Country Director Wanted – International Rescue Committee 1333 views

Country Director Wanted – International Rescue Committee

Job Description

The Country Director, Zimbabwe will provide the strategic vision and leadership for the Zimbabwe country program. S/he will be responsible for ensuring the design and delivery of quality programs, donor and government relations, fundraising and budget management, security and operations management, and developing a motivated and professional team. Reporting to the Regional Vice President (RVP), the Country Director will work closely with, and receive support from regional and headquarters program technical units, safety and security services, regional finance and operations staff.

Job Overview/Summary:

The IRC Country Director ( CD) handles all programs implemented in Zimbabwe. The CD will maintain continuity of humanitarian support in current operational areas in the country, while exploring the possibility of expanding the geographic scope as conditions allow and in collaboration with the regional office.

The CD is responsible for overall leadership and supervisory management of IRC staff, programming, and operations, including program quality and accountability, stewardship of resources, staff safety and security, performance management and external representation.

Major Responsibilities:
Leadership and Representation
Lead the country program by maintaining open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting a strong team spirit, oversight and resources to enable staff to perform successfully.
Develop and carry out strategies that result in strong representation with: government ministries at various levels; UN OCHA; donors including OFDA, USAID , DFID, BPRM, ECHO, UNHCR, UNICEF and other international organizations; international and local NGOs; and networks such as SIRF.
Ensure that IRC remains a partner of choice for major international donors.

Initiate and sustain strong, mutually beneficial and authentic partnerships with local organizations.
Seek out and pursue opportunities to raise the profile of the work of IRC and its partners, as well as the lives and the needs of the people IRC seeks to serve.
Play a leadership role in efforts to improve humanitarian coordinations
Lead country program collaboration with colleagues to deliver regional programming and advocacy.
Ensure leadership and management processes enable the IRC to effectively adapt to contextual changes and fully make use of opportunities to expand humanitarian access and assistance.
Strategic Direction, Quality, and Growth
Ensure the strategic vision and direction of the country program is aligned with IRC2020 to serve people with responsive, high-quality and accountable programming, and secure the resources necessary for realization.
Ensure the strategy action plan is of quality, implemented and guides decision-making.

Remain current on national and regional issues impacting the country program and partners, and develop responsive strategies to changing contexts.
Ensure the SMT delivers the leadership, management structures, staffing skills and approaches, and operational systems required to ensure a coherent ‘one IRC’ approach to achieve regional objectives.
Find opportunities for appropriate expansion and growth of programs, supported by the acquisition of and investment in human resources.
Safety and Security Management
Take primary responsibility for overall management for the country program.
Oversee the management of all security issues, including appropriate response to emergency situations as they arise.Job Requirements:

You should have strong leadership abilities and interpersonal skills, and be able to deploy strong communications effectively, both internally and externally. You should enjoy developing networks to build partnerships and diversify program resources.

Graduate degree in a relevant field.
At least 12 years of dynamically responsible international work experience, including leadership at the Country Director level of multi-site, multi-sectoral operations in a complex operating environment.
Prior experience working within organizational structures in transition.
Experience working in conflict/post-conflict or disaster response situation.
Professional fluency in written and spoken English.
Demonstrated Technical Skills:

Experience managing security in a complex and rapidly changing security context.
Confirmed ability to negotiate and work with partner organizations. Experience with organizational capacity strengthening and partnership building is helpful.
Strong budget and fiscal oversight capacities.
Extensive representation and fundraising success, including prior experience with European, US and international donors.
Established capacity to handle stressful situations in a healthy, constructive manner.
Ability to respond to multiple priorities in a timely manner, producing high-quality outcomes.
Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Working knowledge of file sharing protocols such as Dropbox, SharePoint, etc., an advantage.
Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:

Experience building personal networks at a senior level, resulting in securing new opportunities for the organization.
Demonstrated successful leadership and management experience with a multi-disciplinary teams in cross-cultural settings, including active mentoring and coaching.
Effective in developing high-potential staff to achieve career growth and maximum contribution.
Confirmed experience delivering suitable levels of oversight of a portfolio consisting of a variety of complex, high-value donor-funded