Country Manager at - Nairobi, Kenya - Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)

Description

WSUP was established in 2005 and has quickly become recognised as a leading actor in the urban WASH sector, demonstrating how multi-sector partnerships can have significant impact.

Overall purpose
A Country Manager ensures effective management and efficient delivery of a WSUP country programme.

They will work effectively with the Director of Programmes to support overall strategic development and to ensure effective operational delivery of the WSUP country programme.

They will also work with various functions within the international secretariat including:

Innovation and Consumer Needs (ICON) to strengthen project implementation, business development opportunities and innovation; Evaluation Research and Learning (ERL) to ensure WSUP maximises the understanding of its impact; Partnerships and Communications (P&C) to build a funding pipeline; and, People & Support to ensure the development and support of the Kenya staff.

Main responsibilities & tasks

Strategic direction and planning

Work closely with the Director of Programmes and colleagues in both the international secretariat and the team in country.

Provide strategic direction for the country programme which aligns with WSUP globally and contributes to achieving our strategic goals
Ensure that the appropriate vision and strategies are in place to ensure the long-term sustainability of WASH service delivery to low-income communities in urbancontexts in country
Lead on the roll out in country of WSUP's Learning & Development strategy, helping to role model and embed a culture of reflection and learning in the team

Representation and liaison

Represent WSUP, building and maintaining relationships with in-country service providers, government, funder representatives, national and international development partners, the private sector and those which have international significance to WSUP globally
Where and when necessary, due to geography or function, delegate the responsibility of representing WSUP to a colleague so that they can engage with WASH and government stakeholders
Support effective liaison with the other core country programmes and with the international Secretariat, in pursuit of achieving highly integrated programme direction and delivery

Leadership and management

Lead, motivate, and manage the country programme team in a structured, supportive style adhering to the latest practices and policies within WSUP, celebrating success and ensuring appropriate staff recognition
Adopt leadership communications to embed WSUP vision, values and priorities
Ensure the programme is adequately resourced and delivered in country, through sensitive leadership of the WSUP team and by working effectively with other WSUP functions

Management of the team

Ensure that work is appropriately delegated, and staff members are empowered to carry out tasks independently, where appropriate to their skills and capacity.

Manage staff performance, motivation, cohesion and retention according to WSUP policies including annual staff appraisals, and in consultation with the People & Support function in the international secretariat and in country
Be responsible for staff well-being, including nurturing a culture of equality and diversity
Work with the People & Support function to develop the capacity of the team, enabling a greater degree of self-reliance and confidence for the future
Support effective communications and joint working within the team and with other teams across the organisation
Ensure that use of international staff to execute work related tasks is facilitated with all necessary legal requirements of the programme country
Ensure well-coordinated management of visits of international staff including consultants to comply with programme and country requirements

Management of country programme

Be responsible for delivering against WSUP's Business Plan goals in country, including setting targets, monitoring and reporting

Finance

Be responsible for approving expenditures and disbursements which fall within the
CM financial delegated limit. Recommend to the Head of Global Programmes and
Director of Programmes all contracts and procurement that exceed the CM financial delegated limit and provide reliable information to the required detail to enable approvals to be implemented for those expenditures and disbursements

Project Management

Be aware of the wider implications of the programmes, working effectively with other WSUP functions: ERL, Finance, People & Support, WSUP Advisory and ICoN, as appropriate
Take responsibility for the provision of accurate project management reporting by ensuring that efficient and adequate project management procedures and tools are in place to enable monitoring of projects and accurate reporting of progress to funders, international secretariat, Board and in-country staff
Through the Project Leads regularly review the progress of projects against milestones and take corrective action where necessary, raising issues with the Head of Global Programmes as required
Support Project Leads in their relationship management with stakeholders, facilitating their ability to proactively identify opportunities as well as respond to existing relationships
Ensure all projects have a Risk Register, including a category for safeguarding risks, and ensure proactive management of risks across the programme

Approach and quality

Retain an entrepreneurial approach to delivery of WSUP programmes, proposing creative solutions, reducing inhibiting business factors and looking for market-based solutions
Engage in an influencing approach for the delivery of WSUP programmes, advocating for policy and regulatory enabling environments for the long-term sustainability of WASH service delivery to low-income urban communities
Be responsible for quality assurance of the services and activity delivered by the team, ensuring appropriate checks and sign offs are in place and adhered to
Champion best practice in embedding a learning culture within the team

Office management

Oversee People and Support Services for the in-country team in coordination with the People & Support and Finance teams in the international secretariat, including the provision of efficient IT services, HR support, facilities and logistics, and asset management

Partnerships & Communications

Lead in public communication and building a strong and positive WSUP brand visibility and recognition in-country, working closely with the Head of P&C
Identify and discuss with the WSUP P&C team any potential future funding opportunities which present themselves in-country and provide advice on their suitability and potential alignment with the WSUP strategic direction

Compliance

Where required (due to the existence of a WSUP legal entity in country), function as the Legal Representative for WSUP and ensure compliance with the requirements of the legal entity (tax, employment, etc.)

Ensure systems are in place to achieve compliance with local legal, HR, Health & Safety standards and with WSUP's standard operating policies and procedures, including but not limited to maintaining an up to date Health, Safety & Security Plan
Ensure contracts are issued to WSUP's standards / in-country / funder requirements and are managed effectively
Ensure strict adherence to WSUP's ethics and safeguarding policies and pro-actively encourage transparency and openness in all activities

Person specification

Evidence that applicants meet the essential criteria will be assessed by the following methods: Application (A) Interview (I), Test (T) as indicated below.

Essential
Qualifications and experience

Capability, proficiency, and previous involvement leading and managing staff members and teams of stakeholders (A, I)
Demonstrable track record of effectively building and sustaining key external and internal relationships at community and governmental level to realise hard goals (A, I)
Strong experience in managing projects funded by agencies, the private sector or governments with a track record of delivering programme goals within deadlines and budgets (A, I)

Knowledge

Good understanding of programme and project management and its governance (I)
Solid grasp of the practical realities and cultural dimensions of working in country (I)
Insight into the enabling and commercial drivers that may be key to success in the urban environment (I)

Skills and abilities

Exhibit ambassadorial and stakeholder management skills, demonstrating a collaborative approach to partnership in a cross-cultural context with strong problem-solving abilities (A, I)
Able to influence and engage effectively at a senior management level, with stakeholders and corporate partners, taking a strategic outlook, providing direction and managing change where necessary (A, I)
Motivate and develop teams to strengthen their capacity and capability through mentoring, coaching, performance management and appraisals (I)
Good communication skills; able to communicate complex concepts in a clear and concise way to non-technical managers both in writing and verbally and to provide professional advice confidently and tactfully (I)
Programme management skills including planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, financial management and sustainability (I, T)
Demonstrable commercial awareness and analytical ability, also recognising the benefits of corporate sales, product & service delivery strategies to low income communities (A, I, T)
Able to identify, prioritise and manage areas of risk (I)
Able to communicate effectively in written and verbal English (A, I)
Proficient user of Microsoft Office suite including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint (A, I, T)

Other

Commitment to the mission, vision and values of WSUP (I)
Able to carry out international visits each of 1 to 2 weeks in duration (I)
Excellent planning, organisational and time management skills, able to work well under pressure both proactively and reactively and prioritise a challenging workload (A, I)
Absolute adherence to WSUP's policies on Safeguarding, Health & Safety, Business Ethics and leading by example (I)

Desirable

Charity or not-for-profit sector experience (A)
Knowledge of managing funder grants, such as USAID or EU (A, I)
Experience of Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) for low income urban areas (A, I)
Experience of working with water and/or sanitation service providers (A, I)