Country Director Job at American Refugee Committee (ARC) - in Uganda

Vacancy title: Country Director
Reporting to: Senior Program Manager
STATUS ): Full Time

SUPERVISORY CAPACITY: Program employees and local staff

COUNTRY PROGRAM MISSION: The American Refugee Committee (ARC) is an entrepreneurial humanitarian organization that assists displaced people to move from vulnerability to resilience, from impoverishment to a basic level of well-being, and from exclusion to inclusion. ARC has been provides humanitarian relief and development assistance in Uganda through meaningful engagement with refugees
and internally displaced people, innovative human-centered program design, and rigorous attention to outcomes. ARC provides multi-sectoral programs that include water and sanitation and protection. Program funders include UNHCR, and BPRM.

PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
Based in Kampala, the Country Director is responsible for building ARC’s reputation for innovative programs and for overall growth and execution of quality programs in Uganda. In collaboration with the
people we serve, will identify and validate the needs, and pain points, of beneficiaries as well as donors, and then craft programs that address those needs.

The Country Director will develop and secure funding for these high-quality programs, and will provide strategic leadership and operational management to the team in Uganda. Will maintain good communication between headquarters and country offices and work in close collaboration with Program Management,
Government Affairs, Finance and Grants Management as well as Development and Communications, to align strategy and implementation activities.

MAJOR AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY PRIMARY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Development

Lead the development and execution of ARC’s Ugandan resource mobilization

strategy.

Develop innovative initiatives with a long term vision.

Assess current and potential needs of refugee and other vulnerable

populations. Design new initiatives that respond to the evolving needs of affected

communities.

Facilitate development and achievement of country strategy and develop strong

revenue projections.

Proactively cultivate relationships with new donors, analyzing the funding

environment and trends, and fostering a proactive approach to new funding

opportunities.

Manage collaborative proposal development process to ensure proposals are

strategically aligned, technically strong, achievable and realistically budgeted.

Manage staff responsible for financial and narrative report writing and

submission to donors in a timely manner

Ensure that team is monitoring burn rate and meeting monthly projections.

Diversify funding and develop key contacts with USAID and other major donors

and foundations.

Build and strengthen external relationships and represent ARC with donors, the

host government, international and national organizations; facilitate partnerships

with other organizations for programming and advocacy.

Build capacity of Ugandan team to write successful proposals, providing training

and coaching to increase the confidence and skills of staff.

Liaise and promote cooperation with other agencies and governmental entities.

Participate in interagency and governmental meetings.

Program Management

Ensure program targets and quality standards are achieved, maintaining

frequent communication with ARC headquarters to promptly identify and resolve

challenges.

Implement solid program management disciplines to ensure program

effectiveness, quality and innovation.

Coordinate all aspects of programming with other ARC programs and initiatives

as appropriate. Communicate and oversee the establishment and implementation

of program objectives, activities, evaluations, and assessments.

Ensure that program teams have the necessary tools, resources, information,

and assistance to deliver services that meet or exceed internationally accepted

standards and protocols.

Support learning from success and failure, documenting best practices and

facilitating collaboration.

Administration

Liaison with headquarters and ensure headquarters policies and plans are

carried out.

Monitor the security situation and ensure security protocols and procedures are

followed.

Ensure proper maintenance of procurement and inventory management

systems consistent with donor guidelines and ARC policies

Personnel Management

Select, hire, orient and mentor professional and productive international and

national staff.

Ensure staff is properly trained and performance expectations are clear.

Review and adjust organizational structure and job descriptions as needed to

provide clear work expectations and adequate resources for achieving program

goals.

Conduct annual performance reviews and support staff in their ongoing

professional development.

Work collaboratively with headquarters as needed to respond to and manage

employee and work environment issues.

Ensure operating policies, procedures, and communication protocols are clear

and consistent.

Financial

Develop and monitor the annual operational budget, and ensure timely

management of financial reporting, audit compliance, and cash flow.

Ensure there is a core operational budget

Monitor all financial expenditures including burn rate, accounts payable, petty

cash, etc. Ensure all fiscal controls and donor required policy controls are carried

out.

Provide oversight of country program budgets and management of program

spending. Anticipate potential funding gaps, develop contingency plans, and

closely monitor costs to prevent uncovered program cost.

Prepare and submit activity reports to donors as well as monthly updates to

headquarters.

ANY OTHER DUTIES AS REQUIRED

EDUCATION, TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:

Minimum five years (seven years preferred) high-level international

management experience, with good knowledge of the principal players, issues,

policies and trends in the international humanitarian arena.

Knowledge of the regional political and social conditions.

Familiarity with US government, UN, private, and multi-lateral funders.

Experience with the development actors is preferred.

Demonstrated financial management experience with NGO’s.

Demonstrated success in program development, implementation, project

monitoring and evaluation.

Proven strong negotiation skills.

Ability to manage a diverse team effectively, balance the interests of different

stakeholders, and provide excellent leadership by maintaining a constructive work

environment and setting a positive example.

Excellent organizational, administrative and management skills. Ability to

prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Experience working in conflict, post-conflict and/or development settings;

previous experience in Uganda and central East Africa a plus.

Undergraduate degree required.

KEY BEHAVIORS & ABILITIES:

Commitment to personally champion ARC’s program vision and mission and

inspire others to do the same.

Excellent written and verbal communication, including effective presentation and

facilitation skills

Strong leadership and management skills including strategy formation, process

improvement and team building.

Excellent strategic thinking, process management and problem solving skills

Collaborative, result-oriented management style.

Initiative, resourcefulness and innovation.


Experience in managing multi-cultural and multi-level (numerous offices)

programs.

Strong participatory leadership and interpersonal skills. Ability to motivate staff

and lead a high performing team in a politically sensitive environment.

Strong oral and written communications skills; strong computer skills.

Fluency in English required.

Fluency or working knowledge of local languages desirable.


Application procedure

http://www.arcrelief.org/site/PageServer?pagename=careers_jobs

Deadline of this Job: 18/04/2013