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

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 environ