Country Manager – Southwest Senegal 284 views1 applications

Position: Country Manager – Southwest Senegal

Location: Southwest Senegal

Application Deadline: 25.06.2020

Duration: One-year, full time (6 months’ probation)

Start Date: Immediately

MH intro and job summary

Muslim Hands is an international relief and development NGO, established in 1993 with objective of providing relief from poverty and sickness and the provision of education in an ethical, effective, efficient and transparent manner.

Muslim Hands works both directly and with partners in over fifty countries, carrying out short and long-term projects in emergency relief, educational and vocational training, orphan sponsorship, medical care and safe water.

Muslim Hands Senegal is looking for a Country Manager to provide strategic vision, technical skills and sector experience in order to grow and develop the office staff, manage the office as well as explore various avenues of institutional funding. The right candidate would possess exceptional management skills and speak fluent English and French. He/She would also understand the complexity of working in remote locations and be flexible to the environment as well as being sensitive to the local custom and culture. **

Main tasks and responsibilities

Leadership, Strategy and Vision

· Formulate, plan and communicate a clear vision of present and future program goals and strategies to team members and stakeholders that translate into concrete programs and work plans.

· Develop and carry out strategies that result in strong representation with: Senegalese Government authorities at various levels; donors (including institutional, non-institutional and private), European Union; UN and other international organizations; international and local NGOs; and networks such as INGO coordination mechanisms and appropriate working groups.

· Review the country strategy annually

· Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve program and agency objectives.

· Explore innovative funding and resource development models and new sources of capital

Team management

· Lead the country program by maintaining open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting a strong team spirit and providing guidance, oversight and resources to enable staff to perform successfully

· Provide empowering leadership and develop the capacity of the team, and lead career development efforts

· Manage collaboratively, promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.

· Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

· Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

Programme operations management

· Oversee program quality and impact by ensuring programs are based on sound design principles and utilize Muslim Hands country strategy and project management toolkit

· Ensure effective, transparent use of resources in compliance with Muslim Hands and donor policies/procedures.

· Build and maintain operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs, as well as segregation of duties between finance and operations.

· Support country teams to improve data collection, management, and use to build a culture of adaptive management, high-quality program performance, and learning.

· Build and maintain good relationship with the local government, internal and external constituents such as private partners, foundations, the private sector, etc.

· Represent Muslim Hands programs with national and international media

· Represent Muslim Hands in the relevant Senegal INGO forums.

Programme Management

· Ensure program quality through consistent use throughout the country program of: rigorous assessment, design, and proposal development and review processes; comprehensive monitoring and evaluation, accountability and learning systems; staff development investments; and partner organization capacity strengthening

· Ensure efficient start-up and timely delivery of projects, collaborating with programmes team to identify and address any obstacles to implementation by strengthening planning and implementation systems and processes.

· In collaboration with Muslim Hands UK programmes team, ensure that programming is implemented to the highest standards, adhering to approved methodologies, adaptive to changing contexts and leading to demonstrable results and impact.

· Be directly engaged in the continuing development of the organization, its mission, and its staff, through the sharing of experience and knowledge, particularly contributing to its institutional learning efforts.

· Strengthen existing funding relationships and identify and pursue new potential donors in collaboration with Muslim Hands UK

Finance and compliance

· Ensure excellent collaboration between finance teams both in-country and UK to prepare quality financial and narrative reports, ensuring clear reporting processes, respect of deadlines and capture of quality data.

· Set a strong culture of compliance and integrity within the MH Senegal team, with clear links between compliance and performance evaluations, consistent communication and rigorous oversight

· Maintain regular and proactive communication with Muslim Hands UK and finance focal points on finance issues and ensure that the organization is ongoingly audit-ready and preventing and mitigating financial losses.

· Make Certain all project budgets are regularly monitored and analysed and ensure rates are in line with projections and prevent overspending.

· Ensure all in-country policies and procedures (financial, operations, HR, etc) are up to date, in line with global policy and local law and exhaustive for the needs of the program.

· Address rapidly any non-compliance to the organization’s policy with appropriate communication, incentives, and disciplinary measures.

Knowledge and experience

· BA/S or equivalent in Development Studies or Admin/Finance or Project Management or related fields required; MA/S preferred.

· 10+ years of field experience in international relief and development programs, including demonstrable success in managing development programs.

· 5 years of senior-level leadership, capacity building and field management experience.

· Minimum of 2 Years working experience in sub-Saharan Africa

· Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country government, private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments.

· Experience working on programme and country office start up strongly preferred

· Political acumen, curiosity, and an ability to remain flexible are critical.

· Successful and proven negotiation, communication and organization skills.

· Excellent oral and written English and French skills required.

MH Offers

Competitive Salary Package

Muslim Hands team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short term assignment to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MH’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Muslim Hands vision. Muslim Hands is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.