Country Director – Angola (Fluent English & Portuguese) Full Time NEW

The MENTOR Initiative (‘MENTOR’) is a humanitarian organisation specialising in disease control and improving access to healthcare in emergency settings currently across countries in Africa, the Middle East and South America. MENTOR is the leading organisation dedicated to the control of malaria and other vector-borne diseases in complex, challenging settings.

MENTOR delivers large scale disease control interventions working with remote and underserved communities affected by emergencies such as conflict and natural disasters. We also help build the technical and operational capacity of local and international partners to incorporate medium- and long-term disease control systems into their operations and country strategy.

Responsibilities and Tasks
The Country Director (CD) is required to assist MENTOR with the overall implementation of the Angola portfolio. Key to this is ensuring that programme objectives are fully achieved in a timely manner, whilst concurrently identifying needs, opportunities and informing strategic and operational responses.
The CD will lead in-country organisational representation providing leadership and overall responsibility for the management of fundraising, financial and grant management, human resource management, technical programme support, logistics support and external relations.
The CD will supervise and support the coordination of different programmes to ensure consistent levels of high-quality delivery, accountability and transparency across them all. They will directly supervise and support the MENTOR senior staff in the country, working closely with the management team to provide solid management support to all programmes.

The main responsibilities of this post include the following:
Representation
• Develop and maintain effective positive working relationship with Angolan Government representatives and relevant ministries, at national, provincial and municipal levels.
• Foster a positive working relationship with the Ministry of Health both nationally and locally, working effectively with the main partners principally the National Malaria Control Program and the National Neglected Tropical Diseases Control Program.
• Actively maintain and build good working relationships with partners, donors and all key stakeholders including other NGOs, international organisations and private sector. Participate in forums and share good practice, identify opportunities for development and emerging need.

Programme Performance and Management
The Country Director, working with the coordination team as necessary, and in collaboration with Programme Manager and Grants Manager in HQ, will support the organisation in the following:
• Oversee and closely collaborate with the programme teams to ensure the programmes are on schedule, of high quality and achieves its agreed objectives and impact in line with the donor grant agreements.
• Work to develop country-wide planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning of MENTOR’s Malaria, NTD and WASH activities alongside the programme teams with the HQ Programme Manager.
• Oversee the implementation of existing programming including development and delivery of work plans and activities.
• Supervise, develop and support the programme teams in all aspects of programme activities.
• Work with all team members in strategic mapping of programme development.
• Establish and oversee Memorandums of Understanding with local partners.
• Ensure all programmatic reporting is produced and reviewed by HQ in a timely manner as per grant and HQ stipulations.

Technical Programme Support
• Supervise and support programme coordinators to ensure effective collaboration with Provincial Health Authorities (DPS) Work, and municipal focal points.
• Work closely with DNSP and MENTOR Program Coordinators and Provincial public health department as relevant, to participate in forums, share information and build capacity in best practice for diseases control in the areas of case diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
• Coordinate with M&E officers the development of innovative reporting systems in line with program strategies.
• Provide technical guidance in specific areas related to MENTOR implementation.
General
• Ensure quality reports are produced when required by donors/MENTOR and submitted to HQ and donors/authorities in a timely manner.
Security
• Maintain overall responsibility at field level for security of all staff members. Ensure staff comply with the security policy guidelines and international and local best practices in strict coordination with security focal points.
• Regularly assess risks in Angola as related to project implementation and organisation presence. Design, implement, maintain and communicate mitigation strategies to manage identified risks.
• Oversee that security related logistical support for the operations is adequate and functional.
• Directly responsible for regularly updating HQ with clear and pragmatic security guidelines for the MENTOR mission in Angola. Including adequate security plans, evacuation / hibernation plans as appropriate.

Grant management
• Oversee the management of grants including the appropriate expenditure of funds and ensuring timely grant reporting as required with HQ.
• Support the creation of grant proposal budgets based upon an overall operating budget in standard format.
• Maintain overview of contextual needs and opportunities and identify fundraising opportunities or raising funds through drafting new proposals in consultation with HQ.
• Liaise with current and future/potential donors (as relevant), in consultation with HQ, to advance programme ideas, and share information on the status of programmes.
• Support the drafting of relevant proposals in a timely manner in a format consistent with the MENTOR Initiative and donor guidelines, which are reviewed and approved by HQ prior to official submission by HQ (or locally if agreed by HQ).

Financial Management
The Country Director, working with the Finance and Administration Coordinator will:
• Oversee the Finance Coordinator to work on proper financial reporting within Angola and to the UK, in compliance with MENTOR’s financial procedures.
• Uphold responsibility to the organisation for the financial integrity of the programme by ensuring financial resources are cost effectively utilised in the implementation of programme activities within the constraints of budgets.
• Work in close collaboration with the Finance and Administration Coordinator to ensure that MENTOR’s financial systems are maintained in accordance with the MENTOR Initiative Finance and Administration Guidelines.
• Ensure together with the Finance and Administration Coordinator monthly expenditure reporting and good accountability for all grants.
• Oversee monthly reports on expenditures to HQ financial services unit within required time frames.
• Oversee monthly expenditure predictions and ensure requests for cash are sent to the HQ financial services unit.
• Oversee Finance and Administration Coordinator maintains basic payroll functions monthly.
• Ensure compliance with all local government taxation and labour regulations.
• Ensure compliance with donors’ guidance, specially related to fraud, corruption and misuse of funds prevention.
• Provide timely reporting to the HQ financial services unit for all grant agreements, whilst ensuring full compliance with all grant agreements for financial reporting and procurement.
• Ensure HQ authorisations are established for all new grants, local policies and commitments.

Human Resource Management
• Oversee HR processes for all staff including recruitment, induction, appraisal and other procedures.
• Maintain overall line management of senior staff members, whilst ensuring their effective management of programme staff.
• Ensure that all contracts, code of conduct, internal rules and regulations are adhered to and respected by all members of staff.
• Review and amend the internal regulations and policies for MENTOR team members in accordance with national labour law.
• Ensure the effective implementation of staff performance reviews/appraisals in a timely and constructive manner.
• Manage and support international consultants to ensure that all staff co-ordinate, plan and implement all activities at scale to meet the programme objectives.
• Coordinate weekly and ad hoc general team meetings, as well as senior programme management team meetings to ensure that the team works harmoniously to meet the needs of the programme.
• Ensure consistency in the application of MENTOR rules and regulations and standard operating procedures and oversee review updating and addition of new SOPS as necessary.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding policies and procedures and appropriate reporting channels.
Logistics

The Country Director, working with the Finance and Administration Coordinator and Logistics Coordinators will:
• Oversee that all procurements are in accordance with MENTOR procurement guidelines.
• Oversee the good management of all assets, including fleet and equipment.
• Oversee that there is consistency of warehouse management and stock control with established MENTOR protocols and procedures as necessary.
• Ensure with Finance and Administration Coordinator that logistical filing systems to include all equipment manuals, maintenance schedules and logs documentation e.g. waybills.
• Ensure maintenance of all communication equipment and installation of these when necessary. Ensure the proper use and training of all staff in the use and respect of communication equipment and procedures.
• Coordinate with other agencies to maximise resource sharing and combined approaches to communication and transport.
• Communicate with field teams and base(s) daily in accordance with general procedures and security guidelines.
• Provide daily coordination of transport activities by road, and air if needed, as per the daily programme activities.

Communication
Internal:
• Ensure clear and regular communication between the field bases.
• Chair regular general coordinator team meetings, reporting relevant updates to HQ.
• Ensure weekly communications with HQ for updates on programmes and management. This should include identification of areas of weakness and strengths and recommendation for improvement in implementation and performance of the related tasks.
• The Consultant will also be required to submit a final report at the end of their contract detailing the overall accomplishments, challenges and analysis of the ways in which the organisation may best achieve ongoing objectives in relation to the programme.
External:
• Assist HQ Programme and Grants managers with field related information for external reports and/or donor proposals.
• Attend meetings with other NGOs, stakeholders, government and private sector, as appropriate.

Other:
• Periodically support MENTOR international training courses in mutual agreement with the MENTOR CEO.
• Work with MENTOR to share best practice across the organisation as required.
• Any other reasonable duties as prescribed by the Director of MENTOR, or the Programme and Grant Managers.

Job requirements:
– At least five years’ work experience managing programmes related to international health issues in emergency or low- and middle-income country settings. Previous experience as a Country Representative/Director preferred.
– Relevant post-graduate degree or advanced studies in programme management
and/or public health.
– Familiar with NGO working environments and standard procedures.
– Proven experience with donor’s procedures, project management, HR management, finance and logistics.
– Organized and good coordination / able to work under pressure.
– Experience of managing teams.
– Excellent communication, analytical, organisational, interpersonal and cross-cultural skills.
– A strong interest in innovative disease control at health systems and community level.
– Solid experience in proposal development.
– Fluency in English and Portuguese is essential.

Tagged as: Angola, MENTOR Initiative