Country Director at PACT

Department Name: Program Delivery

Department Overview

• Building local promise in Nigeria since 2005, Pact has worked as a partner of the Federal Government of Nigeria, civil society, private sector, and communities to improve access to health services and foster capacity development for local ownership of development and long-term sustainability.
• Pact’s work in Nigeria has focused on supporting partners to advocate for better service delivery and improved governance systems, better response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and maternal and child health issues, strengthen civil society, and increase civil society and government linkages.
• By leading with Pact’s proven capacity development approaches and tools, Pact has seen Nigerian civil society organizations improve their capacity, strengthen partnerships with each other, government, and the private sector, and deliver high quality health services in communities across Nigeria.
• Pact’s portfolio of work has included funding for health, capacity development and governance programming from USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Chevron.

Position Purpose

• The Country Director coordinates, manages and increases visibility and funding for Pact programs in Nigeria.  S/he prominently positions Pact as a leader in the field of capacity development and governance for health in Nigeria and as a successful partner in the development and cost effective implementation of a diverse portfolio of donor-funded programs.  The Country Director works closely with Pact’s in-country and Pact DC staff to conceptualize and plan program development activities, diversify funding resources, and build on country and international best practices.
• The Country Director also provides strategic leadership and managerial oversight of the administrative, programmatic, technical, financial and operational aspects of Pact’s Nigeria portfolio including technical leadership; team management and mentoring; donor, government and partner liaison; new business development; and oversight of programmatic and financial management and reporting.  S/he ensures that systems are in place and being properly implemented, ensuring that all Pact’s activities and programs are in alignment with Pact policies and guidelines.
• The Country Director oversees the proper stewardship of resources as well as the well-being and safety of Pact staff. S/he ensures that program objectives are met, all activities are responsive to the needs of the host country and donors, and the program continues to advance and play a key role in contributing to Pact’s development within Nigeria.
• The Country Director reports to the Regional Director and supervises all in-country staff.

Key Responsibilities
Program Management:

• Oversee country office programming to ensure the effective and efficient delivery and implementation of projects and are in line with Pact's and donors’ standards for program quality.
• Oversee the timely deployment of financial and human resources for program success and attainment of desired results/indicators, ensuring that all project deliverables are met in a high quality, cost effective and timely fashion.
• Ensure that proper program monitoring and evaluation systems are in place.
• Make periodic visits to field sites, to monitor the status of projects.
• Liaise directly with donors to ensure continued alignment and responsiveness.

Strategic Planning:

• Participate in Pact worldwide strategic planning processes.
• Lead the preparation and implementation of a high-quality country-office strategic plan appropriate for the local and regional context, complementary to government & donor development plans and in line with Pact’s overall vision and mission. Develop the plan in an inclusive and participatory process.
• Ensure that Pact continues to develop and strengthen programs based on strategic analysis of the local country context.
• Ensure understanding of strategic plan and approaches by all staff and key stakeholders.
• Coordinate in-country marketing and promotion of Pact. Ensure strategic growth for Pact in line with strategic plan and/or theory of change.

Networking, Alliance Building and Collaboration:

• Ensure strong cooperation and collaboration with partners, donors, government, and other key stakeholders as a base for building/maintaining/expanding a sustainable country and regional program
• Coordinate and collaborate with Pact DC and Pact’s regional staff. Promote similar collaboration amongst local Pact staff.
• Contribute strategically, through participation, in relevant, existing forums in building a vibrant civil society sector and influencing policy.
• Maintain and expand senior external relations with government, community, civil society, and international stakeholders.
• Represent local Pact operations to Pact DC.
• Assure smooth flow of information from Pact DC to staff and vice versa.

Business Development:

• Generate financially viable program pipeline in line with Pact strategy and assist in identifying, securing, and growing new funding opportunities for the country portfolio.
• Involve relevant CO and Pact DC program, grants, management and other staff in identifying and pursuing new business opportunities
• Provide in-country leadership as well as collaborate with Head Office in pursuing new business opportunities and partnerships with bilateral donors, multilateral donors, foundations, private sector, and others

Finance, Administration, Grants and IT:

• Provide oversight for all administrative and financial operations to support the programs.
• Consistently monitor the country office’s financial position and ensure the best use of available resources. This includes overseeing the development and review of country office annual budget and project budgets, oversight of financial transactions and reports, maximizing cost recovery from restricted grants.
• Maintain up to date understanding and adherence to Pact’s policies and procedures amongst all country office staff.
• Ensure adequate internal controls are in place to protect the country office’s financial and non-monetary assets and to ensure the resources are used in accordance with donor terms and conditions. Review and follow-up on internal and external audit recommendations.
• Ensure the country office operations are conducted in accordance with all statutory and tax requirements.

Human Resources:

• In cooperation with Pact HR, oversee the management and development of country office human resources to ensure a diverse, skilled and productive workforce and promote an organizational culture where Pact’s values are practiced.
• Oversee the establishment and functioning of a strong, effective senior leadership team.
• Ensure strong human resource strategies and systems are in place and are properly implemented in areas such as recruitment, staff development, and performance management.
• Ensure appropriate workplace policies to ensure fairness and equity are developed and used (e.g. policies related to HIV/AIDS, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, etc.)
• In cooperation with Pact HR, oversee the establishment and regular review of compensation package to ensure competitiveness.
• Actively promote staff wellness by monitoring country office organizational health and taking corrective actions as needed.
• Ensure the proper implementation of Pact’s performance management system for direct reports. This can include: proactively addressing performance issues through regular, constructive and honest feedback and coaching and identifying necessary staff development for direct reports.
• Support continued growth of local staff through strategic, deliberate internal capacity building
• Ensure levels of authority and responsibility are clearly defined, understood and followed within the country office.
• Invest in consistent team building to increase cohesion between staff in all geographic areas of the country.
• In cooperation with Pact Security Director, oversee the management of Security and Safety Administration in line with the local context and in alignment with Pact DC security guidance; keeping key Pact staff abreast of any security issues, as they arise.

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in International Development or related field required;
• Minimum of twelve (12) years of relevant experience.
• Fluent English language skills, both written and spoken;
• Willingness to travel within Nigeria.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in International Development or related field
• Experience in development programming in Pact’s strategic impact areas (health, livelihoods, natural resource management) and/or approaches (capacity development, governance, engaging markets)
• Proven experience leading fundraising efforts that led to successful awards.
• Experience managing large scale donor funded project(s); demonstrated knowledge of and familiarity with managing donor policies, rules, regulations, and procedures;
• Experience in personnel management in large and complex teams.
• Experience working with local partners, sub-granting and procurement processes;
• Demonstrated skills in strategic and program planning;
• Experience working in a developing country; experience in Nigeria and/or West Africa is a plus.

Leadership:

• Sets strategic vision for the country office
• Ability to sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with internal colleagues and contacts in donor and peer organizations
• Consistently works within internal process and procedures and ensures others do the same
• Strong interpersonal and team building skills
• Ability to focus and achieve results

Project Management:

• Excellent planning and resource management skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to effectively present complex ideas to diverse audiences
• Ability to problem-solve complex issues
• Ability to multitask with ease and grace, balancing and adapting to frequently changing priorities
• Advanced negotiating and conflict resolution skills
• High proficiency in managing budgets

Technical Skills:

• Knowledge and understanding of donor policies and regulations
• High competence using common desktop applications and internal systems
• General understanding of development challenges and operating environments

People Management:

• Experience in supervising staff, including effective delegation and/or task/role assignment and providing honest feedback and accountability for performance
• Ability to mentor others and model successful management techniques and approaches

Business Development:

• Demonstrated experience in fundraising and mobilizing new business with mainline bilateral donors
• Experience and exposure to private sector engagement including Private-Public Partnerships (PPPs)
• Experience and exposure to social enterprises development and renewable energy will be an added advantage.