Back COUNTRY DIRECTOR - SIERRA LEONE

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us, and fight with CARE.

CARE, Sierra Leone is seeking an entrepreneurial and forward-thinking Country Director (CD) to lead CARE’s strategy and operations in the country and drive for impact that benefits women and girls, enhances the lives of poor and vulnerable communities, and addresses injustice and discrimination.

The Country Director provides strategic leadership and guidance to the Country Office team and to external partners to ensure that CARE’s role in the country continuously evolves for maximum impact and relevance to the environment and to the people we serve. The CD will oversee the development, funding, and implementation of the Country Office (CO) program portfolio, position CARE as a partner of choice, and will be responsible for adequate emergency preparedness while managing emergency programming and operations.

The person in this role will lead the CO’s fundraising strategy and ensure the CO’s financial viability. As an organizational citizen, the Country Director will contribute to CARE International’s (CI’s) global strategy, share knowledge and support the generation of evidence to inform CARE’s global programming and will also be accountable for competent operational and risk management including the proper management, well-being and safety of CARE staff and the proper stewardship of CARE’s resources.

In summary, the CD models and ensures the systematic practice of CARE’s core values – (Transformation, Integrity, Diversity, Excellence, and Equality), promotes Gender Equality and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion among CO staff and in programming. The Country Director will model new ways of working and drives the teams toward CARE’s 2030 vision, fostering innovation, holistic planning, and programming and helping to build effective teams, coalitions, and networks all while encouraging ongoing staff development to motivate and strengthen the teams’ resilience in the face of change.

Main Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain a strong, innovative senior leadership team
• Lead the development, implementation, and evolution of the Country Office (CO) strategic plan
• Oversee CO programming to advance CARE’s vision and mission, in line with CARE’s Program Strategy and standards for program quality
• Direct the mobilization, management, and accounting of all resources in the CO
• Oversee the management and development of CO human resources to ensure a diverse, skilled, and productive workforce
• Establish and sustain productive relationships and political influences with government officials, donors, and strategic partners
• Ensure full compliance with CARE’s and donors’ rules and regulations
• Develop and enhance relationships, partnerships, and networks between the CO, other parts of CARE, and external organizations to maximize CARE’s impact on poverty and social justice

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field
• 6-8 years in a senior management position in the development field
• Demonstrated experience in leading strategic and operational planning
• Extensive conceptual skills including strategic analysis
• Demonstrated management skills in a complex international setting
• Demonstrated self-awareness, leadership, and interpersonal skills
• Strong human resource management skills including capacity building, coaching, and conflict management
• Experience supervising and developing a multi-disciplinary team in a cross-cultural setting
• Demonstrated interest and ability to give feedback, develop, motivate and lead a diverse team to achieve results
• Demonstrated use of positive coping strategies in stressful environments
• Manage a complex budget
• Effectively follow-up on internal and external audit recommendations