Hybrid- Senior Director, Governance

The Senior Director of Governance leads the Governance Practice Area by providing strategic vision and leadership to execute the practice area’s strategy, ensuring technical excellence in program implementation, business development growth, and internal and external thought leadership. The incumbent is responsible for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining top technical talent in the US office and overseas projects. The Sr. Director works closely with other departments to ensure the delivery of high quality, on-budget, and on-time results in Counterpart’s Governance program portfolio. The Sr. Director is responsible for client relations and facilitating collaboration with leading institutions and experts in the Governance sector. The Sr. Director helps ensure that Counterpart’s Governance proposals for new projects are technically robust, utilizing methodologies that deliver substantial results such as improved democratic governance, greater transparency and accountability, and increased civic participation. The Sr. Director will regularly produce technical products to distinguish Counterpart’s work and convene external gatherings to share ideas geared to democracy, rights, and governance, including in closing civic spaces and fragile and conflict-affected countries.

Responsibilities

Practice Area Leadership

• Develop and implement growth strategy for the Governance practice area.
• Develop and leverage partnerships for technical growth and innovation.
• Provide thought leadership on issues such as locally led development, civil society strengthening, accountable governance, civic and human rights, transparency and open government, political inclusion, anti-corruption, and environmental democracy including in closing spaces and fragile and conflict-affected countries.
• Guide the U.S. office’s Governance team and in-country teams in raising the profile of Counterpart’s Governance programs in Washington, DC and abroad through representation and thought leadership.
• Identify and represent Counterpart in leading communities of practice (for example the Global Democracy Coalition) and at external meetings relevant to Counterpart Governance programs with USAID, US Department of State (US DoS), and other stakeholders.

Business Development

• Lead Counterpart’s strategy, tactics, and proposal efforts in partnership with New Business Development to expand work in the Governance practice area.
• Conduct and support outreach to existing and potential funders, in particular USAID and US DoS.
• Identify business opportunities within the Governance practice, assign Governance resources to pursue these opportunities, and oversee the development of the technical responses and win strategies.
• Lead clear and persuasive messaging of Governance programming for outward facing communications, creating key qualification statements, elevator pitches, communication materials, etc.
• Lead strategy and positioning approaches for Counterpart Governance thought leadership at events and conferences relevant to technical areas such as democracy, rights, and governance especially in closing civic space, fragile and conflict-affected countries.
• Foster effective internal collaboration among Counterpart’s three practice areas (Governance, Resilient Food Systems, and Women’s Empowerment) to identify technical approaches and program designs implemented by Counterpart teams across the world; bring learnings to the organization through thought leadership events such as technical presentations, brown bags, and panels; and foster strategic knowledge sharing across portfolios to support donor diversification and partnership/networking expansion within the Governance portfolio.

Program Management and Staff Development

• Provide direct strategic, management, and operational oversight to current portfolio programs that focus on democracy, rights, and governance, including in closing civic spaces and fragile and conflict-affected countries, and the role of effective U.S. global development, diplomacy, and multilateral aid in supporting locally led initiatives and development.
• Recruit, manage, and mentor COPs and U.S. office Governance Project Management Unit (PMU). Provide expert strategic and operational support to Governance programming. Work closely with COPs, project teams, U.S. office Governance PMU Team, and other stakeholders to ensure that programs receive needed operational support and foster effective representation to donors.
• Ensure Counterpart’s Governance programs are properly resourced and deliver technically excellent programs within budget.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in an international related field or sub-field or in management related fields (Non-Profit Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Program Implementation, etc.) or 17 years equivalent education and experience.
• Minimum 15 years’ progressive experience working on USAID, or another bilateral international development agency funded programs.
• Work experience in developing countries.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Broad knowledge of global development and foreign assistance policy issues.
• Strong writing, oral communication, and organizational skills; sound judgement; discretion; and strong budget management skills.
• Ability to function in complex, changing environments and to manage and work with diverse groups.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and leading teams to reach their highest potential, prioritizing healthy work-life balance.
• Ability to advocate effectively to donor staff and Counterpart executive leadership for the adoption of actions in support of programs.
• Excellent communication both written and verbal. Fluency in French, Spanish, Portuguese and/or Arabic is highly preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 20% as necessary for role responsibilities.

Annual Salary Range: $134,341- $174,643

To apply, please sue the following link:

https://careers-counterpart.icims.com/jobs/1702/hybrid--senior-director%2c-governance/job?mode=view&mobile=false&width=791&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-300&jun1offset=-240

Counterpart is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics. Military veterans, Ameri-Corps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.

Accessibility Notice: If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability, please send an email to recruiting@counterpart.org. Please view Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Posters provided by OFCCP here.

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision: Counterpart will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.

Only finalists will be contacted. No phone calls, please.