Country Program Director -Cameroon (Re-Advertised)

The African Initiatives for Relief and Development (AIRD) is a non-political, non-religious and non-profit making NGO with Country Program Offices in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Niger, Tanzania, and Uganda. AIRD registration in Ethiopia and South Sudan was recently finalized. AIRD’s objective is to offer operational technical support, including but not limited to: supply chain, logistics and infrastructure in partnership with relief and development organizations that focus on disaster-affected, poverty-infested and development oriented areas. AIRD delivers for and through partners including but not limited to UN Agencies, international and national donor organizations and governments. AIRD seeks to recruit a Country Program Director for its program in Cameroon.

The Country Program Director will 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.

• 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

Key Responsibilities

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 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:

• Relationship management, including key relationship repairs and improvement.
  • Strong Staff management skills (performance-based accountability, motivation, unified corporate culture, vision sharing (leadership), team work but also take hard decisions if needed)
  • Strong Logistics competencies, as we are facing a lot of LOG questions from UNHCR, they are even questioning LOG competencies of our staff.
• With an eye on the future
  • Solid experience of securing funding: relationships (again), identifying opportunities, proposal etc etc
  • Strength in expansion of activities, leveraging knowledge and expertise to gain access to new area of interventions.
  • Strong innovation, competitiveness, and adaptability skills

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 Programs
• Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
• Partners, Government authorities

Qualifications, experience and skills

• A Bachelor’s 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).