Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.
Position Overview:
The Country Program Director has overall responsibility for the strategic leadership and operational effectiveness of Palladium’s programs in Senegal. In addition, the Country Program Director will work closely with the Palladium DC-based office to develop and implement a growth strategy for Palladium in Francophone Africa, building a pipeline of USAID and other donor opportunities.
The Country Program Director will serve as primary lead for the USAID-funded NPI EXPAND project and similar large and complex projects managed by Palladium in Senegal. The Country Program Director will lead institutional development through strategic planning, program development, human resource planning and staff capacity building. This includes support for the successful implementation of existing project activities, in partnership with all project teams.
The Country Program Director will support various business development efforts in the region related to health, climate change and resources management, youth, education, economic growth, gender and conflict stabilization. He/she will build relationships with USAID, other clients, teaming partners and government stakeholders; participate in conferences; and regularly liaise and coordinate with other senior leaders across the organization. The Country Program Director will be the public face of Palladium in Senegal and be based in the Palladium office in Dakar, Senegal.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
- To act as the lead representative of Palladium in Senegal, forming positive working relations with the government, donors, the private sector, and civil society organizations on behalf of the company
- To serve as Program Director and key point of contact for the NPI EXPAND Senegal project (70% LOE)
- To help support and coordinate with other Palladium project staff in the successful implementation of their current project activities and serve as their point of contact for corporate issues and security concerns in the country
- To support the HR management of all Palladium staff in Senegal, both permanent and project staff, in partnership with line managers
- Coordinate and foster synergy between HR, IT, security, and operations across the country portfolio
- As a member of the Palladium Francophone Portfolio team, identify new business opportunities in Senegal and in the West Africa region with development partners, government organizations and the private sector, and pursue and contribute to them as requested by Palladium
- Orchestrate capture/bid efforts for large donor-funded projects in Palladium’s technical core and growth areas in West Africa
- Build a strong pipeline of opportunities and potential business opportunities at an early stage by analyzing funding trends and project cycles in target geographies and strategic technical areas including health, climate change and environment, youth, education, economic growth, gender, capacity building and conflict stabilization
- Build relationships with USAID and other clients, government stakeholders and partners in the region
- Engage with the USAID Missions in the region to understand USAID priorities and gather intelligence on upcoming procurements
- Lead the proposal development, carry out landscape and competitive analyses and ensure that the opportunity capture process is strategic, efficient, grounded in the local context, and that proposals meet the highest standards of quality and compliance
- Provide strategic insights and leadership to proposal writers and the bid writing process
- Represent Palladium at local and regional forums and conferences
- Contribute to the development and implementation of a strategy for stakeholder engagement related to new business opportunities, in coordination with Palladium HQ
- Support the sharing and exchange of project priorities, workplans and lessons learned across Palladium projects in country and facilitate regular in-person sharing between projects (for example, through periodic Town Hall meetings, weekly Senior Leadership team meetings, etc.)
- The position reports to the HQ-based Senegal Country Activity Manager and will supervise the Senegal-based team
- Ensure availability and dissemination of corporate/project-related materials to stakeholders and visitors in-country
- Contribute to development thinking in Senegal through engagement and active participation in public fora
- Contribute to or lead on strategic projects as required
Please note: Only Senegalese nationals living in Senegal will be considered. Relocation costs will not be provided for.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Extensive experience in program/project management required; preference for USAID-funded projects
- Bachelor’s degree in public health, international development, or related field required with a master’s degree or higher qualification preferred
- Strong experience supervising project staff required
- Experience developing new projects, partnershipsand proposals for new work in health and other development areas
- Strong experience working in the health sector—especially family planning/reproductive health and/or maternal and child health—required
- Strong experience working with the civil society sector (NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, non-profits, private sector) preferred
- Prior experience managing and coordinating proposal development for USAID opportunities with a successful track record
- Demonstrated ability to build and manage working relationships with clients, partners, and technical experts
- Demonstrated knowledge of the region and of trends in relevant areas i.e., health, capacity building, climate change and environment, youth, education, gender, and conflict stabilization, donor initiatives and programs
- Strong experience working to address gender barriers to uptake of health services preferred
- Strong interpersonal, writing, presentation, and organizational skills are required
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking ability
- Experience representing a project and/or organization with donors, and other key stakeholders preferred
- Experience in leading participatory exercises and group processes
- Fluency in speaking and writing in French and English
- Senegalese nationality with authorization to work in Senegal
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Willingness to travel 10-15% of the time (in Senegal and within the sub-region).