Country Manager (National)

Location : Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel to field sites

Reports to : Head of Localization

Contract length : One (1) year

Relations with Others: Country programme Team (including programme implementation partners, Finance, Transformation team, Reg. Rep (Africa) Operations and the global portfolio teams)

About HelpAge

HelpAge International is the secretariat to the HelpAge Global Network, which brings together a wide range of organisations and individuals working to promote the rights and meet the needs of older women and men, nationally and internationally.

Job Purpose

The Country Manager will have overall responsibility for the programme development, implementation, and operations, with the primary purpose of ensuring that older persons lead dignified, healthy, and secure lives. The job holder will be responsible for the delivery of quality programmes through a partnership approach, maintaining and expanding donor, government and other key stakeholder relations, financial management, human resource management, partnership, and operations management of the country office.

Key areas for impact/influence and responsibilities

Programme Development and Implementation

• Drive the implementation of an annual strategic and programme plan for HelpAge International’s work in Kenya.
• Fund raise in coordination with the Portfolios for the Kenya country office.
• Develop, in cooperation with other staff and the portfolios, short, medium, and long-range strategic plans maintaining programme focus.
• Prepare, monitor, and drive the implementation of annual operations plans and budgets for HelpAge International’s work in Kenya.
• Provide guidance and support to the team to implement project activities, hold regular project team meetings to review progress, identify and resolve challenges, where necessary.
• Ensure programme monitoring, learning, accountability, timely reporting, and financial management (including HelpAge International and donor reports).
• Keep track of the financial performance of projects and budgets, ensuring that the Kenya office operates within the boundaries of its approved annual budget.
• Ensure and be accountable for compliance with donor and internal HelpAge financial requirements.
• Deliver HelpAge’s commitment to locally led development and partner led programming and lead on the localization process in Kenya together with the Transformation team.
• Develop and deliver on HelpAge office phase out as per the country transition plan.
• Represent HelpAge Kenya at meetings with donors, relevant Clusters, UN agencies, other coordination bodies, national and local government, and other external bodies.

Operational Management

• Ensure strong financial systems and compliance through timeliness and completeness of financial reports. Work with the country finance staff in the annual statutory audit and other donor compliance project audits for the Kenya office.
• Ensure that HelpAge International Kenya complies with all local laws and regulations, particularly with respect to foreign exchange, taxation, and employment.
• Work with the Transformation team to take forward the country transition work. It includes being part of the consultations, developing the recommendation, the transition plan, and its implementation.
• Maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages open, honest, and productive communication among country staff, with partner organisations and the global team in Kenya and elsewhere.
• Oversee all HR related issues within the team including job descriptions, recruitment, performance management, development and training, health and safety, team structures, etc. in collaboration with the global HR.
• Ensure office security and updating of the security management plans.

Safeguarding

• Lead a safe working and operational culture where people can speak up securely and confidentially about concerns through a variety of channels.
• Comply with all safeguarding framework policies and practices.
• Complete mandatory training courses relating to our safeguarding policy framework and comply with HR vetting procedures.
• Include safeguarding procedures in programme design and development and include sufficient resources in programme budgets.
• Ensure that communities and beneficiaries are consulted on the design of community response mechanisms and know how to report safeguarding concerns.
• Make downstream partners accountable for safeguarding and ensure training is completed and safeguarding incidents escalated to the Board.
• Accountable to the Board on safeguarding, including sharing reports of safeguarding incidents to the Head of Human Resources within 24 hours.
• Report all safeguarding incidents seen, heard, about or suspected, using our internal reporting mechanism. Report and respond to safeguarding incidents reported by anyone connected with our work, using our internal reporting mechanism.

Person Specification

Essential

• Master’s degree in social sciences, Development Management, or related field or equivalent
• Understanding of ageing issues and previous experience working on them is a distinct advantage.
• At least 5 years’ experience in programme management in a national or an International INGO
• Demonstrable experience in strategic planning, programme development and management of complex, multi-stakeholder intervention
• Direct experience of project appraisal, assessment, monitoring, and evaluation methodologies
• Commitment to locally led development, and experience of working to support local leadership of the development process.
• Experience of leading change management processes in an organisation or team.
• Demonstrable experience in establishing networks with governments, private and public sector entities as well as development agencies.
• Demonstrable experience in preparing successful funding proposals for a range of donors.
• Commitment and ability to foster and support capacity building of staff and of national partners.
• Fluent written and spoken English and the ability to author clear reports for a wide range of audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence, communicate and negotiate with a wide range of people and organisations at all levels with tact, diplomacy, and sensitivity to cultural differences.
• Numeracy and ability to prepare and monitor budgets and accounts.
• Ability to undertake necessary travel in country.

Desirable

• Knowledge and interest of ageing, older persons’ health and wellbeing issues will be an advantage.

Key Behavioural Competencies

At HelpAge International, we believe in the importance of empowering our people to be change makers and leaders at all levels. We expect our people to embrace and live our values, challenging themselves every day to identify issues that are most important to older people and their communities, and to make an impact that matters.

In addition, as an HelpAge employee you are expected to demonstrate the following core competencies:

Working Collaboratively with Others: Work collaboratively, building mutual trust and respect, with external organisations and partners to achieve our strategic aims and objectives; being accountable for the work we do together.

Adaptability and Flexibility: Adapt to new directions or opportunities arising within the organisation and in our work area; being flexible in our role, constantly using the feedback to learn more and evolve further.

Supporting and Facilitating Change: Lead behavioural and cultural change through embracing a supportive, collaborative and highly inclusive environment where everybody feels supported, respected and engaged.

Extend HelpAge’s Reach and Impact: Extend HelpAge’s reach and impact by creating and identifying new business development opportunities and building relationships with new partners.

Diversity and Inclusion: Lead and promote a culture of including the voices of older people across our support, convening and thought leadership roles, in a way that is transformative, empowering and highly inclusive of those marginalised by gender, economic status, disability and other factors of discrimination.

Leading Others (for managers): Demonstrate strong leadership to own unit/department and manage people in a well and reputable manner. Create an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can do their best and develop their potential.

Safeguarding

HelpAge International is committed to safeguarding the communities with which we work, our partners, staff and any others who we come into contact with. The post holder will also be responsible for:

• Preventing harm and abuse from our people, operations and programmes to anyone that encounters our work.
• Reporting all safeguarding incidents you see, hear, hear about or suspect, using our internal reporting mechanism.
• Complying with all safeguarding framework policies and practices.

Completing mandatory training courses relating to our safeguarding policy framework and complying with HR vetting procedures.

SAFER RECRUITMENT

All employments at HelpAge International will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include misconduct disclosure schemes and terrorism finance checks.