CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us, and fight with CARE.

CARE is seeking an experienced Country Director for the Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC). The Country Director (CD) is CARE International (CI)’s legal representative in the DRC.

CARE International in DRC is a growing, dynamic, diverse, and committed office with innovative and effective programming in a challenging environment. As across CARE, programming has a strong focus on gender justice, reduction of gender-based violence, and empowering marginalized groups. Humanitarian programming is an increasingly significant element of programming and managing security challenges is an important responsibility of the CD.

The CD will lead CARE’s strategy and operations in DRC towards CARE’s vision of “a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been eliminated and people live with dignity and security”. More specifically, the Country Director will drive for impact that benefits women and girls, address injustice and discrimination, and enhance the lives of poor and vulnerable communities.

The Country Director – DRC will be responsible for fulfilling the CI approved “Performance Standards of Country Offices”. S/he oversees the development, funding and implementation of the Country Office (CO) program portfolio and is responsible for adequate emergency preparedness while managing emergency programming and operations. The person in this role establishes and sustains productive relationships and political influence with government officials, donors, and strategic partners. S/he leads the CO’s fundraising strategy and ensures the CO’s financial viability. As an organizational citizen, s/he contributes to CARE’s regional, sub-regional and global strategies, shares knowledge, and supports the generation of evidence to inform CARE’s global programming.

The CD will also be accountable for competent operational and risk management, including the proper management, wellbeing, and safety of CARE staff and the proper stewardship of CARE’s resources. S/he models and ensures the systematic practice of CARE core values - Respect, Integrity, Commitment and Excellence, and also promotes Gender Equality and Diversity among CO staff and in programming.

The CD models new ways of working and drives the teams toward the CARE 2030 strategy, fostering innovation, holistic planning, and programming and helping to build effective teams, coalitions, and networks. S/he encourages on-going staff development to motivate and strengthen the teams’ resilience in the face of change.

S/he will provide strategic leadership and guidance to the Country Office team and to external partners to ensure that CARE’s role in the DRC continuously evolves for maximum impact and relevance to the environment and position CARE as a partner of choice and an influential voice in reducing poverty and social injustice.

**The person in this role is required to be fluent in both English and French.

Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain a strong and innovative leadership team, and effectively manage direct reports
• Lead the design, implementation, and evolution of the Country Office strategic plan in sync with the country and regional context, and in line with the CI vision and mission.
• Ensure that all work on humanitarian response is in keeping with humanitarian principles and is linked with the efforts to build resilience and longer-term development
• Develop a high quality and innovative strategic plan, based on thorough contextual analysis, and using an inclusive and participatory process. Monitor and revise as required
• Ensure proper alignment with CI and regional plans and priorities as well as with CARE’s strategic initiatives (Gender Equality and Diversity, Rights-Based Approach and advocacy)
• Develop and enhance relationships, partnerships and networks between the Country Office, other parts of CARE and external organizations to maximize CARE’s impact on poverty and social justice
• Direct the mobilization, management and accounting of all resources in the CO in compliance with CARE policies and donor requirements
• Identify and secure adequate funding for ongoing and future program activities on a timely basis Ensure good stewardship of the funding, negotiating acceptable terms and conditions
• Ensure Gender Equality and Diversity policies and processes are in place and monitored
• Actively promote staff wellness by monitoring staff morale and taking action as needed
• Oversee the management and development of the Country Office’s human resources to ensure a diverse, skilled, and productive workforce, where CARE Core Values are practiced
• Promote staff development and the maximization of local talent, through coaching and mentoring, talent management, succession planning and active career development
• Ensure CARE’s stance on Protection, Sexual, Harassment Exploitation and Abuse [PSHEA] is monitored and adhered to by both staff and our Partners and individuals/organizations held accountable for the violation of any policy
• Ensure appropriate workplace policies (e.g. policies related to staff security, to HIV/AIDS, PHSEA, etc.) are adhered to in order to promote fairness and equity within the Country Office

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field
• 6-8 years in a senior management position in the development field
• Strategic and Operational Management
  • Demonstrated experience in leading strategic and operational planning
  • Extensive conceptual skills including strategic analysis
  • Demonstrated management skills in a complex international setting
• People/Relationship Management
  • Demonstrated self-awareness, leadership and interpersonal skills
  • Strong human resource management skills including capacity building, coaching and conflict management
  • Experience supervising and developing a multi-disciplinary team in a cross-cultural setting
  • Demonstrated interest and ability to give feedback, develop, motivate and lead a diverse team to achieve results
  • Demonstrated use of positive coping strategies in stressful environments
• Financial Management
  • Knowledge and experience with financial management as demonstrated by the ability to:
  • Manage a complex budget
  • Effectively follow-up on internal and external audit recommendations
  • Ensure donor compliance and reporting
• Information/Knowledge Management
  • Ability to establish a learning culture within the Country Office and to facilitate knowledge sharing across CARE
• External Relationships/Fundraising
  • Experience in successfully managing various forms of partnerships with national and international NGOs, etc.
  • Experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with donors and government counterparts
  • Strong representation, influencing and negotiation skills
• Languages
  • French and English