Director of Program Support

SUMMARY

Counterpart International is seeking a Director of Program Support for a 3-year, $45M program in Afghanistan entitled the Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society (IPACS).  Under the direction of the Chief of Party and in coordination with US-based Counterpart staff, the Director of Program Support will provide leadership and line management to the Communications (Reporting and External Relations) team and the Gender team.  The Communication team is responsible for development of an effective and creative external relations and outreach strategy in support of the program and the production and distribution of a range of multimedia products.  The Gender team is responsible to ensure the effective integration of gendered considerations into all aspects of program delivery and design through the provision of technical assistance and on-site assessments, both within the Counterpart organization as well as within the organization and activity execution of our IPACS partner organizations throughout Afghanistan.  The Director will be responsible for the quality of program deliverables, including supervising the development and subsequent implementation of annual and monthly workplans.  The Director of Program Support may also be responsible for responding to requests for information from USAID, as well as requests for analysis and presentation of performance data.

Counterpart contracts with a leading international security management company in Afghanistan to provide top-of-the-industry, dedicated, on-site professional security support and guidance. Strict security protocols are followed to help safeguard staff.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide leadership and coordination support in the drafting of all program reports, including bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly reports.
• Provide leadership and support in external relations strategy development and outreach to partners, donors and media in support of program objectives
• Oversee the development, publication and dissemination of public outreach materials
• Provide leadership in the design and organization of roundtables, forums, and other public outreach events
• Provide leadership and support to the Gender team in design and execution of strategy, workplans and a schedule of on-site assessments and technical assistance to Gender Focal Points within IPACS partner organizations
• Support efforts to ensure the full integration of gendered considerations within the Counterpart Afghanistan organization
• Supervise and mentor a staff of approximately 15, including a Program Support Coordinator, the Communications Team and the Gender Team
• Provide leadership and managerial support to ensure gender specialists deployed by Counterpart partner, dTS, perform to expectations and are effectively integrated into the Counterpart staff and workplan
• Support t efforts to network and conduct focused outreach with government, donors and CSOs on gender related issues.

 PREFERRED Qualifications:

• 8 - 10 years experience working with international development programs in line management positions;
• Previous experience working on USAID-funded programs, preferably in Afghanistan;
• Outstanding coordination and strategic planning skills;
• Proven, positive leadership and team building skills, and ability to manage multicultural teams;
• Demonstrated commitment to mentor, enable and empower staff;
• Specialized experience in communications/outreach/media and gender programming a strong plus:
• Solid computer skills in Word, Excel and other Microsoft Office tools;
• Solid analytical capabilities and excellent data presentation skills;
• Fluency in both written and spoken English required.

 EOE M/F/H/V