office and a modern Rural Educational Center. Surrounding this Center, CERD acquired and leased agricultural land to establish its organic (ecological) farm. This farm and the protected trademark brand Domestica®, owned by CERD, serve as platforms for local economic development in rural communities through capacity building and promoting organic agriculture. To pursue commercial activities and improve its sustainability prospects, CERD established a social enterprise called Marketing and Export Center (MEC d.o.o.).

Through its projects, CERD focuses on partnerships and networking with various stakeholders to represent the interests of the rural population and advocate for their rights. CERD is a founding member of the Rural Development Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The organization also collaborates with many similar organizations active in the rural development sector in the Western Balkans and Europe.

Context: 

The Program Director will have the authority to lead and oversee all of CERD’s activities and projects. Under the guidance of the Executive Director, the Program Director will assume overall responsibility for planning, executing, and overseeing the organization’s projects and initiatives. This includes coordinating with other cooperation units such as the financial and administration department and other implementation team members.

The Program Director will be responsible for ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with CERD’s strategic goals. The Program Director will manage and coordinate activities in multi-project environments, serve as a point of contact for donors, partners, and project staff, and establish and maintain effective communication and coordination structures for activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other targeted regions. The Program Director will also handle all project reporting, including Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and work on promoting the organization and its projects through social and other media channels.

Core Functions/Responsibilities:

• Assume overall leadership and management of CERD’s portfolio of projects, including planning, organizing, and implementing activities.
• Develop new project ideas, design projects, write proposals, and contribute to strategic planning.
• Develop strong working relationships with partners, beneficiaries, donors, and other stakeholders to ensure further development and that current projects achieve desired results.
• Conduct monitoring and evaluation, oversee data collection, and prepare narrative reports, communications materials, and other program documentation as per donors’ requirements.
• Represent CERD at various events and promote its activities among stakeholders through various channels and media outlets, including taking adequate photos and writing of articles and posts for web page, social media (FB, Instagram, Linkedin…).
• Establish coordination and communication with internal and external parties, including donors and partners, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and proper formatting in communication.
• Organize and conduct presentations and workshops on relevant subjects.
• Ensure gender equality is mainstreamed throughout all activities and project implementations.
• Manage the tendering process for procurement of goods and services according to donors’ requirements.
• Oversee project budgets, create budget proposals, and monitor the local and regional environment for updates that could impact CERD’s activities.
• Demonstrate commitment to CERD’s Core Values and engage in Domestica farm operations and maintenance as necessary.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of programmatic and administrative management experience, preferably on international donor-funded projects.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think creatively, work independently, and manage projects from remote locations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and social media platforms.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience.
• Excellent communication skills and verbal and written fluency in English.
• Working knowledge of rural development, environmental protection, and social issues is an advantage.

Interested candidates should send their CV and letter of interest (Motivation Letter) to: office@cerd.ba by February 14, 2025.

CERD is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer, promoting equality and challenging discrimination. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. Flexible working options are available, and CERD offers opportunities for networking, learning, and development.

CERD is dedicated to continuously support sustainable development of rural communities with strong focus on environment protection and promotion of various ecological production systems in agriculture. We believe that rural communities deserve a special attention and that’s way our moto reads: Rural is IN!

CERD is now searching for committed, reliable, dynamic individuals who wants to serve others by joining our organization (community) as a Project Manager/Coordinator.  We look forward to get a new and motivated team members who are enthusiastic about connections with nature and sustainable community development and have sense for environment protection and organic production.

Location: Village Krnete, Laktaši, 25 kilometers from Banja Luka, transportation provided

Position Title: Project Manager (senior position) or in some exceptional cases Project Coordinator (with less experience but with strong motivation to learn and develop and willingness for hard work)

Classification: This is full-time position of 5 working days, 40 hours per week (with three-month probation period). Flexible working arrangements are possible.

Language Requirements: Excellent command of written and spoken English

Supervisor: Executive Director

Starting date: Preferably May 1, 2022

Duration of engagement: The position is offered initially until the end of 2022 with a possible extension for another year upon successful completion of three-month probation period and is subject to the availability of funding.

CERD in Brief:

Center for Economic and Rural Development (CERD) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, established with an aim to support continuous development of rural areas and improvement of the quality of life of the rural women and men. CERD was officially registered in 2012 and has implemented more than 30 projects in agriculture and rural development sector. Expressed in figures, CERD has supported more than 5,000 people in over 60 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Through its projects, CERD focuses on partnership and networking with various stakeholders in order to represent interests of rural population and advocate for their rights and improved practices and policies in rural development sector. CERD is founding member of Rural Development Network in BiH and CERD also has very good relationship and cooperation with many similar organizations active in rural development sector in Western Balkan region and Europe.

We are focused on our final beneficiaries, who live from their work and who want to create value that can be passed on to future generations. Therefore, CERD works together with other organizations that are active in rural areas. In this way, a network of various stakeholders is created and a synergy between them formed, and all of it with the aim of more efficient utilization of resources and achieving better results, of transferring good practices from the European Union and other parts of the world.

In order to get closer to its principal target group, CERD decided to relocate its headquarters from Banja Luka town to rural area in Krnete village, near Laktaši, where a newly reconstructed and modern building serves as CERD’s office and Rural Education Center. Around this Center, CERD purchased and rented agricultural land and established its own organic (ecological) farm. This farm and protected trademark brand called Domestica® owned by CERD are platform for local economic development of targeted rural communities based on organic agriculture production and collaborative marketing. In order to pursue commercial activities and improve its sustainability prospects, CERD has established its own social enterprise called Marketing and Export Center (MEC d.o.o.). In the period of three years, CERD was publisher of the unique and the only domestic magazine for agriculture and rural development Agro PLANETA. Currently, CERD supports the foundation of a sustainable community on its Domestica® farm together with people who wants to give its contribution in creating a new and better society.

Context: 

The Project Manager, under the guidance of the Executive Director, will oversee all projects’ activities and coordinate with other related cooperation units including financial and administration department, the implementation team and colleagues from Domestica farm and Marketing and Export Center d.o.o.

S/he will be responsible for planning and executing projects activities to ensure that projects are on time and on budget. S/he will manage and coordinate activities in multi-projects environments and serve as a point of contact for donors, other partners and for the rest of the project staff. S/he establishes and maintains an excellent communication and coordination structure for the activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is responsible for all related project reporting, including Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). S/he will also work in promotion of organization and projects through social and other media channels.

Taking into account a special environment in which CERD operates (possessing Office Building with Rural Educational Center and belonging courtyard as well as Organic Domestica Farm with applied Biodynamic agriculture principles) we look forward to get a new team member who likes rural environment and nature beauties, organic production and ecology and is willing to commit some of its working time for organic gardening as well as for care and development of our common place. Depending on the interests and willingness it is possible to develop stronger connections and working relationship with Domestica® sustainable community.

Core Functions/Responsibilities:

• Assume responsibility and ownership of the overall management for portfolio of projects, including planning, organizing and implementing projects’ activities. Potential duties may include organizing events and liaising with event invitees, speakers, trainers, and participants; collaborating with other project staff and partners; providing support to and oversight of small-scale projects funded by CERD and implementing by CERD’s members’ organizations, and other responsibilities.
• Conduct monitoring; Oversee and take upon yourself data collection for narrative, monitoring and evaluation reporting; and Prepare projects narrative reports, communications materials, and other program documentation as per donors’ stipulations.
• Develop strong working relationships with partners, beneficiaries, other donor organizations and other relevant stakeholders to ensure projects are well-targeted and achieving the desired results.
• Establish successful coordination and prompt and efficient communication with third parties outside the organization, including donors’ representatives as well as with other project and finance & administrative staff within the organization. Special attention should be given to accuracy, clarity and proper text formatting in written communication.
• Carry out PR activities, serve as the point of contact for projects and represent projects at various events when necessary. Promote projects’ activities and overall organization among stakeholders (members, partners, public and private sector) through various channels and media outlets. Produce content and communication materials for media, including taking adequate photos and writing of articles and posts for web page, social media (FB, Instagram, Twitter…) and other promotional medial channels.
• Organize and independently conduct presentations and educational workshops in relevant subjects.
• Ensure Gender Equality is mainstreamed throughout all activities and projects implementation.
• Facilitate translation of project materials and events as necessary.
• Manage and handle the entire tendering process for all procurement of goods and services in accordance with donors’ requirements.
• Oversee projects costs and manage project budgets, including creation of budget for certain project activities and budget proposals for new projects
• Monitor local and regional environment in regard to nature protection, organic production, green economy, rural and local economic development and other related subjects and provide updates on current events, trends, legal changes, and other information that could impact organization and projects activities in country to the Executive Director and other project staff as necessary.
• Develop new project ideas (desirable creativity and innovativeness in development of new ideas), monitor CfP, design projects and write project proposals for various donors (EU, USAID, embassies and other development agencies and organizations.)
• Participate and contribute in strategic planning for organization and its social enterprise.
• Demonstrate commitment to upholding CERD’s Core Values.
• Readiness for certain level of engagement at Domestica farm operations and for regular care and maintenance of CERD’s building and location is desirable.
• As CERD’s project funding is rather flexible and adaptive, the jobholder will be expected to adapt quickly and take on new areas of work as required and assume other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of programmatic and administrative management experience, preferably working on international donor-funded projects. In exceptional cases, it is possible to consider an applicant with less experience but with demonstrated high motivation and willingness for fast personal development and hardworking attitude.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability for problem solving.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to network and work collaboratively with others.
• Ability to think creatively and take a proactive role in achieving team objectives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency use of Microsoft Office and common online and social media platforms.
• Must be a self-starter, self-reliant, resourceful, good problem-solver, good humored, and flexible.
• Flexibility and ability to learn quickly.
• A working understanding of grant management and related international donors’ rules.
• Ability to work independently, efficiently, and reliably from a remote location, making sure that quality maintains high standards and is provided according to strict deadlines.
• Strong managerial skills to coordinate project activities from a remote location; ability to independently travel within the country and abroad to provide face-to-face oversight when necessary and to participate in various events.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse staff.
• Bachelor degree in relevant field or equivalent standard of education or demonstrated intensive experience.
• Verbal and written fluency in English required.
• Working knowledge of the broader rural development environment and environmental protection sector and social issues is advantage.

The CERD is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organizational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. CERD supports flexible working options including working from home for part of the working week, and there is some flexibility in working hours. CERD will provide opportunities for networking, learning and development.

Interested candidates should send their CV and letter of interest (motivation letter) to: office@cerd.ba till April 15, 2022.