Country Director At World Hope International

Background:

World Hope International (WHI) is a, global, faith-based relief and development organization operating in 12 countries, including affiliate fundraising entities in Australia, Canada and the US. WHI’s expertise is in Global Health, Social Protection and Water and Energy, serving approximately 1 million people per year regardless of ethnicity, gender, race and religion.

For over 25 years, WHI has pursued a vision of a just, safe and equitable world. Our history demonstrates that effective and practical solutions exist to complex problems. Transformative change happens when marginalized communities experience opportunity, hope and dignity supported by innovative government, community, and private sector partnerships.

Job Purpose:

WHI’s senior representative in the country, the Country Director personifies the mission and values of WHI and takes overall responsibility for the country’s strategy, team, and partnerships.

The Country Director is responsible for the growth, development, and management of the Liberia Country program portfolio and day-to-day activities. This includes aligning programs with the WHI Global strategy; recruitment of requisite personnel; evolving development of policies, systems and structures; ongoing training and coaching of staff; ensuring the quality of Monitoring and Evaluation processes; spearheading at the local level and international resource development efforts; and development of strong strategic partnerships in Water and Energy, Protection, and Health interventions.

Successful WHI staff are innovators with new technologies. The Country Director will have excellent business development skills and experience maintaining partner relationships. They will effectively lead diverse teams, mentor leaders and hold all staff to high levels of professional accountability. They will prioritize clear, honest and compelling written and verbal communication in all situations.

WHI is seeking a Country Director with the grit, innovation, and drive to grow the Liberia program with a focus on grants and institutional donors.

Essential Functions:

Strategic Leadership:

Actively provide strong leadership to the country team in all aspects of its oversight, team cohesion and operations, assigning and delegating tasks where required.
Implement the five-year country strategy in line with WHI’s programmatic competencies and integral global mission strategy, aimed at contributing to the most vulnerable’s social, spiritual, and developmental transformation.
Ensure implementation of programs in alignment with WHI’s values and program pillars of Water and Energy, Protection, and Health.
Provide overall leadership in the proposal development process in coordination with Business Development and Partnership teams for WHI programs with churches, individual donors, charities, foundations, the UN, government, foundations, private donors, and institutional donors such as the USAID, EU, SIDA, Irish Aid, etc.
Develop appropriate institutional structures and strategies for all long-term WHI work, with particular attention to establishing solid partnerships with in-country sector coordination mechanisms with government, international and local NGOs, civil society groups, local churches, and other national institutions.

Program Management:

Provide overall management and technical direction of WHI’s programs in-country
Develop and strengthen appropriate institutional structures, controls, strategies and work plans for all short-term and long-term programs.
Ensure consistent funding from bilateral, multilateral, and other donors to augment the resources provided by WHI’s private funding.
Identify and develop new business and growth opportunities and geographic locations for programming and potential donors. This will include, on a case-by-case basis, one or more of the following to bring in new donors: writing sections or components of a proposal, coordination of a proposal effort, and editing of a proposal, including contributing to log frame development and budget development.
Ensure program activities are implemented according to agreements, work plans, and schedules in coordination with the leadership team.
Ensure quality, accuracy, and timeliness of quarterly metrics and program reports by comparing objectives with results achieved according to donor and WHI requirements
Maintain WHI’s registration and compliance with legal and statutory requirements as an international NGO in-country. This includes business registration, sectoral accreditation, tax and National social security compliance as Liberian laws require.
Oversee and manage country finance and operations 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 following 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 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 from project sites whenever necessary. This requires regular attendance and involvement in Country Directors meetings and LINGO, including national-level security forums.
Report immediately to the Chief Operations Officer and the International Finance Director/COF and legal advisor any identified cases of fraud, theft, abuse, misconduct, or conflict of interest.

Strategic Partnerships:

Cultivate strategic relationships and partnerships in consonance with the leadership, guidelines, and policies.
Initiate and manage relationships with institutional donors such as USAID, EU, UN agencies, FCDO, SIDA, NGOs, and other donor agencies to tap on in-country funding opportunities.
Under the guidance of WHI’s Business Development and fundraising team, help to lead relationship building with crucial U.S. partner churches, including hosting vision visit teams, work teams, and ministry teams. Actively communicate with U.S. partner churches through email, phone conversations, and visits to U.S. churches.
Represent WHI Liberia well to government, donors, church, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
Serve as WHI’s primary representative in Liberia, leading official interactions with the media, government, sector coordination forums, local partners, and other NGOs, including through the LINGO Forum.

Organizational Development:

Provide leadership and guidance in recruiting competent and qualified team members using an equitable and transparent recruitment process and dismiss any staff who do not perform according to standards and expectations in alignment with the “Decent Work Act” and national labor policies and practices.
Develop a plan for staff development and training.
Develop and strengthen WHI’s policies, procedures, systems, and controls aimed at promoting accountability and alignment to prevailing laws and regulations of the country.
Periodically review existing WHI Liberia policies and procedures and lead the amendments of the policies and procedures in consultation with relevant departments of the WHI HQ office, if necessary.
Oversee the safety and security of all the program staff, including developing and implementing contingency plans in case of emergencies and disasters.
Review existing HR manual, including ongoing formal and informal review/evaluation of staff performance, including written assessment of each direct report on an annual basis.
Perform other duties assigned by the COO.

Minimum Education / Experience:

Bachelor’s Degree in a related field. Master’s degree preferred. Business development and leadership experience are highly valued.
7+ years of experience in international relief and development work with progressive leadership responsibilities and proven resource
Experience in West Africa is preferred.
Evidence of entrepreneurial initiatives and competence in deploying new technologies.
Experience in administration of donor-funded projects, including in-depth knowledge and expertise in the Liberian or West African context in the main thematic areas of Water and Energy, Protection (including Anti-child labor, Gender Based Violence and Human Trafficking), and Health.
Proven budget and financial management skills.
Strong oral and communication skills in English. Knowledge and comprehension of simple local Liberian English a plus.
Ability to communicate WHI’s vision to partners, donors, churches, government agencies and non-government stakeholders.
Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams with strong interpersonal skills.
Passionate commitment to the missions, vision, and Christian values of WHI.
Must be able to adapt and reside in Liberia under prevailing conditions.

Equal Opportunity Employer

World Hope International (WHI) is both an equal opportunity employer and a faith-based religious organization. We hire employees 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. We hire international employees in our countries of operation pursuant to the law of the country where we hire the employees.

Working Environment:

Standard office environment. Requires approximately 40% local and international travel.

Compensation: