Self Help Africa recruits 01 COUNTRY DIRECTOR, BURKINA FASO & TOGO

Self Help Africa recruits 01 COUNTRY DIRECTOR, BURKINA FASO & TOGO

Job Title: Country Director, Burkina Faso & Togo
Organisation: Self Help Africa (SHA)
Department: Programmes
Location: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Contract Type: Three year, Fixed Term Contract
Reports to: Head of Africa Operations

Profile:

Self Help Africa (SHA) is an international NGO, dedicated to the vision of an economically thriving and resilient rural Africa. Headquartered in Ireland, with offices in the UK, the US and six African countries, SHA focuses on agriculture and agribusiness as the engine of growth in Africa. Our approach is collaborative and market-based: although we see our primary clients as smallholder farmers in Africa, we work with all participants in the agricultural value chain.

With over 300 staff worldwide, and a global turnover of over €20m, SHA has an ambitious five-year growth strategy including plans to increase our footprint in West Africa.

The organisation also has a number of social enterprise subsidiaries – TruTrade, which supports market access for small-holder farmers in the agricultural value-chain; Traidlinks, providing market-linkages to agri-business in East Africa; and Partner Africa, an ethical auditing and consultancy firm that operates across more than 40 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Self Help Africa is also the lead agency in the delivery of a schools national Development Education programme on behalf of the Irish government, WorldWise Global Schools.

Purpose:

The Country Director is responsible for the management and development of SHA’s programme in Burkina Faso and Togo. The role will also involve supporting a planned phased entry into Niger working through partner organisations. The CD will ensure that Self Help Africa’s work is impactful and meets the needs of smallholder farmers and the goals of the organisation.
The Country Director will be responsible for strengthening programme links with donors and local partners and for developing programmes in Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger. The CD will report directly to the Head of Africa Operations in Self Help Africa’s HQ.
You will ensure that the organisation: meets its growth ambitions; grows income and the donor base; develops the continuum from subsistence to markets, from humanitarian to enterprise; generates significant, measurable impact; delivers value for money; learns and continually improves its work.

Key Responsibilities:

Programme Direction and Management
The CD maintains a general oversight of the entire programme; ensures governance procedures are adhered to and creates a positive working atmosphere across the country teams. The CD provides a clear strategic vision, bringing sound analysis of processes of change and effectively operationalising the strategy ensuring staff, partners and other stakeholders feed into and support the strategy.

Specifically, this includes:
• Ensuring that all projects are monitored and evaluated, are in line with deadlines, are appropriate, necessary, cost effective, targeted, sustainable and in keeping with SHA’s philosophy and strategy;
• Providing on-going review and development of the regional strategy, and of individual project objectives;
• Ensuring compliance with INGO registration in Burkina and Togo
• Registering Self Help Africa as an INGO in Niger;
• Ensuring positive working relationship with all partners (government, communities, NGOs, donors, etc.) and that partnership agreements are in place.
• Ensuring delivery of an appropriate development programme which is balanced, well documented and effective in terms of costs and outputs;
• Working with our partners to drive forward and develop activities for policy, research and advocacy to support an enabling environment for smallholder farmers in West Africa;
• Keeping up-to-date with relevant socio-economic and political developments and trends within West Africa and the NGO and development sectors.

Income and growth
• Build relationships with donors in-country and identify funding opportunities in development, humanitarian and enterprise.
• Ensure high quality proposals are developed (in conjunction with the Programme Funding team).
• Grow the portfolio in terms of income and breadth of donors.

Human Resource Management
Responsible for the motivation, management and development of staff. This includes:
• Direct line management of senior staff;
• Accountability for the welfare and security of personnel mindful of the insecure settings we can be working in;
• Supporting and encouraging appropriate personal and professional development of staff;
• Maximizing staff performance with ongoing review/evaluation of performance;
• Ensuring adherence by all staff to SHA rules, regulations and policies.

Representation and visibility
As Country Director you are responsible for networking, representation and ultimately increasing the profile of the organisation. This includes:
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with government ministries at national and district levels;
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with a range of partners including donors, research organisations, universities, other NGOs, and donors;
• Creating opportunities to promote and disseminate lessons learned within SHA programmes to a wider audience (farmers, local government, research institutions, other NGOs, etc.);
• Creating opportunities for media and PR coverage for SHA’s work utilising evidence from M&E and Programmes;
• Ensuring that SHA is appropriately branded and visible.

Financial and Resource Management
Ensuring value for money through responsible and efficient management of financial and other resources:
• Ultimate accountability for all finance and compliance matters ;
• Working with HQ to develop and implement effective information and resource management systems;
• Responsible for maximising cost recovery of all project and staff support costs.

Other
You will be expected to undertake any other reasonable duties as assigned at the discretion of your line manager.

Key Relationships:

Internal
• Head of Africa Operations (Line Manager)
• Programmes Director
• Country Coordinators (Direct Report)
• Desk Officer
• Technical Advisors
• Head of Policy, Research and M&E
• Programme Finance Team
• Programme Funding Team
• HR
• Fundraising and Communications

External
• Programme Partners
• Donors

Knowledge and Experience

• A strong commitment to the aims, objectives and values of Self Help Africa;
• A minimum of five years senior management experience in a similar environment;
• Adept in development and humanitarian programming;
• High level of initiative, motivation, commitment and professionalism;
• Proven ability to build relationships with donors and secure funding for programme work;
• Experience, at a senior level, in liaising with government and donors;
• Knowledge of development concepts, methodologies and techniques and the ability to critique them;

Desirable
• Expertise in rural enterprise development – value chains, credit, co-operative/farmer association development, etc;
• Lobbying, media and PR skills.

Qualifications/Other Requirements

Essential
• Post-graduate qualification or equivalent experience in international development
• Fluency in French and English
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work as part of an international team across jurisdictions and cultures and can manage remotely
• Experience of working in insecure environments
• Experience in humanitarian programming

This Job Description serves as a guide for the position available and SHA reserves the right to make necessary changes.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview by e-mail and date for interview will be communicated once the initial screening is completed.

Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.Specific roles may require police/DBS/garda vetting.

Self Help Africa is committed to equal employment opportunities. 

Please submit: The Application Form; CV/Resume (no more than 4 pages in English) and a letter of motivation in English. The letter should explain why you want the position and why you think you are particularly suited to the role.  Please attach scanned copies of degrees & work certificate.

Your application should be submitted to recruitment@selfhelpafrica.org.    Please submit your application by email only as a Word document or in pdf. Make it clear which position you are applying for by writing the Position in the subject line of your e-mail as follows [Position + Your name ]”

Closing date: 10am on Monday April 8, 2019

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview by e-mail and date for interview will be communicated once the initial screening is completed.

Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.Specific roles may require police/DBS/garda vetting.

Self Help Africa is committed to equal employment opportunities.