Apply to become a YPARD Steering Committee Member for Africa!

Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) is a network with a reach of over 30 000 young professionals with 60 chapters across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America run by and for young professionals. Are you an active YPARD member under the age of 35? Do you seek to network with other like minded young professionals and bring your strategic skills to the global level of YPARD? Then you should serve on the YPARD Steering Committee.

YPARD is seeking an African representative for the YPARD Steering Committee (SC), contributing strategic direction and advice to guide YPARD's trajectory. The YPARD SC hereby invites members of the YPARD Africa network to express interest in becoming a Steering Committee Member.

As a member of the YPARD SC, your work serves to position the organization globally and care for our future development. The YPARD SC works in close coordination with the YPARD Director, who is an ex-officio member of the YPARD SC. Members of the YPARD SC are volunteers, and a commitment of 8 hours/month is required. The standard term of a YPARD SC member is three years.

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Roles and responsibilities 

The YPARD Steering Committee has the following roles and responsibilities:  

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• Provide direction in the development and oversee the implementation of YPARD strategies, programmes and activities in coordination with the YPARD Director, and in consultation with the YPARD Global Coordinating Unit and Regional Coordinators
• Approve the YPARD Annual Workplan and Budget 
• Initiates consultation poll among YPARD members on issues which the SC deems important 
• Constitute Task Forces or Working Groups on special activities as deemed necessary, 
• Review and approve the persons nominated as YPARD Regional Focal Points
• Ensure that there is adequate and appropriate monitoring of YPARD activities
• Reviews progress made and provide recommendations for improvement and follow-up
• The Committee members act in their personal capacity, but are expected to bring in the perspective of their stakeholder group and region. 
• Members will interact electronically on a regular basis, usually during a 2-hour meeting once per month, and dependent upon YPARD funding will meet face-to-face at least once a year.  
• The Committee members will serve with no remuneration, but costs of participating in face-to-face committee meetings will be borne by YPARD whenever possible.   

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Eligibility Requirements

• Be under 35 years of age;
• Be a member of YPARD and actively engaged;
• Have a connection to agriculture and food activities through your profession and/or personal connections;
• Strategic engagement in food and agriculture systems with the ability to think critically about the positioning of a global young professionals organization;
• Identify with the vision, mission, objectives and values of YPARD;
• Fluency in both written and spoken English;
• A reliable internet connection for monthly online meetings;
• Willingness to accommodate meetings which are scheduled across all time zones (ie: evening or early-morning meetings, depending on your time zone);
• Have the desire to forge friendships and professional relationships which will last a lifetime.

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Preferred Qualifications

• Education in agriculture and food systems;
• Connections to regional and/or global organizations active in food and agriculture;
• Experience in agricultural development, community mobilization, and/or international cooperation;
• Experience in the practicalities of running a global non-profit organization.

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Selection Process

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview in June with the YPARD SC, through which SC members will be selected.

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The YPARD SC has a minimum of five and a maximum of nine members, through which regional and gender balance should be reflected. Through this invitation-only recruitment, at least two SC members will be selected. Furthermore, at least one SC member representing the Asia-Pacific region and one SC member representing the region Africa will be selected. The selected candidates will also maintain the gender balance of the YPARD SC. 

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Benefits of becoming a member of the YPARD SC

You will have the opportunity to build your skills in leading a global organization, building engagement amongst members of a global community. This opportunity can help you further your career as you will have the chance to more deeply network with individuals working in food systems and agriculture from every part of the world– and the organizations which they work for and volunteer with, through your representative role of YPARD. Moreover, you will be able to create your own initiatives and project ideas in collaboration with other young professionals.

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Ready to apply? We can't wait to hear from you!

Send in your applications with your CV and a short paragraph on why you want to be a YPARD Steering Committee Member to Genna Tesdall, Director, at genna.tesdall@ypard.net by 18th August, 2024.

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