Position title : Country Manager, Central Sahel
Location: Roving, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali
ChildFund office: Central Sahel
Manager/Supervisor title: Deputy Regional Director, Africa
Position type: Full-time fixed term
Work environment: On-site

About ChildFund
ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that works in 23 countries to connect children with the people, resources and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are.

ChildFund’s Values
We aspire for every person in our organization—program participants, supporters, staff, and volunteers alike—to feel free, safe, and confident to be themselves. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.

ChildFund’s Commitment
ChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.

About This Role
The Country Manager is a “roving” position responsible for ChildFund International’s new operations in the Central Sahel region, initially covering three countries, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. With oversight from the Deputy Regional Director, the Country Manager is responsible for overall representation, leadership and management of ChildFund operations, including resource mobilization, external engagement, country management, advocacy and communications, partnership portfolio management, program delivery, monitoring and evaluation, research and knowledge management, administration and support, risk management, disaster risk management and response, and ensuring adherence to safeguarding and safety and security standard operating procedures.
The Country Manager will provide regular updates to the Deputy Regional Director on operations, trends, and perceived threats to the work environment. The Country Manager is responsible for strengthening existing relationships and developing new ones where appropriate with government officials, donors, and partners. The Country Manager will navigate across the various Central Sahel countries until the offices are fully set up and operational.
To be considered, candidates must have current residence and work authorization in a francophone African country and willingness to relocate to and travel within Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Required Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree in business, international relations, law, leadership, development studies, social work, or other relevant field is preferred.
• At least 8 years of experience in the development sector with demonstrated progressive leadership experience; at least 4 years in management of complex development programs.
• Demonstrated experience in grants management with international donors.
• Experience in child-focused programming.
• Experience with emergency programs and community development.

Primary Responsibilities
Leadership

• Exhibits demonstrable and inspiring leadership in promoting the ChildFund values, vision and mission. Provides strategic oversight and ensures excellence for a healthy growing operational portfolio with program quality, satisfied and engaged staff, program strategies with monitoring and learning systems, a portfolio of strong Local Partners, and grant acquisition with appropriate pre- and post-award management.
• The Country Manager will participate in the regional oversight committee meetings for CS expansion to discuss the progress of the launching of operations in the Central Sahel regularly.
• At country level under the leadership of the DRD, the Country manager will organize country management team meetings to discuss the strategic vision and planning for the country office.

Human Resource and Performance Management

• Oversees the recruitment and orientation of staff and ongoing talent management and guidance, ensuring a high degree of staff engagement. Mentors staff to achieve performance metrics and core outcomes and oversees the establishment and functioning of a strong, effective senior management/leadership team.

Program Management

• Provides leadership in the management of functions associated with the implementation of program models and delivery mechanisms.
• Ensure the overall enterprise risks of the country operations are managed proficiently. Drives and ensures the adaption, integration, and learning around key areas including child safeguard standards, monitoring and evaluation, disaster risks reduction, gender equity and diversity, and that an appropriate/timely/ effective disaster emergency response and preparedness plan is in place and updated regularly.

Finance Management

• Ensures optimal financial, human and physical management and quality standards (with the Global Shared Services where applicable) for successful implementation of the country’s and organization’s strategic plan. Ensures that adequate internal controls are working to protect CO financial and non-monetary assets and that they are used in accordance with donor terms and conditions.

Grants Management

• Leads the strategic positioning of the country office in business development opportunities by enhancing appropriate relationships with the donor community, government and corporate leaders. Establishes innovative ways of growing the country office grant portfolio and ensures effective implementation and close-out of grants.

Visibility and Profile

• Ensures the organization is recognized by stakeholders (relevant government authorities, donors, other NGOs, media etc.) as a strong child development organization and credible reference point on issues related to development, and specifically to be a leader in children’s issues.

Knowledge Management

• Develop and/or ensure your teams develop learning and knowledge products that meet standards and enable organization-wide learning and sharing by documenting approaches, project and program designs and lessons, case studies and other knowledge products. Seek and leverage existing knowledge products in order to increase efficiency and effectiveness and ensure your teams do as well.

Safety and Security

• Responsible for implementing standards, policies, and procedures to protect personnel, programs, and property. Leads a culture of safety and security risk management at the country office. Monitors security trends for appropriate action. Allocates adequate budget for safe program implementation and cost recovery. Upholds duty of care, implementing measures to promote physical and mental health. Works closely with the global security team to achieve standards and a coordinated response to incidents.

Safeguarding

• Ensures organizational culture and work environment in which staff fully understand and apply child safeguarding standards and in which children are protected against violence, abuse and neglect. Ensures adequate reporting, investigation, decision-making and implementation of appropriate actions in case of violations in child safeguarding standards by staff or partner organizations.

• Remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Child Safeguarding Policy.

Required Competencies
ChildFund’s Core Competencies

• Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
• Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
• Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
• Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
• Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
• Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.

Other Required Competencies

• The ability to speak, read, and write fluently in French.
• Professional working proficiency in English.
• Demonstrated strong knowledge of the political and cultural context of the Central Sahel.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in program and project management.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in budget management.
• Strong leadership skills, including fostering teamwork, developing and motivating others, managing change, and conflict resolution.
• Strong fundraising and business development abilities; attracts local and international resources by engaging with various donors and develops proposals.
• Demonstrated relationship-building skills, with sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, social, and political issues.
• Excellent coalition building and partnership building abilities.
• Good strategic planning skills, with the ability to anticipate and pragmatically solve problems, plan a course of action, and allocate resources based on data inputs and analysis.
• Innovative mindset; demonstrates support for innovation and organizational change and reacts positively and rapidly to changing conditions.

Other Requirements

• Current residence and work authorization in a francophone African country.
• Willingness to travel frequently across Central Sahel (up to 75%).

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