West and Central Africa Regional Representative at EngenderHealth

Reports to: Vice-President of Program Management

Job Description

• The Regional Representative is responsible for providing strong leadership and oversight of all EngenderHealth program activities in assigned country programmes & projects in the region.
• S/he leads the vision and strategy of the region, identifying funding opportunities and supporting new business development, overseeing country programs, guiding and leading a cross-functional regional team and country program teams, creating and leveraging synergies between country projects, and managing the critical relationships with the Governments of the region, other national, regional, and international partners and donors.
• S/he is the primary liaison with all key regional and international stakeholders in the region, and is responsible for ensuring coordination with other projects and collaborative agencies in the sexual and reproductive health sector.
• S/he has overall program, managerial, and fiscal accountability for the regions' program portfolio, including achieving program results, financial management, accounting and reporting, ensuring an integrated program structure, and ensuring compliance with all EH and donors' contractual matters and other applicable laws and regulations.
• S/he will have direct responsibility for supervision of designated regional staff and Country Representatives/Country Managers, as well as oversee and work closely and in a complementary fashion, through a matrix management structure, with other key corporate staff to effectively oversee and manage the regional program portfolio.
• The Regional Representative will coordinate the performance management process for immediate reports, including serving as a mentor or coach for regional staff, Country Representatives/Country Managers and first-time senior managers and/or those requiring assistance in specific skill areas.
• This role is likely to require up to 50% travel.

Roles And Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Program Development:

• Oversee country programs in the region including collaborating with Country Representatives/Country Managers to identify the program vision and program priorities, develop and implement of country program strategies and legacy plans, shape and sustain the program organizational structure, and ensure consistency with EngenderHealth's (EH) overall agency mission, goals, and strategic plans.
• Support Country Representatives/Country Managers to shape and sustain country business cases including identifying sustainable business models, based on local governance laws and practices, and leading the piloting and introduction of most appropriate model(s).
• Provide ongoing strategic leadership for the region including promoting the EngenderHealth's vision and mission, shaping and sustaining a workforce plan, supporting a creative learning environment, and shaping and sustaining an organizational change approach.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement including effectively representing EngenderHealth in the region, and communicating with internal and external stakeholders, and cultivating stakeholder commitment for country programs.
• Collaborate with Country Representatives/Country Managers to regularly engage key external stakeholders in order to cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships (e.g., Country Governments of Ministries of Health and other relevant departments, international donor agencies, as well as national, regional, and international NGOs), and oversee develop of appropriate partnership agreements and engagement strategies.
• Lead regular portfolio reviews of country programs and ensure consistency across projects based on EngenderHealth's Supply, Enabling Environment, and Demand Program Model, and other program management and technical approaches and tools.
• Collaborate closely with Country Representatives/Country Managers and country senior management teams in the region as appropriate to sustain program progress, including attainment of value for money during implementation of individual projects from start-up to close-out, monitoring project work plans and burn rates, ensuring relevant legal and regulatory requirements are addressed, managing risks, and responding to changes in the external environment.
• Oversee office/project start-ups and close-outs in the region based on up-to-date country program legacy plans and sustainability strategies.

Representation and Visibility:

• Proactively communicate and respond to all relevant internal and external stakeholders in all significant matters related to the performance of the regional program portfolio.
• Represent the programs to partners, donors and cooperating agencies within the region to further the aims of the programs and ensure the program staff maintain effective, synergetic, and collaborative working relationships with all partners, other donors, stakeholders, and other collaborating agencies.
• Contribute to securing ongoing funding for the region including determining, documenting, and communicating ongoing funding requirements to relevant country and global staff to ensure funding issues are addressed and funder requirements fulfilled.
• Conduct regular scans of funding environment, identify donors interested in country program’s sexual and reproductive health priorities, develop and cultivate relationships with potential donors, and provide ongoing updates to the global Business Development and private fundraising teams regarding potential funding opportunities.
• Provide strategic support as needed in fundraising for assigned programs, including networking with new and existing donors.
• Collaborate with the HQ Resource Mobilization and External Relations teams to oversee the development of funding proposals and communication strategies to ensure sustainability of the country programs in the region.

Capacity Building:

• Supervise, coach and mentor Regional Cross-Functional Team, Country Representatives/Country Managers and country management teams by role-modeling leadership qualities and behaviors, delegating, and facilitating development of future country leaders.
• Provide leadership to regional tea and country teams to ensure effective cross-functional coordination to achieve impact based on collaboration, teamwork, and a good working environment.
• In close collaboration with immediate supervisor and Human Resources identify leadership development opportunities, with an eye to identifying and ensuring integrated programs at the country level.
• In close collaboration with immediate supervisor, and the global Strategy and Impact team, identify opportunities for south-to-south exchange of technical tools and resources to support innovative and successful country programming and timely technical clearance and approval of publications and presentations for conferences, donors, or other events.
• Lead cross-cutting initiatives for enhancing country leadership and country engagement in strategic, program, and policy efforts.

Leadership Competencies
Challenge the Status Quo:

• Analyzes structure, systems and processes; searches for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve EngenderHealth's programming and the organization.
• Seeks new solutions to enhance program effectiveness and strengthen the organizational structure to support program synergies.
• Reaches agreement with senior management.

Entrepreneurship:

• Keeps up to date with trends in the field; identifies opportunities for advancing EngenderHealth's mission.
• Maintains awareness of developments in the donor environment and identifies new and emerging markets; cultivates new funding opportunities and strategic partnerships.
• Strengthens the project/program and prepares for ongoing program development.

Political Savvy:

• Recognizes the internal and external politics that impact the work of the organization. Perceives organizational and political reality and acts accordingly.

Strategic Thinking:

• Formulates objectives and priorities, and implements plans consistent with the long-term interests of the organization in a global environment.
• Capitalizes on opportunities and manages risks.

Vision: 

• Takes long-term view and builds a shared vision with others; acts as a catalyst for change. Inspires others to translate vision into action.

Functional Competencies

• Align and maintain country vision with the vision, mission, principles, and values of EngenderHealth.
• Develop and implement program approaches to influence on-going stakeholder engagement and commitment.
• Envision the desired future state of the program and shape and sustain the program business case.
• Develop appropriate systems and process to ensure synergies across projects within the country & region program portfolio.
• Orchestrate attainment of value for money by monitoring and reporting to donors based on defined benefits.
• Identify, analyze and address potential risks based on risk management approach.
• Manage project implementation to ensure compliance with donor and EngenderHealth rules, regulations, and standard operating procedures.
• Review expected results in collaborative agreements, address variances, and ensure agreements reflect current priorities and needs.

Qualifications
Education, Experience and Certifications:

• A minimum of 10 years' experience in managing complex development programs of which at least 5 years have been spent in the management of a country program, preferably in West Africa .
• A minimum of a Master's Degree in Health, Public or Business Administration.
• At least 5 years' experience with management of donor programs , including public and privately-funded programs.

Specific Knowledge, Skills And Abilities:

• Demonstrated management and leadership skills working with the staff of large, multisectoral programs addressing a variety of social and health issues in developing countries
• Significant ability in working at the policy level with country officials from the public, commercial, and NGO sectors
• Demonstrated competence in working and collaborating with other donors and with a wide range of USAID, DFID, World Bank, EU and other donor-funded organizations.
• Resource development/fundraising competence
• Knowledge of RH/FP and experience in the design and implementation of health programs would be an added advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and preferably French.