Country Director – Various Locations At Amideast

The Country Director will serve as the organization’s senior representative in the country of assignment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, fostering positive relationships with host country government officials, key clients, partners, and donors; and overseeing the delivery of all Amideast programs and services to ensure consistency, quality, and a focus on client requirements. The incumbent will be responsible for managing all aspects of operations for the Amideast field office(s), sustaining the existing program portfolio, and setting the strategy for the expansion of offerings and activities. The Country Director must be an assertive self-starter who possesses strong diplomatic and entrepreneurial skills.

Overall responsibilities for this position entail managing office operations and finances, recruiting and training staff, and developing and sustaining a diverse portfolio of programs and services which include educational advising and testing services for students and professionals, scholarship and exchange program services for a variety of sponsors, and professional training services, including core management skills, workforce development skills, English language courses, and test preparation programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Coordinates all Amideast activities in the field office and supervises staff and a core team of teachers and trainers supporting programs
• Sets the strategy for the sustainability of existing core lines of business and develops new strategies and opportunities for continued growth throughout the country
• Leads all business development activities for Amideast by identifying opportunities in the corporate, governmental, and educational sectors of the country
• Maintains client, partner, and donor relationships to position Amideast for new opportunities
• Develops and writes proposals and prepares budgets for submission to potential sponsors and clients in coordination with Headquarters
• Develops an annual work plan and budget inclusive of new business development strategies. Oversees the programmatic and financial implementation and monitoring of the plan and budget targets, and the creation of contingency options.
• Administers, coordinates, and monitors the office’s fiscal affairs in accordance with prescribed policies and procedures, and ensures timely and accurate financial reporting to Amideast Headquarters including overseeing operating, capital, and contract budgets; cash management; foreign exchange; monthly accounting; procurement; and contract management
• Directs the organizational and human resource development of the field office, including setting strategies for hiring, staff development, promotion, salary and job classification structures, and formal staff training and orientation; creates a learning culture within Amideast and acts as a mentor to staff for on-the-job growth
• Develops and coordinates personnel policies and procedures in conjunction with HQ Human Resources
• Ensures compliance with host country laws related to financial and human resource matters
• Manages the marketing of all Amideast’s products and services and develops new project ideas; oversees the creation of all print, online, and social media marketing literature and information in compliance with Amideast’s branding policies and client/donor requirements
• Negotiates lease agreements for all office facilities, manages the establishment and/or build-out of new office facilities, and tracks key dates regarding lease renewals and end dates
• Oversees the preparation and submission to Headquarters of required reports including accurate statistics on field office activities; prepares briefings on educational, training, and economic developments in MENA region
• Ensures that all required technical and financial reports are submitted to clients, donors, and Headquarters in a complete and timely manner
• Ensures that security, anti-fraud, and risk management policies and procedures are in place at the field office facilities
• Oversees alumni activities for all programs in coordination with Headquarters
• Ensures that formal monitoring and evaluation activities are conducted for all programs and services to determine client satisfaction, learning, application, and impact
• Participates in fundraising, public relations, and outreach activities
• Represents Amideast through active membership in professional business and education associations, and at conferences, meetings, and workshops
• Remains current on changes within the education and training industries through publications and continuing education

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required

• A Master’s degree in Business Administration, Education, Middle East studies, or a relevant field
• A minimum of 10 years of management experience, including the oversight of staff, projects, and facilities
• Demonstrated business development experience, including project design, proposal development and writing, and budgeting
• Demonstrated experience building relationships with senior government officials, corporate leaders, funding partners, educational organizations, and other non-profit organizations
• Demonstrated experience in marketing educational, professional, and workforce development training programs and services via traditional and social media platforms
• Demonstrated financial management skills
• An intermediate level of spoken and written proficiency in Arabic and/or French, depending on the country of assignment
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial skills
• Exemplary writing and presentation skills
• Knowledge of the US higher education system
• A minimum of 7 years of work experience in a managerial position in the MENA region
• Strong organizational, supervisory, and interpersonal skills
• An ability to balance sensitive political and cultural issues with a demonstrated commitment to the highest standard of ethics and confidentiality
• Proficiency in MS Office productivity tools, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Preferred

• An advanced level of spoken and written proficiency in Arabic and/or French
• Substantive experience with implementing education abroad programs and courses for high school and university students

This position description is not intended to be all-inclusive, and the incumbent will perform other reasonable business-related duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor and other managers when necessary. Amideast reserves the right to change duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This position description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.