Country Operations Manager – Uganda 370 views0 applications

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

Start date: 1 April 2019 (or as soon as possible thereafter)

Term: Initially a 12-month contract, with potential to extend to work on other projects

Based in: Kampala, Uganda

Salary: £50,000, plus housing allowance and other benefits

Application closing date: 17 March 2019

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 is looking for a Country Operations Manager (Uganda) to coordinate and deliver a new family planning campaign in Uganda. As part of a DfID funded consortium, DMI will play a key role in providing an integrated approach to family planning, including access to modern contraception and sexual and reproductive health, for the most underserved women and girls in marginalized populations. The campaign will be part of a larger programme in which DMI will also run similar activities in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. DMI’s role will primarily focus on demand creation, and will involve the production of radio and TV spots, as well as other media outputs.

Working with our friendly and dynamic global team, the Country Operations Manager (Uganda) will be responsible for managing and coordinating the successful delivery of DMI’s activities at the national and local level in Uganda. In line with the wider programme plan they will ensure high quality outputs are adapted, produced and broadcast on time and on budget. Management of the DMI campaign coordinator (the other member of DMI staff in Uganda) as well as engagement with local and national level stakeholders and consortium partners will also be key parts of the role.

This is an operational position, suited to someone with experience in project management. Previous experience in global health, media production or mass media will be an advantage but is not a pre-requisite for the role. You will take over the role from the existing Country Operations Manager who will have been in-country for 2-3 months. Some progress will have been made but you will have a genuine opportunity to make this role your own by building DMI’s presence in Uganda, and its part in the programme consortium.

This role is initially offered as a 12-month contract. However, DMI is rapidly expanding and there is potential that further roles will be available at the end of this contract. Future roles are likely to be in other countries in Africa.

DMI supports its international staff members with a competitive benefits package for the sector, including base salary, housing allowance, health insurance and other allowances.

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

1. Coordinating, managing and delivering, at national and local level in Uganda, DMI’s outputs as part of a major family planning campaign in East Africa.
2. Planning appropriate national and local level activities and tasks in line with the wider programme plan and reporting progress against agreed milestones, budgets and timelines.
3. Managing national level project budgets, in line with internal procedures, including financial reporting, maintaining accurate records of expenditure and forecasting future expenditure within budgetary constraints.
4. Building, negotiating and maintaining partnerships with local media providers (for example radio stations and studios) and other stakeholders as appropriate.
5. Effectively line managing a campaign coordinator (local staff).
6. Liaison, at national and local level, with consortium partners.
7. Communicating with, and reporting to, relevant personnel at DMI UK and other DMI offices as required.
8. Other tasks as required by DMI.

Person specification

Required knowledge, skills and experience

1. Experience delivering complex projects or programmes, delivering a range of outputs on time and on budget, ideally with direct experience in developing countries.
2. Previous experience of project level financial / budgetary management.
3. Strong intellectual ability, as evidenced by a good degree or similar qualifications in a relevant field and performance at interview.
4. Ability to work effectively in collaboration with partners and other stakeholders (internal and external), including those with differing agendas.
5. Self-motivated, able to cope with uncertainty and with the confidence to take initiative. Resilient and good-humoured under pressure.

Desirable knowledge, skills and experience

1. Language skills in Portuguese, French, Swahili or other major East African language(s).
2. Knowledge and experience working within media production, global health and/or mass media environments.
3. Professional project/programme management qualifications (PRINCE2, MSP, APMP etc).