Contract length: one year, with a possibility of extension
Hours: full-time
Location: Multiple and some not yet determined. Currently (1) Goma - Democratic Republic of Congo or (2) Maiduguri/Abuja - Nigeria or (3) roving, home-based with deployments of up to three months
Travel: in-country travel
Reporting to: Head of International Programs
Due to the urgency of this vacancy, screening and interviews will commence immediately and the candidate can be selected at any stage before the closing date.
We offer in addition to salary:
an innovative work environment with a diverse and passionate team
20 days of annual leave and 10 days of floating holidays
Plus during deployment:
location-specific hardship allowance
accommodation
a 3-month Rest & Recuperation cycle, including additional leave and travel
The role
The Country Director leads TWB’s program with support from the Country Management Team, which they empower to perform collaboratively and efficiently. The Country Director is the primary champion of TWB’s organizational culture, they nurture a positive work environment of quality, innovation and drive to achieve. The Country Director provides strategic leadership and oversight of innovative program strategies, has overall responsibility for corporate representation and partnership building, efficient and transparent fundraising, financial management and compliance, security management, advocacy and external communication.
The roving Country Director will more specifically either support existing TWB Country Management Teams or set up and manage the initial phase of new programmatic initiatives, remotely or via short-term deployments.
Essential duties and responsibilities, other duties may be assigned
Team leadership
Recruit, lead, empower and manage the high-performing team needed for the successful development and implementation of the country strategy
Promote, model and take proactive steps to ensure a positive, innovative and supportive work environment
Maintain close contact with other TWB Country Directors and with global teams to ensure the country team learns from and shares with others in the organization
Actively promote understanding of TWB’s Code of Conduct and safeguarding and PSEA policies, and associated reporting procedures across the team, and uphold TWB’s values (below) in their and the team’s engagement with communities, partners and colleagues
Resource mobilization and management
Proactively seek and pursue opportunities to expand the depth and breadth of the program in response to need. This includes potential geographical expansion, including to neighboring countries
Cultivate and strengthen relationships with existing and potential donors and act as their primary interlocutor
Oversee the development and submission of funding proposals in order to ensure that country plans are sustainably resourced
Representation and coordination
Represent TWB and build the organization’s profile in-country, ensuring professional and productive engagement with local, regional, and national authorities, donors, private sector partners, and national and international civil society partners.
Engage with humanitarian coordination and strategy development to ensure that issues relating to language and two-way communication are taken on board by key decision makers and included in strategic documents
Media and advocacy
Lead on political and humanitarian context and trend analysis for the country.
Lead TWB’s advocacy and media efforts in the country in close cooperation with the global Senior Advocacy Officer and Communication Senior Officer to ensure that language issues are highlighted.
Act as spokesperson in-country, as delegated by the Head of Fundraising and Communication / Executive Director and proactively and constructively engage with reputable journalists to promote coverage and understanding of language issues in the media.
Design and implementation of country strategies and plans
Ensure that country strategies and plans are developed and aligned with global TWB priorities and initiatives
Lead on ensuring that TWB programs build an evidence base on the importance and impact of taking language into account in humanitarian and development programming.
Ensure that programs and projects meet their goals and targets on time and within budget
Program delivery and grant management
Lead the delivery and monitoring of program activities, in line with international humanitarian, donor and TWB standards
Specifically, coordinate with other TWB teams to promote the use of appropriate language technology to inform communication strategies and risk communication content on COVID-19 as an iterative learning and communication process
Manage program budgets, monitoring, learning and reporting in line with TWB and donor requirements, and maintain business continuity
Liaise between partner organizations and TWB’s language services team to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality translation, editing, and terminology services
Legal, logistics, security, financial and human resource management
Serve as the primary budget authority in-country, responsible for ensuring all costs charged to projects are allowable, reasonable and correctly allocated
Ensure that TWB has adequate security measures in place approved by the Global Security Focal Point and that security guidance is understood and adhered to by all team members, including visitors
In collaboration with TWB’s global finance and HR team, ensure financial, logistics and HR systems and procedures compliant with legal requirements are in place and adhered to
The role will evolve along with the overall program as projects and activities develop to reflect the changing language and communication needs.
Qualifications
The Country Director should be an innovative leader with a strong sense of initiative, an understanding of the humanitarian sector and management credentials. They should be enthusiastic about the importance of improving the quality and accountability of humanitarian action through language. The right candidate is an energetic team player and leader eager to take on the challenge of managing an innovative program in a difficult environment. They agree with TWB´s core values and can work effectively in a diverse team in country and virtually with team members based throughout the world.
Requirements
Relevant university degree required
8+ years of program design and management experience, including institutional donor grants and budget management
5+ years of international humanitarian aid experience
Demonstrated understanding of AAP, communication and community engagement work
Digital communication in community engagement and accountability experience a plus
3+ years of experience as a Country Director, Program Director, or Chief of Party with a strong reputation for developing collaborative working relationships with local counterparts and relevant state actors and agencies, international organizations, and donors, preferred
Demonstrated experience in mobilizing, organizing resources and establishing priorities
Proven experience of managing staff security in complex insecure environments
Proven ability to manage staff and build cohesive, productive teams
Excellent writing and presentation skills in English
Excellent writing and presentation skills in French for the DRC and roving positions
Knowledge of Hausa and/or Kanuri for Nigeria, Swahili and/or Lingala for DRC, a plus
Essential aptitudes
Strong diplomatic, negotiation, and leadership skills
Active listening skills, and focus on solutions
Strong ability to multitask, prioritize, and work independently with minimal supervision
Attention to detail, thoroughness, accuracy, ability to meet deadlines under time pressure, and to work quickly and steadily in a focused manner
Ability to deal with frequent changes, delays, interruptions, and unexpected events; flexibility and can-do attitude
Demonstrated initiative, persistence, ability to problem solve, and enthusiasm for learning
Good interpersonal skills; able to work well in a team-oriented, collaborative, cross-functional environment
Ability to innovate to find creative solutions; willing and interested to explore new technologies
Resourcefulness, capacity to get more out of small budgets
About Translators without Borders
Translators without Borders believes that everyone has the right to give and receive information in a language and format they understand. We work with nonprofit partners and a global community of language professionals to build local language translation capacity, and raise awareness of language barriers. Originally founded in 1993 in France (as Traducteurs sans Frontières), TWB translates millions of words of life-saving and life-changing information a year.
Core Values
Translators without Borders employees and volunteers are made of people who believe passionately about the value of this work and take personal responsibility for achieving the mission. Translators without Borders’ mission and organizational spirit embody the core values established in its strategic framework:
Excellence: As the leading voice for communicating humanitarian information in the right language, Translators without Borders is a leader in the translation industry and in the non-profit sector.
Integrity: Translators without Borders believes that every person, whether it is the people who we serve, our volunteers or our staff, has value, deserves respect and has inherent dignity.
Empowerment: Translators without Borders believes in using language to empower people around the world to control their own development and destiny.
Innovation: Translators without Borders recognizes and celebrates the power of innovation to address humanitarian and crisis issues around the world.
Sustainability: Translators without Borders recognizes that meeting our mission necessitates establishment and maintenance of a solid financial and organizational infrastructure.
Tolerance: Our staff and volunteers are highly knowledgeable and skilled; value each other, our partner and our recipients; create a supportive work environment; and, conduct themselves professionally at all times.
Translators without Borders is an equal-opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion, and encourages qualified candidates of all genders and from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.
TWB may re-advertise the vacancy, cancel the recruitment, offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration at its discretion.
How to apply:
To apply click here