Country Director, South Sudan - Reuters AlertNet

Position Title

Country Director, South Sudan

Location

Malakal, Upper Nile and Juba.

Benefits

Travel to and from duty sites, vacation, regular R&R leave, accommodation, and insurance as per War Child Canada contractual standards.

Start Date

As soon as possible

Salary

Commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Contract

1 year, provisional on successful performance review after 3 months, extendable.

Reports to

The Country Director reports to the Director, International Programs at War Child Canada Headquarters (Toronto, Canada) on all result areas.

Background

 War Child Canada (WCC), a registered Canadian charity based in Toronto, Canada that provides humanitarian assistance to children and families affected by war, is currently looking for a qualified individual to fill the position of Country Director, South Sudan. Founded in 1999, War Child Canada works with war-affected communities to help children reclaim their childhood through access to education, opportunity and justice. War Child takes an active role in raising public awareness around the impact of war and the shared responsibility to act. WCC is currently operational in seven countries: Afghanistan, DRC, Ethiopia, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Uganda.

Context

WCC has recently secured funding from CIDA for four years to initiate an entirely new country program in the Upper Nile area of South Sudan, focusing on youth engagement to reduce young people’s vulnerability to conflict and to improve their future opportunities. The program is composed of three areas:

1. WCC’s comprehensive life-skills training will be delivered to youth, who will then be supported to apply their skills through community action initiatives.
2. WCC will provide opportunities for out-of-school youth, especially young women, to return to formal schooling, and to improve literacy and numeracy skills to improve their chances of securing safe and sustainable livelihoods.
3. WCC will create opportunities for young people to gain the knowledge and skills to secure dignified economic employment and income for themselves and their families through vocational skills training and business development support.

Position summary

WCC’s Country Director will be based in Malakal for at least the first six months of posting, then will split their time on an approximate 50/50 basis between Malakal and Juba. The Country Director, reporting to WCC’s Director of International Programs in Toronto has overall responsibility for leading and managing the WCC country program and operations including all start-up operations and recruitment of local staff. The Country Director will establish a country strategic plan until 2016 and ensure that WCC programs and operations are consistent with the strategy. Additionally, the Country Director will ensure that the program is effectively implemented, monitored and evaluated, seeking opportunities for fund development and representation among key networks in Juba to ensure the sustainability of the program.

Duties

Time: 25%

Management and oversight of War Child Canada’s country program

• Overall and final responsibility for the supervision and management of the South Sudan country program.
• Provide support and direction for implementation and follow-up of workplans and logframes for all project activities.
• Responsible for providing overall oversight for the monitoring and evaluation of projects.
• Overall responsibility for budget and financial management of project.
• Oversee the fulfillment and contractual obligations of all narrative and financial reporting requirements
• Oversee the development and management of a Country Strategic Plan, in close collaboration with HQ and field staff.
• Produce annual plans and reports.

• Any other duties as required.

Duties

Time: 25%

Fundraising

• Enhance WCC’s program through donor engagement and proposal development.
• Responsibility for in-country fundraising with institutional donors.
• Actively develop and maintain donor relations.
• Responsible for the development and completion of funding proposals, in collaboration with HQ.

Duties

Time: 15%

Financial Management

• Overall responsibility for in-country financial management, including reporting to headquarters.
• Maintain efficient financial controls, accountability standards, procedures and records.
• Prepare budget and monitor budget-spending; take appropriate action concerning budget/spending deficiencies or surpluses.

Duties

Time: 15%

Maintain network of contacts and representation

• Initiate and engage in extensive collaboration and consultation with local and central authorities, INGOs, national NGOs and local communities.
• Ensure appropriate communications, information exchange and sharing with local partners and with headquarters.
• Share project 'lessons learned', support communication activities, field visits, etc.
• Represent WCC in meetings and coordination platforms in Malakal and Juba.

Duties

Time: 10%

Human Resource Management

• Responsible for the oversight of all WCC staff in South Sudan.
• Oversees the recruitment of local staff as necessary, with support from HQ.

Duties

Time: 10%

Security and Logistics Management

• Assist with the administration, security and logistics of WCC offices as required.
• Maintain internal and external contacts with relevant parties and authorities related to security in order to be well informed about security developments at all times.
• Final and direct responsibility for security management.
• Monitor the security context of the country to manage and mitigate security risks.
• Regularly update and implement WCC’s security procedures and plans in coordination with Operations Manager at HQ.

Education, experience, knowledge, skills

Knowledge

• Relevant academic background (e.g. Masters Degree or equivalent in International Development, Social Sciences, International Relations, Law, etc.).
• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of gender and diversity issues.
• Knowledge of youth engagement programs, legal protection, education, livelihoods and/or child rights.  

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years senior management experience including experience of strategic planning processes.
• Demonstrated track record in successful fundraising and donor development strategies.
• Demonstrated track record in project, financial and HR management, including mentoring of national and international staff.
• Experience managing security in a conflict affected environment.
• Previous experience in South Sudan desirable.

Skills and abilities

• Demonstrated leadership abilities.
• Well-developed analytical and strategic planning skills.
• Detail and team oriented with strong organizational and leadership skills.
• Effective time-management skills with the ability to multi-task and manage multiple time-sensitive priorities.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with individuals from a range of backgrounds.
• Ability to manage finances, logistics, and operations.
• Strong writing and project management skills.
• Able to work sensitively in challenging and delicate environments.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Affinity with War Child Canada’s mandate.
• Creative, energetic, adaptable and flexible.
• Stress-resilient to be able to cope with deadlines and complex problems.
• Able to take initiative, work independently and able to travel regularly.

Application process

INTERESTED APPLICANTS ARE INVITED TO SEND A CURRICULUM VITAE AND AN ACCOMPANYING COVER LETTER ELECTRONICALLY TO:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please ensure your application email has the subject heading of ‘Country Director, South Sudan – [insert your name]’

Only those applicants selected for an interview will be notified. No phone calls please. For more information about War Child Canada, please visit www.warchild.ca.

Deadline

25^th June, 2012