JOB SUMMARY:
The Africa Programs Director will help to deliver our ambitious plans for the future. We are developing a new Global Strategy – towards 2020, a stepping stone to our mission of improving the lives of children and youth affected by conflict, disease and poverty.
The incumbent will lead the process of cascading the Global Strategy down to the 10 Africa Country Programs. He or she will work closed with the Africa Finance and Business Administration Director, Africa Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager and the Africa Human Resources Manager to ensure that the Country Leadership Teams are coached, engaged and empowered to achieve results for children and youth in their respective jurisdictions.
The incumbent also works closely with the program teams at Headquarters (HQ) Toronto, as well as with the National Offices in seven European and Northern American countries. He/she is responsible for strategic planning and setting a programmatic vision.
Ø Networking and representation at regional level (internal and external)
Ø New business development (fundraising) at country and regional level
Ø Program quality and accountability standard setting and oversight
The incumbent is the technical lead on all issues related to program quality for our programs in Africa. He/she supports the leadership of the country teams in development, planning and implementation of program strategies. The incumbent also supports the Vice President Africa Programs (VPAP) in overall management of the Africa Office and related country offices, and directly manages a team including an Education Officer, Program Officer, Gender Officer, Global Training and Capacity Building Specialist and Child Protection Officer.

ACCOUNTABILITIES
Regional Strategic Planning (20% of Time):
Assesses development context in the Africa region and produces the analysis that guides the development of regional and country office strategies and donor proposals.
Co-leads with the VPAP on informing organizational, regional and country office strategy setting.
Assists in the development of a well-articulated strategy for key development issues in the region such as education in emergencies strategy.
Ensures that all strategies are up to date and shared with the relevant stakeholders.
New Business Development Program Design and Management (30% of Time):
Leads on the development and coordinates the implementation of the regional fundraising plan to champion local fundraising in all countries to sustain and grow programs.
Supports the design of innovative programs that better address the needs of children and youth in the region.
Guides country teams in the development of country strategic plans, annual plans, and proposals.
Ensures smooth implementation of project administration and logistics.
Works with the Africa MEL Manager in the development and implementation of monitoring, review, assessment and evaluation plans for improved program development and delivery.
Supports the country teams to ensure timely completion and submission of all project reports, inclusive of monthly financial reports, quarterly reports, annual reports and donor reports.
Program Quality and Oversight (35% of Time):
Supports the development of Right to Play (RTP) program standards and ensures their adherence in program design and implementation.
Guides country teams to develop and deepen analytical programmatic thinking and design.
Oversees all matters related to program finance at the regional level, including review of all purchase requests, payment requests and conducts analyses of quarterly budget vs the actual.
Coordinates learning processes related to programs for all country teams including sharing of best practices and lessons learned.
Works with project teams in the development of individual capacity of country staff and organizational capacity of local partners.
Oversee all regional training efforts related to RTP Programs.
Facilitates regional-level conversations around program quality, program accountability, partnerships, gender and child protection, primarily through oversight of regional Communities of Practice.

General management (10% of Time):
Deputizes the VPAP as required.
Maintains signing authority for specific financial requirements for the Africa Office as well as the region.
Performs other duties as assigned (5% of Time)
Person Specifications

Education/Experience: (must have)
Masters’ degree or equivalent in Education, International Development Studies, or related discipline.
Minimum of three years’ experience managing multi-country programs/grants.
Experience building new funding relationships and steward existing donor relationships.
Experience in identifying and pursuing opportunities to build and strengthen partnerships.

Desired (an asset):
Other language skills, particularly French and/or Portuguese.
Experience in child and youth development.
Experience in sport and play programming for development and peace.
Experience working in a cross-cultural, matrix organization.
COMPETENCIES / PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:
Ambitious, agile and a determined strategic thinker who turns strategy into clear actions.
Experience of delivering solutions and opportunities through collaboration and partnership, with proven ability to create an environment that nurtures and drives creativity and innovation.
Entrepreneurial spirit – makes decisions based on strong commercial awareness to improve the overall organisation.
Strong networker with excellent negotiation and persuasion skills.
Inspirational leader who engages, coaches and empowers others through a clear vision with proven experience of successfully leading, managing and inspiring teams.
Experience of driving and managing change (including others) to achieve the organisation’s goals and aspirations.
Ability to work effectively and build strong relationships within a matrix structure.
Excellent spoken and written communication skills with the ability to produce documentation to a high standard and adjust content of information that needs careful explanation or interpretation to suit the needs of different audiences. **

HOW TO APPLY:
To apply for this position, please send your resume and cover letter to: AfricaHR@righttoplay.com and kindly include “AFRICA PROGRAMS DIRECTOR” and your NAME in the subject line. Please indicate your salary expectations in the cover letter.
The closing date for applications is midnight, March 7, 2017 East African Time.
1st stage interviews will be held during the week commencing March 27, 2017.
2nd stage interviews will be held during the week commencing April 3, 2017.
While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Right To Play is a child-centered organization. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children in our programs. The successful candidate will be required to provide a satisfactory police record background-check as a condition of employment.