Country Program Director

The African Initiatives for Relief and Development (AIRD) works with several donors and partners to provide some of these much needed humanitarian services. The services AIRD provides include; Refugee and Non Food Items (NFIs) transportation, Construction, Infrastructure & Rehabilitation, Fleet Management, Workshop Management, Warehouse Management, Fuel Management, Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH). Our desire is to do even more for Persons of Concern (PoCs) by growing our activities and capacity in the areas of livelihoods, WASH and environmental interventions.  More information: www.airdinternational.org

AIRD seeks to recruit candidates for position of Country Program Director for its Emergency Roster.

Being a fast paced and growing organization, AIRD will in situations including but not limited to supporting either existing country programs in both routine and emergency response, or to initiate a new program in a new location, require additional capacity in short notice. In such situations the Roster helps our country offices get critical support without delay.

The Roster facilitates emergency recruitment for both External and Internal candidates.  Candidates selected for the Roster will be ready for deployment on short notice. 

The Country Program Director is responsible to: To define and manage a timely, pertinent, effective, and efficient response to the humanitarian needs of the Country and population within the framework of the AIRD SOPs while ensuring the security of the team.

1. General Duties

• Build and maintain a strong, innovative senior leadership team and ensure AIRD Policies and Code of Conduct are followed.
• Lead the design, implementation, and evolution of the Country Program Office strategic plan
• Promote AIRD’s Vision, Mission, Core Values and key Partnership Standards and Practices among the staff and partners and ensure these are the core foundation of AIRD strategies and work.
• Direct the mobilization, management, and accounting of all resources in the Country Program
• Oversee the management and development of the Country Program Human Resources to ensure a diverse, skilled, and productive workforce
• Provide leadership, strategic direction and support in the development and implementation of an effective Resource Development Strategy.
• Ensure people issues are front and centre, promoting an office that embraces diversity, gender balance and engagement with all Partnership staff.
• Implement AIRDs SOPs and partnership agreements signed with Donors

2. Specific duties

Strategy, Coordination and Representation

•  Ensure proper registration and compliance with statuary regulations related to INGOs in the country
• Lead the development and execution of high quality country strategy for AIRD in the Country Program in light of political, economic and humanitarian context.
• Acting as key contact with head office, local partners, NGOs, UN agencies, local authorities, government authorities and donors.
• Acting as a focal point, to issue policy recommendations in collaboration with field staff and headquarters.
• Representing AIRD to partners, NGOs, local authorities, government authorities and donors.

Operational/Program Management:

• Defining the programmes with the coordinated team and ensuring achievement of the program's objectives.
• Ensuring programme is still appropriate, according to the situation, the context and the programme's objectives.

·  Ensuring the organization has adequate resources; responsible for the appropriate management of all resources in a transparent manner.

• Responsible for financial feasibility of the country programme: initially to obtain resources, at final stage to make sure programme is within budget; also responsible for all logistical aspects.
• Ensuring timely and accuracy of narrative and financial reporting to donors and to headquarters; also accountable to the donors and benefactors of ACF missions

·    Identify and evaluate the risks associated with program activities and take appropriate action to control the risks

People Management

• Ensure the management human resources in conformity with applicable laws and internal regulations.

·         Security management.

•  Oversee the recruitment, orientation, and management of performance of country based staff and development of middle management staff; demonstrating healthy engagement, strong senior management teams, culture of innovation, and effective talent management.
• Ensure people issues are front and centre, promoting an office that embraces diversity, gender balance and engagement with all Partnership staff

Personal Qualities:

• Strategic Thinking
• Results focus
• Change Leadership
• Team Leadership
• People Management

Key Result Areas

• Planning and implementation of country strategy
• Timeliness, regularity and accuracy in reporting
• Sourcing and management of organizational resources
• Team development
• Employee/Talent development

Key Relationships

• Director of Operations
• Director of Communications and Development
• Partners, Government authorities

Qualifications, experience and skills

• A Bachelors degree in Project Planning and Management, International Relations or in a technical field (depending on the specific country program activities).
• 7 – 8 years’ experience in senior management position in international development Experience in responding to natural disasters and man-made emergencies
• Proven track record of applying new technologies to programming or make use of existing technologies to innovatively influence program design and delivery;
• Significant senior leadership and management experience in the development and delivery of high quality program influencing and humanitarian strategy with and through partners or directly, in one or more challenging locations;
•  A high degree of self-awareness and an understanding of how to drive and support excellent team performance and Individual development in line AIRD's values and policies.
• Demonstrated high-level interpersonal and cross-cultural skills including the ability to build collaborative relationships internally and externally with sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, social and political issues Conversant in French and English (written and spoken).