Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, November 25, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Employer: The Recreation Project
Industry: NGO/Youth Development and Education/Social Enterprise development
Function: Organizational Leadership
Job Title: Chief Adventure Officer
Position Type: Full time
Duration: 2-year contract (3-month probation) with potential to extend based on performance
Reports to: Managing Director and Board
Location: Full-time based in Gulu, Uganda with some travel to Kampala and the US expected
Remuneration: This position will offer a competitive package. Position is budgeted for $15,000-
$20,000 annually for gross package (including taxes, NSSF contributions, health care, and housing).
The particulars of the package can be negotiated. This position is not open to non-East Africans.

Organization Overview: The Recreation Project’s mission is to prepare young people to thrive through outdoor adventure and transformative play. TRP is based in Gulu on a 5 acre outdoor adventure center. The Recreation Project is a social enterprise that offers transformative outdoor adventure experiences to paying clients in order to subsidize free transformative outdoor adventure experiences for children and youth in Northern Uganda. TRP delivers play and adventure based programming to children and youth and their families in order to build resilience and positive relationships that prepare young people to overcome adversity. The Recreation Project is small by mighty. We reach over 500 youth each year and run our social enterprise on a budget of about 100,000 USD per year. We are youth-led and hold the vision and input of our team and community in the highest regard. We value play and adventure because we know that through experiences that put outside of our comfort zone, we learn.

Job Description:
• The Recreation Project is hiring a leadership level position to manage the program operations as well as oversee the expansion and growth of The Recreation Project’s social enterprise offerings and revenue.
• The director will be taking on many of the day to day responsibilities of the Managing Director as the
• Managing Director transitions to the United States to focus on strategy and fundraising. The director and Managing Director will operate in many ways as co-leaders. After a period of transition, the director will have ownership and autonomy over the programs, business, team leadership, and growth and development of the organization.
• General Responsibilities 20%
• Strategy and Leadership
• Work closely with the board and the Managing Director to lead the implementation of a two year strategic plan and lead the development of the next strategic plan.
• This role above all is a manager of people. The individual will need to be a highly effective manager and supervisor, leading with kindness, compassion, and demonstrating servant leadership. TRP’s team is young and always learning. The director needs to be a teacher and supervisor, working side by side with their department heads to ensure that TRP’s systems, programs, and teams thrive.
• Responsible for developing and managing a team culture and values that supersedes any individual at the organization.
• Financial oversight
• Responsible for developing and managing to the annual budget of the organization and overseeing the safe and appropriate use of TRP funds, including serving as primary signatory of the TRP bank account.
• Supervise the Finance and Admin Assistant.

• Community Program Development 40%
• Goal: Oversee The Recreation Project’s transformational outdoor adventure and play programming for children and youth to reach 500 youth per year with impact.
• Responsible for overseeing the safe, effective, and impactful delivery of programming for children and youth (Climbing Club, Remand Home, Primary School Program).
• Manage Programs team of 2 full-time managers, 2 full-time lead facilitators, and 8 part-time facilitators.
• Manage M&E Manager to ensure that feedback loops from information and data collected feed directly into program adaptations.

• Social Enterprise and Business Development 40%:
• Goal: Grow The Recreation Project’s business offerings of transformational outdoor adventure programming to paying clients to generate 50% of annual revenue in Uganda.
• Responsible for growing TRP revenue generated in Uganda by 50% in the first year of employment.
• Build and manage a team for effective delivery of safe and quality services to paying clients.
• Supervise the Maintenance Manager.
• Responsible for strategically testing new products and improving existing products in a cost effective manner in order to grow TRP revenue and offerings including adding new high elements, catering options, days of operation, tourism, etc.

About You:
• The Recreation Project is not your average NGO and this is not your average leadership role. Here is a little about who we hope you are:
• You are young (or young at heart!). You believe that young people are the future and are passionate about equipping young people with the skills that they need to thrive.
• You are an empowering leader. You are highly invested in the development of the people you manage. You believe the best in your team. You have experience developing systems and tools that give your team the autonomy and structure that they need to perform well.
• You are active. Maybe you played sports competitively growing up or maybe you have a new found interest in getting outside and enjoying nature. You personally have an appreciation for how meaningful sport, play, and adventure can be in the development of people of all ages.
• You are cut from a different cloth. You don’t always fit in at an office where you have to wear a tie or a suit and sit at a computer all day. You love using your imagination and trying new things.
• You are a pragmatic visionary. You dream big dreams for your team. You see a future for The
• Recreation Project that includes impactful and dynamic programming at scale. But you are good at working within the realities around you. You can manage an energetic team to a tight budget. You can say no when you need to.

Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field (business, community development, economics, tourism, etc.)
• 6-10 years of experience in development or social enterprise sectors, at least 3 years of experience managing teams of more than 3 people. Experience in outdoor adventure or sport for development work highly preferred.
• Should be well versed in Google Admin Suite (Google sheets, mail, docs, calendar, etc.) and familiarity with Quickbooks and M&E best practices is a plus.
• Experience in tourism or private sector business development preferred.
• Knowledge of or experience working in trauma-informed care, psychosocial support, mental health services, etc.

Education Requirement: No Requirements

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Job application procedure
Interested candidates who meet the desired qualifications should complete this Google form. Your application WILL NOT be reviewed until you complete the google form. Upon completing the Google form please send a CV and cover letter to careers@therecreationproject.org.  Please explain in your cover letter why our work and this position is specifically interesting to you. If you do not reference the organization and the role specifically your cover letter you will not be shortlisted.

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