Ipas Current Employment Opportunity – Apply Now!

Ipas works globally to increase women’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights and to reduce abortion-related deaths and injuries.  They seek to expand the availability, quality and sustainability of abortion and related reproductive health services, as well as improve the enabling environment.

Ipas believes that no woman or girl should have to risk her life or health because she lacks safe reproductive health choices Across Africa, Asia and Latin America, they work with partners to make safe abortion and contraception widely available, to connect women with vital information so they can access safe services, and to advocate for safe, legal abortion.

 

Job Title: Country Director
Location: Johannesburg
Reporting to: Regional Program Director, East and Southern Africa
Direct Reports: 3 -5

Purpose of the role:

• 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 their beneficiaries at the heart of everything they 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.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Program Leadership

• Position Ipas as a sector leader in South Africa
• Lead implementation of the Ipas South Africa 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
• 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

2. 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

  3. Finance and Governance

• ​Ensure 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)
• Ensure 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.

4. External Relations and Resource Mobilization

• Build and nurture strong partnerships with government, donors, health institutions, local organizations, media, and other stakeholders
• Develop and lead the implementation of business development/fundraising plans with the support of the Development team, to ensure the maintenance and growth of the country program
• Represent Ipas and their mission at the country/regional/international level, advocating for women’s reproductive health and rights

Requirements

• Masters level degree or higher preferred, in Public Health, Medicine, International Development, Gender Issues, Policy, Administration or Related Studies
• A minimum of 15 years of increasing responsibility in team leadership and strategic program management.
• Sound operations management experiences, ability to create robust systems and processes for successful implementation of programmes.  Ability to analyze an organization’s strength of management, vision and adaptive capacity.
• Highly strategic in thinking and approach; demonstrated experience in designing, implementing and scaling up high impact programmes. Previous experience as a country director or manager for an international NGO preferred
• Experience in Public Health, SRHR, Reproductive Health – is preferred. Exposure of working with the public health system in South Africa will be very valuable.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a complex ever-changing external environment with acumen, entrepreneurial spirit, and invested in building the long-term future of Ipas South Africa.
• Proven ability to build positive working relationships with country partners, especially district/state/national government officials, international donors, local organizations and UN and bodies, sound negotiation skills.
• Experience and demonstrated success in fundraising and maintaining relationships with donors
• High on integrity and professional values
• Appreciation for rights based approaches to development.
• Understands the socio-political context (policy environment) of South Africa, experienced around influencing policy work in the country with the government and other key stakeholders like donors, bi-laterals/multi laterals, and international policy alliances
• Sound team management experience- ability to recruit, guide, influence and/or advice management teams to effectively implement programmes.

Preferred 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
• Ability to speak and write articulately about programmes for women’s reproductive health and rights, and gain credibility with a variety of audiences.
• 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
• 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 South Africa
• Entrepreneurial in approach, with the desire to ‘co-create’ and build the institutional capacities of the organization to scale up high impact programmes/interventions.
• Professional level fluency in English.

To apply

The search is being managed by The Taplow Group, a Global Executive Search Firm & Human Capital Solutions company.  Candidates interested to apply for the role should email their resumes to Ms. Rituparna Acharyya, Senior Associate, The Taplow Group.

Email ID: [email protected]

Application Deadline: Wednesday, 31 July, 2019