Regional Director at Sightsavers

Sightsavers is an international organisation that changes lives for the long term. We work in more than 30 countries to eliminate avoidable blindness and support people with visual impairments to live independently.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: Regional Director - West Africa
Job Reference: 3325368
Job Location: Africa
Type: Permanent
Reports to: Finance and Performance Director
Responsible for: Country Directors and Senior/Programme Managers in the region.
Department: Finance and Performance

Description

• Sightsavers is looking for a Regional Director for West Africa to support the organisation into the next phase of its operations and development.
• We are seeking an ambitious Regional Director to lead operations in West Africa, leading our Country Directors to ensure our systems and programmes are delivered effectively, promoting good practice, and partnerships across project cycles, and stakeholders
• The Regional Director will provide leadership and high level oversight on all key areas of regional and country office activity. Delivering our planned strategic plans, coordinating on cross regional issues and processes, ensuring Country Directors are effectively linked to the wider Sightsavers systems and that appropriate resourcing is in place and delivers high quality programmes.
• You will use your strong relationship building and organizational skills, gained through your experience as regional manager or Head of Region, working in a complex international organisation, to ensure consistency of process, sharing of expertise, and robust systems are implemented across this vibrant, contrasting region
• You will also possess outstanding leadership and influencing skills which will help to build relationships with key stakeholders and partners of the charity.

Responsibilities
The Regional Director will be responsible for 8 Country Directors managing the following Country programmes. These are:

• Sierra Leone
• Liberia
• Cameroon
• Nigeria and Ghana
• Guinea Bissau and Gambia
• Mali
• Senegal
• Guinea Conakry, Cote D’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso.

Job Purpose

• The Regional Director will be responsible for providing leadership and high-level oversight on all key areas of regional and country office activity and performance
• This includes responsibilities within the region for line management of Country Directors, leadership and coordination on cross regional issues and processes, ensuring Country Directors are linked in effectively to wider Sightsavers systems and processes, and working with Country
• Directors to ensure appropriate resourcing to deliver high quality programmes.

Principal Accountabilities
Successful delivery of programmes in West Africa:

• Ensure that the region and Country Directors are linked in effectively to key stakeholders and processes across the project cycle so that they can deliver high quality programmes
• Working with global teams and country directors, identify and find resolution for any significant challenges that are identified within project design, inception, implementation and exit

Team Management:

• Line manage the Country Directors and any other direct reports within the Region, ensuring that each has clear objectives, that performance is monitored, and appropriate support is provided to ensure each is delivering against expectations
• Proactively review country office structure, capacity and capability with Country Directors and global teams and drive any change required to strengthen programme and operational delivery.

Country Office Support and Monitoring:

• Oversee key regional and country activities including financial and operational planning, successful program delivery and performance management of country programs
• Maintain regional oversight of key support activities in the region, including financial management, resilience management, ICT operations, human resource management and corporate services.
• Ensure country offices operate within Sightsavers’ systems, policies, and frameworks, and that key processes are effectively implemented such as child / adults at risk safeguarding, partnership framework etc.
• Ensure active country participation in all regional management structures including regular regional management meetings.
• Oversee the training, support and development of Country Directors
• Promote learning and sharing of best practices across the Region
• Ensure effective management and support for the establishment of Sightsavers infrastructure, work in any new countries, and programme offices.

Regional Programmes:

• Participate in the development, management and governance of any region-wide programmes or initiatives.

External Representation:

• Represent Sightsavers externally and in all aspects of partnership including Governments, other partners and other agencies.
• Undertake regional advocacy work when required, working closely with the global advocacy team and Regional Advocacy Advisor.
• Support fundraising opportunities when required

Global Working:

• Develop strong relationships with all relevant global teams and ensure that the regional / country perspective is reflected in all key processes / discussions
• Play an active organisational management role across various management groups including ROAR, Management Team and regional management calls
• Ensure that programme development and oversight processes are fully informed by programme experience and key issues regarding implementation are raised quickly.
• Ensure resource requirements for programme implementation are fully understood by F&P management and global teams, and are reflected within each specific project / programme design.
• Ensure the region and individual countries support the requirements of global teams effectively.

The principle accountabilities are not meant to be an exhaustive list of tasks. The need for flexibility is required and the jobholder is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee's skills and abilities whenever reasonably instructed.

Job holder Entry Requirements - The Essential Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours Required
Knowledge (Education and Related Experience):

• Significant experience of working at a management level preferably within the West Africa region or equivalent, preferably within the development sector
• Strong organisational and programme management experience
• An appreciation and understanding of the international development sector
• Experience of operating both at strategic and operational level
• Demonstrated ability to represent the organisation effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders
• Experience of financial management and control preferably in a in a multi country environment
• Experience in program support operations (security, HR, ICT, business systems, program delivery, reporting etc.)
• Ability to build cross-functional cooperation and strong working relationships between business functions
• Excellent communicator
• Attention to detail, focused and solution driven with the willingness and ability to implement innovative ideas and improve working methodologies
• Excellent negotiation skills and experience of influencing stakeholders at a senior level and effectively manage their expectations
• Demonstrated problem solver and ability to think creatively
• Ability to influence at a senior level gaining commitment and buy in to ensure delivery
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule to accommodate business and travel requirements
• Able to undertake extensive international travel (approximately 30 to 40% of time)

Skills (Special Training or Competence):

• Strong line management skills in a cross cultural context
• Distance line management skills
• Project management skills
• Financial management skills
• Strong internal and external networking ability
• Fluency in French highly desirable
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity for disabled people and protection of the vulnerable groups (women, children, adults at risk and others)

Core Behaviours:

• Strong Leadership
• Communicating and influencing
• Team working
• Planning and organising
• Change and improvement
• Decision making
• Delivery and implementation

Key Relationships
Internal:

• Finance and Planning management
• Heads of global functional teams across Sightsavers
• Country Directors
• Regional Finance and Support Services Director

External:

• Governments
• Other partners
• Other agencies

Financial Data

• Budget Responsibilities: The Regional Director oversees a region with a budget of £8.7m.

Interested and qualified candidates can also send their documents (CV's and Supporting Statement) to our retained Consultants, "Hays Executive" by e-mail to: sarah.engerer@hays.com or raj.soneji@hays.com
Or
Post your CV's and Covering Letter to:
Sarah Engerer,
Hays Executive,
1st Floor, Ebury Gate,
23 Lower Belgrave Street,
London SW1W 0NT

Click Here for more Description (PDF)

Note: The supporting statement should state why you are interested in the post of Regional Director and how you meet the criteria in the Essential Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours on Page 2 of the Job Description. All applications should be in English.