Country Director

Job Title: Country Director

Work location: Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Reports To: Regional Director, Africa, Europe & Americas (AFEA)

Department: International Programs

**This is an unaccompanied hardship post, with expected travel to field locations that experience conflict.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Country Director will have overall responsibility of providing strategic and operational leadership, overseeing all aspects for the development and management of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) country program portfolio and day-to-day activities including financial management, team security, and donor relations to ensure high-impact and sustainable humanitarian and development response. This is achieved through the development and implementation of a revised country strategy which is in line with World Relief’s (WR) mission, vision and values. This includes aligning programs with WR integral mission and ‘Boldly Engaging the World’s Greatest Crises in Partnership with the Church’ implementation strategies; alignment with the Core Humanitarian Standards; the recruitment of requisite personnel; the evolving development of policies, structures and systems; ongoing monitoring of programs and ensuring the quality of Monitoring and Evaluation processes; identification and development of staff capacity building plan; spearheading at the local level and active participation in U.S. and International resource development efforts; and the development of strong strategic partnerships with local institutions, government and UN agencies, Cluster systems, and other implementing partners aimed at responding to the most vulnerable in a disaster response context and enhancing the mission of creating flourishing communities through empowering the local church to serve their communities. The Country Director will lead the senior management team in developing country strategies, drive business development and represent the organization in DRC in collaboration with government, donors and other local and international organizations. Able to travel to project field sites frequently within and outside of Goma.

SPECIFIC JOB DUTIES:

Strategic Leadership

• Actively provide strong professional and spiritual leadership to country team in all aspects of its oversight and operations, assigning and delegating tasks where required.
• Develop and implement a three-year country strategy in line with WR’s programmatic competencies aimed at contributing toward the social, spiritual and economic transformation of the most vulnerable.
• Provide overall leadership and oversight on proposal development for WR programs with UN, government, foundations and private donors.
• Develop appropriate institutional structures and strategies for all long-term WR work, with special attention to establishing strong partnerships with in-country UN coordination systems, international and local NGOs, and existing churches and other national institutions.
• Hire, supervise and capacity build a growing WR in-country staff roster.

Program Management

• Ensure consistent funding from bilateral, multilateral and other donors to augment the resources provided from WR’s general fund.
• Spearhead the identification and development of new opportunities and locations for programming as well as potential donors
• Ensure that program activities are being implemented according to agreements, work plans and schedules, in coordination with the Finance Director, Area Coordinators and Program Managers
• Ensure quality, accuracy and timeliness of all program reports
• Maintain WR's registration as an international NGO in-Country as required
• Oversee and manage country finance personnel to ensure overall fiscal transparency and health of the country finances, including: accurate budgets, expenditures to budget and in compliance with procurement policy and procedures, coordination with headquarters financial systems management, and financial reporting that is accurate, timely, and in accordance with globally accepted accounting practices
• Liaise with headquarters for regular financial consolidation, including required audit schedules
• Approve and verify acquisition and delivery of all major purchases in compliance with grant agreements and country policies and execute sound cash and logistics management practices with all vendors
• Oversee the maintenance and implementation of site security for each project site. Make informed decisions about staff safety and potential evacuations. Regular attendance and involvement in NGO security forums

Strategic Partnerships

• Cultivate partnerships in consonance with the leadership, guidelines and policies of WR’s Church Engagement Unit with U.S. churches, denominations, and church bodies
• Initiate and manage relationships with the U.S. Department of State, UN agencies, NGO’s and other donor agencies.
• Under the guidance of WR’s Church Engagement Unit, help to lead relationship building with key U.S. partner churches, including hosting vision teams and ministry teams. Actively communicate with U.S. partner churches through email, phone conversations, and visits to U.S. churches
• Participate in pertinent humanitarian meetings and active discussions to represent WR’s goals for expansion and positive relationship building
• Serve as WR’s primary representative in-country, leading official interactions with the media, government, local partners, and other NGO’s including through the NGO Forum.

Organizational Development

• Oversee the hiring of strong and professionally qualified staff using an equitable and transparent recruitment process, and actively liaison with the HR Manager in staffing issues
• Develop and strengthen WR’s policies, procedures, systems and controls aimed at promoting accountability and alignment to prevailing laws and regulations of the country
• Oversee the safety and security of all the program staff in accordance with Disaster Response policy, actively monitoring the security situation in all WR locations
• Perform any other duties assigned by the Regional Director

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Experience in administration of U.S government and UN grants
• Proven leadership and management of international donor support programs, networking, with extensive experience in strategic planning, resource mobilization, proposal development, personnel management and supervision, and budgeting in a multi-project and multi-funding environment
• Adept at managing multi-cultural teams and strong interpersonal skills
• Strong oral and communication skills in French and English. Knowledge of Swahili and Lingala preferred.
• Personal Christian Faith and a heart for serving vulnerable people; committed to Mission, Vision, and Values of WR, and ability to provide Christian leadership
• Must be able to relocate to and reside in the country of direction

REQUIREMENTS

• Fully contribute to the rich spiritual life of the WR DRC team, including team devotions, prayer times, words of encouragement, and integrity in all programmatic aspects of response and interaction with external contacts
• Committed to the mission, vision, and values of WR
• University Degree in related field, business management highly valued. Masters’ degree preferred
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in international relief and development work with progressive leadership responsibilities and proven resource development skills, or a minimum of 7 years of experience in business management and leadership with progressive increasing responsibilities

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to have ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations
• The ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of 10-15 pounds.
• Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read application information.
• The employee frequently is required to sit, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• This is an unaccompanied hardship post located in Goma, DRC, with expected travel to field locations that experience conflict.
• Great lengths of time working on computer, reading from computer screen, entering information, standing at copier or fax machine, and considerable time in WhatsApp or in Teams/Zoom meetings may be required.
• Year-end archiving activities involve repeated lifting and bending.
• Physical, emotional and intellectual demands
• Equipment used: Employee computer (desktop or laptop), printer, and copier.

All of the above duties and responsibilities are essential job functions subject to reasonable accommodation. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. Individuals may be required to perform any other job-related instructions as requested by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation. This position description is not all-inclusive and is always under review.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

For WR staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of WR is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Legal Background in the United States

WR is both an equal opportunity employer and a faith-based religious organization. This means that we conduct hiring without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, marital status, parental status, membership in any labor organization, political ideology, or disability of an otherwise qualified individual. The status of WR as an equal opportunity employer does not prevent the organization from hiring staff based on their religious beliefs, so that all staff share the same religious commitment.

Pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 702 (42 U.S.C. 2000e 1(a) WR has the right to, and does, hire only candidates who agree with WR’s Statement of Faith.

How to apply

To submit an application, click on the link below:

https://jobs.lever.co/wr/ad70beb2-b44e-4961-bade-a34aca147eed