NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

We are seeking a dynamic and motivated individual with exceptional attention to detail, and skills in project management to join our award-winning team!
Practical Action is an international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world. For the past four years, Practical Action has been hosting and building the Global Distributors Collective (GDC): a collective of over 160 last-mile distribution companies that cumulatively reach millions of the poorest consumers in the world with beneficial products like solar lanterns, water filters and improved cookstoves.

The GDC provides a collective voice for distributors to ensure their priorities are heard; drives research and innovation across the sector; facilitates the exchange of information, insight, and expertise; and provides critical services that leverage economies of scale.

The GDC has recently finalised its 2022-25 strategy and will be focusing on six key areas for the next three years:
• Accelerating innovation, e.g., through our Innovation Challenges
• Building capacity, e.g., through information exchange, formal training for managers and agents, and mentoring programmes
• Helping members access products, suppliers, and services at affordable prices
• Helping members access finance and become investment-ready
• Undertaking market intelligence and research, e.g., by creating a performance benchmark for the last-mile distribution sector
• Engaging with members and advocating for their interests

As the GDC Project Manager you will play an important role in the GDC team, focused on overseeing one of the GDC’s flagship projects, a technical assistance facility that supports leading last-mile distribution companies to strengthen their businesses and increase their impact.

About You

You will be expected to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to multitask, work independently and adapt in a fast-paced environment. To succeed as the GDC Project Manager you should be creative, organised and self-motivated with a keen interest in the development sector.

Why join us?

Highly respected in the development world, Practical Action has been at the forefront of development thinking and practice for over 50 years. Our work regularly receives awards and recognition for innovation, collaboration and, most importantly, results – as measured by lasting change in people’s lives and livelihoods.
Put simply, to join Practical Action is to join one of the world’s most innovative and influential development teams. Go for it!