Associate Director, Women’s Economic Power At Women for Women International

Join Women for Women’s Global Program Team

Women for Women International (WfWI) is seeking an Associate Director, Women Economic Power.

Since 1993, Women for Women International, a global NGO, has invested in the power of over 500,000 women who are forgotten – the women survivors of war and conflict. We support them in learning the social and economic skills they need to rebuild their lives, their families, and their communities.

Our core belief is that stronger women build stronger nations. Women who enroll in our programs in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Sudan, break the isolation of war and conflict. They gain access to knowledge, resources and tools needed to earn and save money, improve health and well-being, influence decisions in their home and community, and connect to networks for support.

Over the next ten years, our goal is to scale our impact to improve the lives of millions of the most marginalized women affected by war and conflict. Our vision is to create a world in which all women determine the course of their lives and reach their full potential.

We know that women pass on their knowledge to their neighbors and children, creating a ripple effect for generations. By investing in women, we create a better world for all of us – a world that’s more equal, peaceful, and prosperous.

That is the power of women, for women.

Purpose

The Associate Director , Women’s Economic Power (AD WEP) leads WfWI’s global programming to support women’s economic power. The AD WEP has overall responsibility for developing WfWI’s WEP strategy, inspiring innovation, ensuring quality, seeking funding, overseeing grants and encouraging learning on all areas related to WEP.
The AD WEP will guide WfWI in furthering its extensive women’s economic power program portfolio, with a focus on gender-transformative programming in fragile and conflict-affected countries. WfWI’s WEP portfolio includes, but is not limited to: cash transfers, financial inclusion, formal and informal savings and loans (including savings groups), numeracy and financial literacy, business and vocational training, micro-entrepreneurship and cooperatives/associations support, and market and value chain linkages.

Leading WfWI’s Women’s Economic Power Program

• Serve as the primary technical expert in WEP for WfWI globally
  Provide strategic advice to senior management to guide policy, planning, and programme delivery
• Develop partnerships to further WfWI’s WEP programming
• Develop global plans to improve WEP programming based on gaps in existing programs
• Work with teams to develop country-specific plans, innovative approaches and mechanisms to address gaps (technology, partnerships, etc.)
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of WEP research and practice

Technical Guidance in Design and Planning

• Provide technical guidance to Country Offices and teams for WEP program improvement
• Carry out regular monitoring and technical assistance to Country Offices to support the effective implementation of their WEP programming
• Collaborate with M&E team to contribute to the development of WfWI’s M&E system-related WEP activities
• Review and analyze global and country-specific outcome indicator data, and other evaluations, research and reports related to WEP, with country teams, as a basis for improving WEP program approaches

Fundraising Efforts

• Lead WEP program design for grant proposals or new project concepts
• Develop highly impactful messages about our WEP program to share with donors
• Collaborate with business development teams on finding and responding to funding opportunities

Relationship Building and External Representation

• Establish relationships and coordination with regional and global NGOs, institutions, UN bodies, and networks
• Support country teams to develop partnerships and linkages with other organizations, government and private sector working on WEP issues at national, regional and community levels.
• Represent WfWI in networks and coalitions (e.g. SEEP) and at global and regional forums
• Support the global advocacy team in developing key messages and policy papers on WEP issues

Cross-Organizational Communication & Teamwork

• Maintain regular communication with Country and Global Support offices
• Share up to date knowledge of research, policy and practice with the global organization

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, economics or related field; graduate degree highly desirable
• At least seven years’ relevant work experience in international development, with emphasis on women’s economic power, of which at least five years must be at managerial level
• Lived experience in WfWI’s target countries (or similar) is highly desirable
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant social and economic development issues such as poverty, power, women’s rights and empowerment, gender, and conflict
• Analytical ability and extensive experience in creating project plans, implementing plans, managing grants and budgets
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to support a large, complex, ethnically-mixed team of people through a participatory and enabling management style
• Demonstrated capacity to serve as a coach or mentor of individuals from diverse cultural, linguistic, and professional backgrounds for staff development and capacity building
• Successful at establishing and maintaining internal and external relationships, building trust, and inspiring teamwork
• Confidence and experience in external representation and public speaking
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; working knowledge of a language of WfWI’s country teams (French, Kiswahili, Dari, Kurdish, etc.) highly desirable; knowledge of other local languages would be an advantag
• Good judgment and problem solving skills, positive attitude, demonstrated willingness to take initiative especially in changing security contexts, political dynamics and budgetary shifts
• Commitment to and respect for Women for Women International’s mission and values
• Strong computer skills in MS Word, Excel, internet, email applications

Location

To be closer to our programs, we have a strong preference for candidates from and based in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East or Central Asia, with priority for conflict-affected areas where WfWI operates (Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, Nigeria, Rwanda and DRC). Expected travel is 20-25% to the country, US and European offices (as possible).

All our staff are required to adhere to WfWI’s Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policies and to our organizational values: Empowerment, Integrity, Respect, Resilience.

At Women for Women International, we know that our people and organizational culture provide the foundation to achieve our mission. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are central to everything we do. Read more about our commitment to DEI