Job Title: Country Director, The Gambia
Company: Self Help Africa
Location: The Gambia
Contract type: 2-year fixed term contract, full time
Reports to: Regional Director
Salary: Competitive with comprehensive benefits package
About Self Help Africa & United Purpose
In late 2021 Self Help Africa (SHA) and United Purpose (UP) merged, with our Global Office in Dublin, Ireland and a UP office in Cardiff, Wales. In early 2023 we launched a new five-year organisational strategy, which defines our shared mission as the alleviation of hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based and enterprise-focused approaches, so that people can have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment and incomes, while sustaining natural resources.
Our three values are:
- Impact: We are accountable, ambitious and committed to systemic change
- Innovation: We are agile, creative and enterprising in an ever-changing world
- Community: We are inclusive, honest and have integrity in our relationship
We require a team ready to live up to our values to encourage initiative and valuing of partnerships, thus requiring a Country Director who can model our values, and be able to build on the strengths of our teams.
We are in the process of transitioning country registrations from United Purpose to Self Help Africa in The Gambia and Senegal and these two countries form an integral part of the West Africa programme along with Burkina Faso and Nigeria. Self Help Africa is now registered in The Gambia.
Job Purpose:
The Country Director will lead the country team and take ownership for the continuation of programme growth in The Gambia in line with the organisational and country strategy. Projects in The Gambia focus on sustainable land systems, food systems, and enterprise development, with a team of around 30 staff and an annual budget of approx. euro2.5m. The majority of the team are in The Gambia and we have a smaller programme in neighbouring Senegal that the Gambia team closely collaborates with. It is planned for the Senegal programme to also grow to the point where it will have a separate management structure and programme portfolio.
The Country Director will engage with government, national organisations, in-country donors, international organisations and the private sector to design and finance innovative programmes that strengthen agricultural value chains, support entrepreneurs and their businesses and drive rural economic development to reduce poverty.
The role requires an entrepreneurial spirit that will focus on growing the funding base and exploring new income streams to increase our footprint and maximise our impact, through securing and implementing new projects.
Key Responsibilities:
Stakeholder Relationship Management and New Business Development:
- Responsible for building relationships in-country to identify new opportunities and leading the process of winning funding for new projects, aligned to the organisational strategy and the country strategic plan.
- Work to forge strategic alliances and seek out new business opportunities.
- Represent the organisation in national, regional and international fora and build the organisation’s profile.
- Ensure that the organisation is recognised as thought leaders in environmental conservation and market system approaches in The Gambia.
- Responsible for portfolio development and growth in The Gambia and secondly, to support the transition of the Senegal programme into an independent country programme under SHA registration.
Programme Management & Operations:
- Work with the wider country programme and global team to develop, present and implement the strategic vision, overall goals and objectives for the organisation.
- Work with the programmes teams to ensure all programmes are effectively implemented, monitored and evaluated, in line with our organisation approach to programme development and to M&E, so we can demonstrate our success, impact and value for money.
- Work with the programme and finance teams to roll out our localisation and partnership approach to manage mutually beneficial partnerships.
- Ensure that all donor reporting requirements are met (both narrative and financial) on time and in full, in collaboration with Programme and Finance staff.
- Provide technical expertise related to gender and development for the country programme, supporting the wider regional cluster where possible.
- Ensuring effective management of our offices in The Gambia.
- Ensure we comply with Gambia legal requirements and lead on completing the transition from United Purpose to SHA.
Development, Leadership and Staff Management:
- Manage a large and diverse team, providing direct line management to members of the Country Management Team.
- Build a culture of inclusion around our core values.
- Oversee talent acquisition, with a particular focus on championing local talent.
- To build the capacity of staff in both countries in representation, proposal writing, project reporting and profile documentation.
- Be a proactive member of the Global Leaders Team, of which the CDs are an important member group.
Finance, Audit and Risk:
- Oversee the financial and wider risk management function, and ensure programmes are delivered in a cost-effective manner, ensuring a value for money approach.
- Ensure a culture of accountability and adherence to group policies and staff welfare & security.
- Ensure compliance with all in-country legal, programme and donor requirements.
- Provide donor grant management for The Gambia projects, and ensure systems in place to support project managers, finance team, partners and sub grantees compliance with donor guidelines and contractual obligations, particularly on reporting, co-funding, procurement and visibility requirements.
- Ensure effective reporting mechanisms for management oversight as CD to keep track of project budgets, staff costs, analyse budget each month and allocate staff costs for the entire country programme based on budget availability.
Representation:
- Assist the Regional Director in building donor relations and in attending meetings with donors as appropriate and required.
- Represent the organisation with important stakeholders in The Gambia.
Communications:
- Develop communications materials to share with external and internal stakeholders and build the capacity of the programmes team to develop such materials.
Safeguarding:
- To comply with organisational safeguarding policies and practice and all other related policies and procedures.
- To ensure that the safeguarding policy and reporting channels are known, understood and used by staff.
- To work in a safe, respectful and nurturing way which prevents harm and promotes well-being across all programmes and partners.
- To work in a way that demonstrates the values of the organisation at all times.
Other:
- Other tasks as agreed with the Regional Director.
Knowledge, Experience and Other Requirements:
Essential
- Relevant degree qualification or similar academic achievement.
- Minimum of five years’ senior management experience, ideally in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Fluency in English required.
- Previous experience running multi-sectoral teams to deliver complex programmes either in a development or private sector setting in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Proven ability to secure new income opportunities through proactive and sustained business development.
- Proven ability to develop, implement and adapt organisational and business strategy.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, both in formal and informal settings.
- Strong financial analysis and management skills, with experience in ensuring governance and compliance.
Desirable
- Proficiency in French.
- Technical experience in sustainable land systems, food systems, and/or enterprise development.
How to apply
To apply for this role, please upload your completed application form (available to download from our website), CV and cover letter via the careers page on our website.
Website link: https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/country-director-the-gambia/
Only applications submitted through our website will be considered for this role.
Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
Specific roles may require Police/DBS/Garda vetting.
Self Help Africa strives to be an Equal Opportunities Employer.
