Country Director – Mozambique 161 views0 applications

Reports to: Director of Operations and Finance (DMI UK)

Responsible for: All DMI staff in Mozambique (~8 staff as at Nov 2018)

Start date: As soon as possible

Term: Full time, permanent

Based in: Maputo, Mozambique

Salary: £60,000, plus housing allowance and other benefits

Application deadline: 27 January 2018

About DMI

Development Media International (DMI) delivers media campaigns aimed at changing behaviours, promoting health and saving lives in developing countries. We are the first organisation to scientifically demonstrate that mass media can increase life-saving behaviours. DMI recently published the results of its 5-year, £7m randomised controlled trial in West Africa which showed that 56% more children were taken for treatment for malaria, 73% more for diarrhoea and 39% more for pneumonia following exposure to our campaign. Modelling indicates that over 3000 lives were saved during the campaign and that our approach is one of the most cost-effective ways of saving children’s lives.

DMI has two priorities: first, to continue to generate ground-breaking research (we are conducting another randomised control trial in Burkina Faso, this time to measure our impact on contraceptive uptake), second, to take our proven strategies to scale, saving as many lives as possible. We work across a range of health issues, including child survival, reproductive health, nutrition, hygiene, and early childhood development. DMI works in close partnership with leading experts in health, including WHO, UNICEF and LSHTM and has been funded by some of the world’s most prestigious organisations including the Wellcome Trust, DFID, Comic Relief, the Global Innovation Fund, Unorthodox Philanthropy and the Mulago Foundation.

We are an innovative and rapidly growing organisation, working at the nexus between science and creativity. DMI has demonstrated that knowledge is not only a human right, but is also the key to saving lives in a cost-effective way. Our intellectual rigour, enthusiasm and willingness to learn from both our successes and mistakes, makes us distinct. Our ethos is non-hierarchical: all our staff are intellectually high-powered and we have a “best idea wins” culture. By working at DMI you will have a genuine, measurable impact on improving lives in low-income countries.

DMI has a permanent presence in Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Tanzania and will expand to Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi,Uganda and Zambia in 2019. Its regional operations include five more countries in West Africa as well as Burundi. DMI’s headquarters overlooks the Regents Canal in Hoxton, London and provides the strategic direction for the whole organisation.

DMI is ranked as one of the most cost-effective non-profit organisations in the world by GiveWell and was the first organisation to receive the maximum rating from Impact Matters. It is also endorsed by the Centre for Effective Altruism, Giving What We Can and The Life You Can Save.

Find out more on our website.

Job description

DMI has had a presence in Mozambique since 2015. Since January 2018 we have been delivering a major nationwide radio campaign called ‘INTENSAUDE’. This is a scale-up of the successful trial in Burkina Faso and aims to improve treatment seeking for pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria in children under five. Our aim is to save thousands of lives by early 2020. In 2019 we will also implement a new multi-year family planning campaign in Mozambique as part of a DfiD funded consortium.

DMI is looking for an outstanding individual to be our Country Director in Mozambique. The role, which is suitable for experienced executives from the NGO, private, or media production sectors, will assume overall responsibility for managing DMI’s projects and activities throughout the country. This will include coordinating research tasks, media output production and the distribution/broadcast of those outputs. Building and maintaining strong relationships with relevant stakeholders in Mozambique, notably relevant departments within the Mozambican government and Radio Mozambique, the state-owned broadcaster, is crucial. The Country Director also has a role to play in securing new projects and campaigns to ensure the long-term sustainability of DMI in Mozambique.

DMI’s Country Directors are the key link between our in-country teams and our head office (DMI UK). To be successful, you will need to effectively manage the priorities and demands of both. Ultimately, you will be responsible for ensuring that high quality outputs and outcomes are delivered in line with the requirements of the project, the funder(s) and DMI’s own priorities. Management of internal and external stakeholders, and collaboration with funders, government and (where applicable) consortium partners, will be a key part of the role.

This is a senior position with a high level of responsibility, suited to someone with extensive experience in programme management, team coordination, and with competence in financial monitoring and reporting. In return, DMI supports its international staff members with a competitive benefits package for the sector, including base salary, housing allowance, health insurance and, if relocating to Mozambique, relocation allowances.

More specifically, the Country Director’s role will include the following responsibilities:

1. Maintaining oversight of, and coordinating, all DMI activities in Mozambique to ensure that projects are delivered on time, on budget, to a high standard and meet the requirements of funders and other relevant stakeholders.
2. Providing dynamic and inspirational leadership to all DMI staff in Mozambique.
3. Developing and maintaining relationships with funders, government departments, media agencies, radio stations and other key stakeholders to ensure that they are supportive of DMI’s projects and, where relevant, contribute to the successful delivery of those projects.
4. Ensuring that media outputs are produced to a high standard (with support from DMI’s creative staff in the UK) and broadcast on the leading channels in Mozambique.
5. Acting as the senior manager for DMI Mozambique, including line managing the Deputy Country Director and other staff as required.
6. Ensuring that financial, administrative and HR tasks are carried out in line with DMI policies, as well as local and national regulatory requirements.
7. Assuming responsibility for day to day decision making in relation to activities carried out by DMI in Mozambique and communicating clearly and effectively with DMI UK to resolve issues with significant operational or strategic implications.
8. Working with DMI UK to identify, mitigate and avoid risks to DMI’s reputation, financial resilience and/or ability to deliver projects and campaigns in Mozambique or elsewhere through the use of foresight, strategic judgement and risk analysis.
9. Conducting fundraising, networking and business development activities for DMI in Mozambique.
10. Other tasks as required by DMI.

Person specification

Required knowledge, skills and experience

1. Fluent English and Portuguese (written and spoken). Able to convey complex technical and non-technical material in an engaging manner appropriate to the audience.
2. Strong intellectual ability, as evidenced by a good degree or similar qualifications in a relevant field and performance at interview.
3. Previous experience of managing and inspiring a team.
4. Experience delivering complex projects or programmes, including delivering a range of outputs on time and on budget, ideally with direct experience in developing countries.
5. Previous experience of project/programme level financial/budget management.
6. Ability to work effectively in collaboration with partners and other stakeholders (internal and external), including those with differing agendas.
7. Self-motivated with the confidence to take the initiative. Resilient and good-humoured under pressure.

Desirable knowledge, skills and experience

1. Knowledge and experience working within media production, global health and/or mass media environments.
2. Good project/programme management experience or qualifications.

3. Proven fundraising/business development success in the not for profit, commercial or media sectors