Country Director

Specific responsibilities

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Leadership and Representation

•Lead the country program by maintaining open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting a strong team spirit and providing guidance, oversight and resources to enable staff to perform successfully in both countries.

•Develop and carry out strategies that result in strong representation with: Cameroon and CAR Government authorities at various levels; donors (including institutional, non-institutional and private), European Union; UN and other international organizations; international and local NGOs; and networks such as INGO coordination mechanisms and appropriate working groups.

•Ensure that the IRC becomes a partner of choice for major international donors in both countries.

•Develop and maintain a high level of understanding of donor priorities and planned funding.

•Initiate and sustain strong, mutually beneficial, and authentic partnerships with Cameroon and CAR based local organizations.

•Seek out and pursue opportunities to raise the profile of the work of the IRC and its partners in Cameroon and CAR, as well as the lives and the needs of the people the IRC seeks to serve.

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Strategic Direction, Program Quality and Growth

•Set the strategic vision and direction of the country program to serve more people with the most responsive and highest quality programming possible and secure the resources necessary to do so.

•Align programming to the country program strategy, sectoral expertise and technical standards.

•Ensure program quality through consistent use throughout the country program of: rigorous assessment, design, and proposal development and review processes; comprehensive monitoring and evaluation, accountability and learning systems; staff development investments; and partner organization capacity strengthening.

•Remain current on national and regional issues impacting the country program and partners and develop responsive strategies to ensure the IRC mission can be carried out appropriately in case of contextual changes.

•Ensure country programs alignment with and involvement in meeting regional objectives.

•Identify opportunities for appropriate expansion and growth of programs, including cross – border programming, supported by the acquisition and investment of human resources.

•Ensure timely submission of competitive, responsive, and high-quality proposals, and lead negotiations with donors and build links with Cameroon and CAR Ministries.

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Safety and Security Management

•Take primary responsibility for overall management of safety and security for the country programs.

•Oversee the management of all security issues, including appropriate response to emergency situations as they arise.

•Create and maintain a culture of safety and security throughout the country programs, including training and briefings that prepare all country program staff for security incident prevention and response.

•Keep security, evacuation and contingency plans current and accessible to country programs’ staff.

•Maintain close coordination and communication with the Regional Safety & Security Advisor on security concerns and evolving issues that could adversely affect IRC staff or operations.

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Staff Performance Management and Development

•Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, most of whom will be remote, including communicating clear expectations, having 1:1 meetings, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and leading documented semi-annual performance reviews.

•Provide constructive feedback and counsel on appropriate career paths and professional development for IRC staff.

•Oversee the management, coaching and development of all staff to build a cadre of skilled, committed and motivated personnel.

•Pursue nationalization of senior management positions.

•Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.

•Foster the integration of the newly merged Central African Republic and Cameroon country programs by building a cohesive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture that leverages the strengths, experiences, and diversity of both legacy teams

•Offer leadership support for successful adherence by all staff to IRC’s Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures.

•Work with regional HR staff to identify and implement recruitment and retention strategies.

•Undertake regular reviews of labor and salary markets in Cameroon and CAR for the purpose of enhancing the competitiveness of the IRC’s overall compensation package for team members.

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Stewardship and Operational Management

•Drive operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all functions and operations of merged country programs.

•Oversee the development, deployment and utilization of financial and operational policies, procedures, and systems to comply with IRC and donor requirements.

•Ensure responsiveness and appropriate levels of in-person and remote support to all offices, especially in the areas of HR, finance and supply chain.

•Provide timely and effective oversight of the Cameroon and CAR country program’s financial position, including compliance with IRC policies and donor regulations, proactive risk management, and the prevention, detection, and response to fraud and financial misconduct.

•Maintain effective and coordinated budget monitoring processes for grant funds and discretionary funds.

•Seek opportunities to introduce efficiencies and eliminate redundancies in existing business processes.

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Communications

•Model and encourage active practice of the principles of the “IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct” throughout the Cameroon - CAR country programs.

•Maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages open, honest and productive communication among IRC staff and with partner organizations.

•Maintain open communications with regional management staff, regional technical advisors, and HQ departmental staff.

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Supervisory responsibilities:

Direct reports include the Deputy Director Programs, the Deputy Director of Finance, and other support leadership positions.
This position is supervised by the Central Africa Regional Vice President.

Key working relationships
Internal: Deputy Regional Director; Central Africa Regional team; other Central Africa Country Directors; HQ departmental staff, as appropriate.
External: Partner organizations, host country government officials, public and private donor agencies, international and national NGOs, UN agencies, foreign governments, etc.