Associate Director, Programs, Project Knowledge and Local Insights - West Africa Regional Office at FHI 360

Position Summary

This is a newly established position following the establishment of West Africa Regional Offices. The Associate Director, Programs, Project Knowledge and Local Insights position is necessary to support the Portfolio Director in ensuring continued high project performance and responsiveness to changing needs and opportunities. They will also catalyze strategic planning and business development, as well as provide guidance for and implementation of assigned projects.

Job Summary

Working under the direction of senior management this position is responsible for high quality delivery of projects and programs. Provides guidance for and implementation within the project/program framework, government policies and strategies, and in compliance with donor/funder regulations. Supports knowledge management, thought leadership, and business intelligence initiatives across the portfolios and takes the lead on designated special projects identified by regional leadership. Works with a team to ensure continued high performance and responsiveness to changing needs and opportunities. Supports strategic planning and business development with a focus on government (US and other) and nongovernment funding sources to position the organization as a leader in specific areas of expertise consisting of health, education, nutrition and food security, environment, economic development and livelihoods, civil society and peacebuilding, gender equality, youth, and technology. Work closely and collaboratively with the various departments in support of assigned projects/programs.

Accountabilities:

Project/Program Management

• Provide leadership and management support of a program or large/complex project, ensuring strategically coherent project/program direction, well-managed growth, and compliance with and donor regulations.
• Continually seek out ways to build the capacities of the project/program team members, individually and collectively.
• Lead efforts for sustainable project/program growth, proactively identifying opportunities for new programming initiatives and emphasizing multi-year funding to support them.
• Ensure routine monitoring visits to the field are conducted to ensure donor compliance and quality project/program implementation.
• Coordinate with the PMU and finance unit to ensure sound project management of assigned projects/programs, including contractual compliance, budget management, expense control, and timely contractual documentation.
• Develop a sound understanding of projects/programs to be able to professionally represent the organization to implementing partners, the government, and donors
• Assist the senior management in developing strong relationships with donors, assisting with visits and in the development of appropriate advocacy actions
• Forge and maintain solid cooperation with partner organizations through regular communication, cooperation and, where appropriate, joint decision-making.
• Act as the focal point for project/program-related communication between country projects/programs in the region.
• Oversee programmatic inputs to advocacy efforts both in-country and globally.
• Create a supervisory environment focused on the achievement of team and individual results that emphasizes the importance of learning, productivity, accountability, and openness
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Project Knowledge and Local Insights

• Promote systematic and high-quality project knowledge collection, documentation, analysis, and sharing in collaboration with country and regional offices, project leadership, and Strategic Growth.  
• Identify and develop opportunities for regional learning, including exchange platforms and events (e.g., Communities of Practices, webinars, etc.) and external conferences and convenings. 
• Design and implement a thought leadership agenda building on project knowledge that positions the region and the organization in key sectors in collaboration with Strategic Growth and technical leads across FHI 360.
• Develop and implement tools, processes and systems to collect actionable business intelligence and local insights from FHI 360 staff, local and regional partners, funders, and other stakeholders in collaboration with Business Development and Partnerships and Strategic Growth. 
• Fluency in French language preferred, with superior spoken and written communications in both English and French languages, and some knowledge of local languages/dialects spoken across West Africa.
• Strong customer service focus and ability to build and maintain trusting client relationships in a multicultural environment.

Applied Knowledge & Skills:

• Effective knowledge of design, implementation, and management of sector specific and/or multi- sector/international development projects/programs funded by US government or other international donors.
• Able to work in a highly matrixed organization and mobilize cross-functional teams to achieve results.
• Knowledge of various funding mechanisms, general contracting, and reporting requirements Knowledge of donor planning and reporting systems.
• Knowledge of business development processes, specifically proposal development, within an international NGO context.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and understanding of the political and ethical in countries outside of the US.

Problem Solving & Impact:

• Solid operational and tactical decision maker with the ability to handle unforeseen and often time sensitive issues.
• Decisions and actions have minimal to moderate implications for the costs and short-term goals within the department.
• Problems encountered are often minimal to moderate; narrowly defined and require basic approaches to resolve them.

Supervision Given/Received:

• Routine coordination with all employees, in the country office and with HQ.
• Expected to work well with others; develop and maintain compatibility among project staff and colleagues across projects, donors, sub-awardees, consultants, and recipients of assistance.
• May supervise staff.
• Reports to a Portfolio Director.

Education: 

• Bachelor's Degree or its International Equivalent
• Civil Society, Communication and Social Marketing, Economic Development, Education, the Environment, Gender, Health, Nutrition, Research, Technology and Youth or a Related Fields.
• Project Management (PM) Certification preferred.

Experience: 

• Typically requires 10+ years of relevant experience (including 3+ years of line management experience) in business administration, project management transformation, change management, strategy consulting, or internal corporate strategy.
• Demonstrated experience in sector-specific or multi-sector project management and implementation.
• Experience operating in insecure environments.
• Experience working in a non-governmental organization (NGO).

Typical Physical Demands:

• Typical office environment.
• Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift/move up to 5 lbs.

Technology to be Used:

• Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.