Job Vacancy @ World Vision – Project Director CELGA Sierra Leone

With over 70 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 34,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Employee Contract Type

International Assignment - Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Job Description

• Position is contingent upon funding and donor approval.
• Please submit your CV in English.

The Project Director Civic Engagement in Local Governance for Accountability (CELGA) will provide overall leadership, management, and general technical direction to the activity, ensuring an integrated approach to achieving project results. S/he shall be the principal point of contact in Sierra Leone for procedural and substantive matters, including technical matters and shall coordinate and ultimately be responsible for the management and implementation of the activity. S/he shall also be responsible for ensuring quality control and the overall responsiveness of technical assistance provided under the award and expected to proactively identify issues and risks related to activity implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate adjustments.

S/he will serve as the principal institutional liaison to the donor and local government entities, hence have a keen understanding of the unique political dynamics of Sierra Leone in relation to improved local government machinery with robust experience in citizenry participation and work carefully and collaboratively with civil society organizations. S/he will manage a team of senior staff and sub-recipients, will be responsible for engagement with stakeholders and will ensure quality, timeliness, and efficiency of all products and activities generated under the grant. S/he must have strong leadership qualities and depth and breadth of technical and management expertise.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and System Development:

• Directs implementation of the project’s strategic long-term vision, provides overall leadership, management, and technical direction for the activity, ensuring that activities align with the project’s vision and partners achieve the expected results.
• Overall project leadership, management, and technical direction to transform the organizational culture and capacity within the respective local and national government entities to successfully implement transformational reforms including high-quality service provision.
• Develop and maintain effective collaborations with program partners and key stakeholders.
• Work directly with local partners to facilitate capacity assessments, develop, or update capacity development plans, and support the adaptive implementation of the capacity development plans.
• Supply technical expertise on Sierra Leone’s civil society sector.
• Oversee financial and administrative functions; monitoring, evaluation and reporting of program activities; and management of program staff.
• Ensure compliance with USAID, U.S. government, and local laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary liaison between USAID, host-country government, stakeholders, implementing partners, and home office on all program related matters.
• Network to broker new partnerships and build new relationships with INGOs in the country, civil society organizations, local partners and marginalized groups in Sierra Leone.
• Maintain regular dialogue and conduct regular meetings with all relevant partners within and outside World Vision, and donors to build relationships, trust and excellent reputation.
• Develop approaches and plans for effective and sustainable stakeholder relationship management in the country.
• Work collaboratively with all units to ensure that project deliverables are met and achieved on a timely basis taking into account deadlines and priorities.

• Work with People & Culture (human resources) to recruit and effectively manage performance of staff under his/her supervision.
• Communicate clear expectations to program staff and establish an operating climate on the program that encourages integrity, honesty, open communications, and commitment to compliance with local laws, WVI and USAID rules and regulations.
• With support from respective Managers, assess staff capacity and recommend appropriate capacity building programs.
• Conduct monthly/regular staff meetings and one-to-one sessions to provide coaching and mentoring with all direct reports and other key related staff.
• Provide supervision, training and performance management coaching and feedback.
• Support Staff Learning and Development according to WVI policy.

Representation At Various Fora

• Ensure appropriate representation of World Vision Sierra Leone at strategic fora on behalf of the Senior Leadership team.
• Contribute to World Vision’s technical branding as relates to the related sector

Others

• Carry out additional responsibilities as assigned by the National Director
• Attend and participate in devotional meetings.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Minimum of 8 years of demonstrated experience leading and managing complex development programs involving multiple partners in/for developing countries, preferably for USAID funded projects.
• Strong understanding and experience in governance, civil society strengthening, advocacy, civic oversight and engagement, transparency and accountability, gender equality and social inclusion, institutional capacity development, community engagement and/or other relevant technical sectors.
• Knowledge about local government machinery within the country and how to advance improved citizen participation by ensuring effective and robust service delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain collaborative, productive working relationships with local government counterparts, civil society organizations, media, academia, private sector associations, and other key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to engage in multi-stakeholder dialogue, including sustaining partnerships and strong working relationships with donors, host country government counterparts, academic institutions, and civil society.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop staff, manage budgets and plan strategically and creatively to meet specified objectives.
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity.
• Strong representational, planning, and organizational skills required.
• Fluency in English required.
• Advanced degree in development, public administration, international relations, law, or related fields required.

• Previous experience managing USAID-funded programs highly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver effective capacity building activities and/or provide professional consultations in various areas of civil society sector support including increasing the opportunities and ability of civil society to engage in public policy dialogue and monitor implementation of policy, strengthening civil society networks, capacity development of local CSOs, and working on minority concerns.
• Knowledge of the political, social, and civil society context in Sierra Leone strongly desired.
• Experience managing sub-grants and successfully assisting local organizations strongly desired.
• USAID Cash Grant Certification with at least 10 years’ experience.
• Experience integrating gender and youth into complex programming (inclusive programming).

Work Environment/Travel

• The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 40% of the time.
• Work hours are often in excess of 12 hours per day during difficult periods of the response.

Applicant Types Accepted

Local and International Applicants (IA's) Accepted