Country Director

CR319

Our client is the leading UK charity working to create a better world for children

The Country Director is a member of the regional leadership team of the International Operations Region in which the country programme is based.

To maximise the impact on realising the rights of vulnerable children, and to contribute to the global impact, the purpose of the role is to lead the strategic development and delivery of theprogramme of work in DRC. This includes representation with government and donors, management of all teams and control of financial and other resources.

1.        Programme Development and Delivery: To strategically develop and manage the portfolio of programme activities in the country, to maximise impact for children, working both directly and with other Alliance members. This will include:
•        Preparing for and securing rapid and effective responses to major emergencies affecting children in the country
•        Reviewing and evolving the thematic portfolio in the country to maximise the impact in achieving longer term objectives in the country
•        Leading work to review and update the programme strategy in the country, and shape effective thematic plans, in line with the changing needs of children and global objectives and approaches
•        Ensuring learning by the country programme from relevant best practice internally and externally, securing and monitoring implementation of relevant programme approaches and standards, and assessing performance regularly against agreed programme objectives and indicators
•        Ensuring that the programme is appropriately accountable to children and the host government in the country, and comply with all relevant laws
•        Identifying and effectively managing all key risks related to delivering the country programme and its impact

2.        Managing & Developing Staff & Teams: To lead and develop a cross-functional senior management team at country level (including expertise in programmes, policy and advocacy, finance and HR) to build the capacity of these senior managers and their teams to achieve our full potential. This will include:
•        Building a strong team of senior managers in the country programme, guiding their development, planning succession, and taking prompt action to address issues of underperformance
•        Guiding senior managers in building effective teams, ensuring new members of the team receive appropriate training in approaches and standards, and their performance is managed effectively.
•        Facilitating effective contact and working relationships between senior managers in the country programme and relevant contacts in the regional office and in head office.
•        Ensuring working methods in the country programme are as safe as practicable, securing and monitoring implementation of the staff security and child protection policies and processes
•        Promoting opportunities for senior staff in the programme (especially national staff) to develop their skills, widen their international perspectives, and progress into international positions.

3.        External Profile: To build external profile and influence in the country. This will include:
•        Building effective working relationships with relevant decision makers in government, national/local organisations, donors and key international organisations affecting the realisation of children’s rights in the country
•        Planning and personally leading activities to deliver outcomes on top priority advocacy issues for the country programme, including media profile where appropriate
•        Developing close links with key donors with shared interests in the country, to understand and influence their changing interests and priorities, develop appropriate strategic proposals, and build income from them

4.        Raising and Managing Funds: To mobilise resources to support planned work, and to make best use of resources available to maximise impact for children. This will include:
•        Leading the country programme in marketing its current and planned programme activities in ways which are attractive to institutional and individual donors (locally, internationally, and in UK), vetting major donor proposals and contracts, and ensuring timely reporting back to all types of donors
•        Allocating resources within the country programme to maximise longer term impact for children and maintain tight control of country core costs
•        Ensuring the efficient and proper use of funds and assets, securing and monitoring implementation of the policies and processes for financial control and reporting, and taking prompt action to tackle variances and control gaps

5.        Contribution to Global Objectives: To contribute to organisational learning and the achievement of the wider objectives of the organisation. This will include:
•        Promoting the sharing of best practice across
•        Ensuring an effective and timely country contribution to global advocacy priorities
•        Securing an effective flow of information about the work in the country to contribute to raising public profile in the UK and internationally, and representing the wider organisation
•        Playing an active role as a member of the regional leadership team and the Alliance, contributing to updating strategy and developing new initiatives

£42,000 per annum plus benefits

Kinshasa, DRC

•        Track record of delivering results and impact at national level or within equivalent large scale programmes/operations
•        Experience of leading, developing and implementing strategy at national level or equivalent
•        Experience of reviewing strategy and managing change effectively
•        Experience of managing organisational risks in large scale programmes/operations
•        Experience of managing and developing large teams of international and national professional staff in different locations, demonstrating significant results
•        Experience of leading and motivating senior professional staff from a broad range of disciplines
•        Experience of managing a major crisis requiring sudden and major change in priorities and rapid management action to respond.
•        Experience of handling crises in an insecure environment (highly desirable)
•        Experience of working successfully with senior managers in other parts of own organisation or partner organisations to deliver major change
•        Experience of successfully repositioning an organisation in key markets for which responsible, in response to market analysis and insights
•        Experience of successfully influencing other large organisations to change their policies or priorities, and of effective media representation
•        Experience of building personal external networks at senior level, resulting in securing significant new opportunities for the organisation
•        A strong understanding of key trends in international development, and of the evolving role of international NGOs.
•        Leadership experience in an international NGO (desirable)
•        Experience of successfully implementing changes to processes to improve and monitor quality standards and impact achieved
•        Experience of systematically assessing risks and of introducing processes resulting in reduction and monitoring of key risks identified
•        Experience of managing and shaping large scale income and expenditure budgets to deliver greater efficiency and effectiveness, and of strengthening implementation of financial control processes
•        The ability to speak and write English as a primary working language.
•        The ability to speak and write French to an effective working standard.
•        The resilience and personal circumstances to be able to travel within the country and internationally for 80 - 90 days a year.
•        Awareness of own strengths and weaknesses and evidence of commitment to self-managed personal development

To apply please send in an updated CV with a covering letter quoting Ref CR319 to: applications@skillsforcauses.com