Country Director – Liberia | ReliefWeb

Background:

World Hope International (WHI) is a global, faith-based service and development organization operating in 12 countries, including affiliated fundraising organizations in Australia, Canada and the United States. WHI’s expertise is in global health, social security, and water and energy, serving approximately 1 million people each year regardless of ethnicity, gender, race, and religion.

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

Purpose of work:

As the senior representative of WHI in the country, the Country Director embodies WHI’s mission and values ​​and has overall responsibility for the country’s strategy, team, and partnerships.

The Country Director is responsible for the growth, development and management of the program portfolio and day-to-day operations of the country of Liberia. This includes aligning programs with the strategy of WHI Global; recruitment of the necessary staff; evolving development of policies, systems and structures; ongoing training and coaching of staff; Ensuring the quality of the monitoring and evaluation processes; Leading local and international resource development efforts; and developing strong strategic partnerships in the areas of water and energy, safety and health.

Successful WHI employees are innovators with new technologies. The Country Director has excellent business development skills and experience in managing partner relationships. You will lead diverse teams effectively, mentor senior executives and hold all employees to a high level of professional responsibility. You prioritize clear, honest, and persuasive written and oral communication in all situations.

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

Important functions:

Strategic leadership:

• Actively provide strong leadership to the country team in all aspects of their oversight, team cohesion and operations, and assign and delegate responsibilities as needed.
• Implement the five-year country strategy consistent with WHI’s programmatic competencies and integral global mission strategy, which aims to contribute to the social, spiritual, and developmental transformation of the most vulnerable.
• Ensuring that programs are implemented in accordance with GHI scores and the program pillars of water and energy, safety 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 USAID, EU, SIDA, Irish Aid etc.
• Developing appropriate institutional structures and strategies for all long-term GHI work, paying particular attention to building strong partnerships with in-country sectoral coordinating mechanisms, governments, international and local NGOs, civil society groups, local churches, and other national institutions.

Program Management:

• Provide overall management and technical direction of WHI programs in the country
• Develop and strengthen appropriate institutional structures, controls, strategies and work plans for all short- and long-term programs.
• Ensure consistent funding from bilateral, multilateral and other donors to expand the resources provided through private funding of WHI.
• Identify and develop new business and growth opportunities, as well as geographic locations for programs and potential donors. This includes, on a case-by-case basis, one or more of the following to attract new donors: writing sections or components of a proposal, coordinating a proposal, and editing a proposal, including contributing to protocol framework development and budget development.
• Ensure that program activities are implemented according to agreements, work plans and schedules in coordination with the leadership team.
• Ensure the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of quarterly metrics and program reports by comparing goals to results achieved according to donor and WHI requirements
• Maintaining registration of WHI and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements as an international NGO in the country. This includes company registration, sectoral accreditation, tax and national social security compliance as required by Liberian law.
• Overseeing and managing country finance and operations personnel to ensure overall fiscal transparency and the health of country finances, including correct budgets, budget expenditures and compliance with procurement policies and procedures, coordination with head office financial systems management, and accurate financial reporting, timely and in accordance with globally recognized standards accounting practices
• Liaison with Head Office for periodic financial consolidation, including required audit plans.
• Approve and verify the acquisition and delivery of all major purchases in accordance with grant agreements and country policies and implement sound cash management practices with all vendors
• Oversee site security maintenance and implementation for each project site. Make informed decisions about employee safety and possible evacuations from project sites when needed. This requires regular attendance and involvement in Country Director and LINGO meetings, including national level security forums.
• Promptly report any identified instances of fraud, theft, abuse, misconduct or conflicts of interest to the Chief Operations Officer and the International Finance Director/COF and Legal Counsel.

Strategic partnership:

• Cultivate strategic relationships and partnerships in line with leadership, policies and guidelines.
• Initiate and manage relationships with institutional donors such as USAID, EU, UN agencies, FCDO, SIDA, NGOs and other donor organizations to unlock in-country funding opportunities.
• Led by WHI’s business development and fundraising teams, help build relationships with key US partner churches, including host vision visiting teams, work teams, and ministry teams. Communicate actively with US partner churches via email, phone calls and visits to US churches.
• Represent WHI Liberia well to government, donors, the church, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
• Serve as the principal representative of WHI in Liberia and engage in 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 through a fair and transparent recruitment process and fire any employees who do not work to the standards and expectations consistent with the Decent Work Act and national labor policies and practices.
• Develop a plan for staff development and training.
• Develop and strengthen GHI’s policies, procedures, systems and controls designed to promote accountability and alignment with applicable country laws and regulations.
• Periodically review the existing policies and procedures of GHI Liberia and direct policy and procedure changes in consultation with the appropriate departments at WHI headquarters, as necessary.
• Oversee the safety of all program staff including the development and implementation of contingency plans for emergencies and disasters.
• Review of existing HR Handbook, including ongoing formal and informal employee performance review/evaluation, including annual written evaluation of each direct report.
• 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.
• More than 7 years of experience in international relief and development work with progressive leadership responsibility and proven resources
• Experience in West Africa is preferred.
• Proof of entrepreneurial initiative and competence in the use of new technologies.
• Experience in managing 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 combating child labour, gender-based violence and human trafficking) and health.
• Proven skills in budget and financial management.
• Strong oral and communicative skills in English. Knowledge and understanding of basic local Liberian English is an asset.
• Ability to communicate the vision of GHI to partners, donors, churches, government agencies, and non-governmental stakeholders.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams with strong interpersonal skills.
• Passionate about WHI’s missions, vision and Christian values.
• Must be able to adapt to prevailing conditions and live in Liberia.

Equal opportunities for all employees

World Hope International (WHI) is both an equal opportunity employer and a faith-based religious organization. We hire employees without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, marital status, parental status, membership in a work organization, political ideology, or the disability of an otherwise qualified person. We hire international employees in our countries of operation in accordance with the laws of the country where we hire employees.

Work environment:

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

Compensation:

• One-year fixed-term contract, renewable
• Salary range USD 65,000 – 85,000
• Health insurance
• Subsidized training opportunities

Expat-specific benefits:

• International health insurance
• Trips to assignments and annual home leave
• All visas and work permits required for the position