Country Director, Burkina Faso

Role Purpose

The Country Director leads the staff team in delivering an impactful programme in Burkina Faso. He/she sets and communicates its vision, ensures the programme is well-resourced and leads in its development and implementation, managing for results and developing a culture of reflection and learning. He/she ensures that staff understand their responsibilities and perform at a high level, manages financial resources efficiently and champions operational excellence. He/she builds relationships with key external stakeholders to effectively represent and position Christian Aid in-country, and with local partners to build capacity and ensure excellence in delivery. The Country Director also has strong internal partnerships with teams across Christian Aid in Africa and globally.

Key Outcomes

• Programme strategy & representation – setting and communicating the vision; leading the development and implementation of strategy; working with appropriate local/regional/international partners based locally to implement; successfully representing and positioning CA in the country based on thorough analysis of the context, building relationships to communicate with and influence key stakeholders in government, civil society, donors and the private sector.
• People -ensuring staff understand their responsibilities and perform at a high level, developing staff skills working as a team & individually to implement strategy and programmes. Strengthening linkages from individual to team to department to improve organisational performance and developing staff to achieve the maximum.
• Financial stewardship – managing finances more effectively and efficiently in support of strategy implementation, reducing the misuse of resources.
• Risk, Operations and Compliance – getting the basics right on managing and mitigating risks that undermine operational excellence, improving Africa’s standing on compliance as a foundation for programme delivery and quality. Ensuring policies and procedures are understood and implemented. Seizing the opportunities of digital transformation.
• Programme delivery and quality – managing for results, transparency and accountability, learning and reflection and ensuring focus on strategic priorities, partnership and partner portfolio management. Challenging programmes to deal with power and harness prophetic voice to deal with the underlying causes of poverty and drive transformational change.
• Robust country programme strategy developed**,** financed, and delivered with a portfolio of carefully selected partners (including faith-based partners) and encompassing development and humanitarian programming, policy advocacy and communications.
• Fundraising around an agreed resourcing strategy to promote financial resilience and ensure a diverse portfolio of institutional and non-institutional donors.

Essential

• 8-10 years solid field-based experience including managing large and complex multi-partner development programmes and donor-funded projects at a senior level with at least 6 years in a senior management position

• Strategic and operational Management

  • Demonstrated experience in leading strategic and operational planning
  • Extensive conceptual skills including strategic analysis
  • Demonstrated management skills in a complex international setting

• People/Relationship Management

  • • Have high levels of personal integrity. – 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

• Financial Management

  • Knowledge and experience with financial management as demonstrated by ability to:
    • Manage a complex budget
    • Effectively follow-up on internal and external audit recommendations
    • Ensure donor compliance and reporting

• Information/Knowledge Management

  • Ability to establish a learning culture within the CO and to facilitate knowledge sharing across CA

• Language Skills

  • French and English language proficiency