The Country Director (CD) is responsible for leading and managing programmatic, financial and administrative aspects of the country program. The CD leads a skilled, professional team to plan and implement a range of programs for women’s reproductive health and rights in line with the mission of Ipas. The CD develops and executes a country-specific strategic plan, annual operational plans, and generates new funding to secure program expansion. S/he ensures good stewardship of funding, adherence to Ipas policies and standards, and achievement of Ipas’s long-term strategic goals and objectives. The CD values high performance, accountability, efficiency, and innovation, and keeps results for our beneficiaries at the heart of everything we do.  The CD is the primary Ipas representative in country, working to maintain Ipas’ technical leadership, expand the country program, and maintain strong partnerships by ensuring strong collaboration with local government, international donors and implementing partners. 

Program Leadership

• Position Ipas as a sector leader in Malawi
• Lead design and implementation of the Ipas Malawi strategic plan, in line with Ipas’ strategic plan, global vision and mission 
• Work closely with headquarters to ensure that country programming meets Ipas standards and is adequately supported by the global organization
• Develop and lead the implementation of business development plans with the support of the Development team, to ensure the maintenance and growth of the country program
• Lead and support the country program team, including strengthening programmatic and operational capacity of staff as needed
• Foster a high-trust, positive management, high-performance work culture in the country office(s), based on Ipas core values and organizational culture

Program Management

• Ensure robust systems and processes are in place in country to support operations, drive productivity, and deliver results, including the effective use of state-of-the-art program and project management approaches
• Ensure full donor contractual compliance for each project in the country portfolio, as well as compliance with Ipas's minimum standards and policies
• Promote evidence-based decision making and lead in the adoption of innovative solutions to improve country program effectiveness and efficiency
• Ensure quality is maintained through development of and support of a quality and monitoring process for continuous quality assurance

Finance and Governance

• Ensures the country program entity meets good governance requirements
• Ensure human resource (HR) systems and policies are aligned with best practices and local law, and that accountability is built into HR management processes and systems (e.g., annual performance goals, performance reviews)
• Lead in revenue growth and increased efficiency, basing strategic and operational plans on sound financial and programmatic results data
• Ensure strong financial management aligned with Ipas’ financial compliance policies and award requirements, monitoring and sharing financial performance through regular reviews and follow on actions
• Ensure robust internal controls are in place to minimize and manage risk
• Monitor safety and security issues in country, and ensure country office complies with Ipas safety and security standards and policies 
• Ensure compliance with local statutory, registration, labor, tax and other laws and obligations.

External Relations and Resource Mobilization

• Build and nurture strong partnerships with government, donors, health institutions, local organizations, media, and other stakeholders
• Lead in developing and implementing a program development and resource mobilization strategy
• Represent Ipas and our mission at the country/regional/international level, advocating for women’s reproductive health and rights 

Applied Knowledge & Skills

• Demonstrated, excellent advocacy and representational skills, including communication and diplomacy skills, particularly in the areas of reproductive health and rights, gender, human rights, public health and related areas
• Strong team leadership expertise and experience, with proven success in strategic planning, fundraising, critical thinking, and problem solving
• Strong consultation, conflict resolution, and negotiation skills
• Proven ability to build positive working relationships with country partners, especially district/state/national government officials, international donors, local organizations and UN and bodies
• Understanding of and experience overseeing key project management and compliance issues and minimum standards, including for program design, work planning, budgeting, and monitoring
• A strong understanding of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in Malawi
• Professional level fluency in English and other local language as appropriate

Experience

• Masters level degree or higher preferred, in public health, medicine, international development, gender issues, policy, administration or related studies
• A minimum of 10 years of increasing responsibility in team leadership and program management
• Previous experience as a country director or manager for an international NGO preferred
• Experience and demonstrated success in fundraising and maintaining relationships with donors

To Apply:

To apply for this position visit https://jobs-ipas.icims.com/jobs and submit your application not later than 28^th February 2018.