Country Director - Zambia

Job Description

A qualified Country Director will require multiple, proven skills to lead all aspects of country operations. These skills and requirements will generally fall within four areas: 1) managing ongoing contractual obligations including adherence to workplans, budgets and deliverables; 2) managing human resources, including identification and fulfillment of HR gaps and mentoring and communicating with staff to effect their greatest level of achievement; 3) building and maintaining strong relations with donor (e.g. USAID, UNICEF, etc) and relevant Government points of contact; and 4) pursuing business development opportunities that will sustain and grow country operations.

In collaboration with the organisation’s senior management, the Country Director will set vision and culture at Akros-Zambia striving for excellence in all projects and relationships to contribute to the continued improvement of health and well-being in Zambia through data-driven systems.

Key Requirements:

• Master’s Degree in a related field and at least 10 years’ experience in a senior, leadership position;

• Minimum of seven years’ field work experience in developing countries, including at least four years’ experience as a Country Director in at least two countries;

• Proven success in securing and delivering on large, multi-year projects with sovereign donors (USAID, UNICEF, etc);

• Past performance leading contract/grant tracking, proposal and negotiations, with strong evidence of increasing levels of responsibility and increasing levels of revenue earned;

• Minimum of $100m in total contractual or grant revenue secured in career;

• Demonstrated ability to engage and empower staff members to solve public health problems in a forward thinking and sustainable manner and to foster a learning environment;

• Exceptional understanding of technical areas currently maintained by Akros: Malaria, HIV/AIDS, WASH and health management information systems (HMIS);

• Exceptional critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills;

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment, to lead and motivate staff, to promote productivity in an engaging work environment, and to fill human resources gaps;

• Solid diplomatic and representation skills including the ability to effectively establish, manage and strengthen a variety of internal and external relationships, including donor and government relationships;

• Strong oral and written English skills, including the ability to present to groups of all types and sizes;

• Demonstrated financial management experience, including the ability to effectively develop and manage program budgets and compliance issues with a wide range of donors and portfolio sizes;

• Demonstrated ability to work flexibly, in a calm and collected manner in a high-pressure, fast-paced team environment;

• Demonstrated ability to set and track realistic work-plans and time lines for projects that rely on data for decision making;

• Demonstrated ability to streamline work flows and organizational processes to improve the work environment and make internal processes more efficient and effective.

Term, Location and Salary:

This position will be based in Lusaka, Zambia and will require travel within Zambia as well as some regional travel. A relocation package will be offered to candidates not currently stationed in Lusaka. The contract will be offered for an initial period of two (2) years, with an estimated start date of May 2016. The salary target for this position will be highly competitive, commensurate with the high level of productivity and value this position requires. Actual offers will depend on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience.

About the Organization

Akros is a cutting edge organization that establishes data-driven systems that improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged communities. We pride ourselves in our ground-level knowledge of the health systems where we work, and our ability to provide novel, lasting solutions implemented in developing regions.

Akros is rapidly expanding and is seeking an exceptionally dynamic and proven leader for the Country Director position in our primary country of operation, Zambia. Our operations in Zambia have forged much of Akros' in-house capabilities and tools, which are now being shared throughout the developing world. The Lusaka-based team of expatriates and local hires maintain a large, diverse portfolio. This country office is poised to continue to exceed client expectations as well as to drive the delivery of health innovations to local communities in novel yet sustainable ways. We are excited to on-board a passionate, resolute and forward-thinking leader to take Akros to the next level.

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