SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
- The Director reports to the Office of the Vice President for International Programs.
- The Director is the Foundation’s ambassador in the region to many important constituencies.
- The Director manages, coaches, galvanizes and works closely with a small team of program staff in developing, monitoring and evaluating integrated grant programs and projects in support of regional goals.
- The Director is responsible for implementing the office strategy in Civic Engagement and Government.
- The Director will ensure the grants and activities supported under its Civic Engagement and Government program in the MENA region contribute to this goal.
- The Director maintains effective ties and promotes strategic partnerships with local leaders, governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, the media and other donors to leverage new resources, scale impact, and advance the goals of the office.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Specifically, the Director will:
- Be accountable to Ford Foundation senior leadership and through them to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees for implementation of the Middle East and North Africa office strategy, and in communicating progress to them.
- Assess local political, social, cultural and economic developments and help shape the Foundation’s strategy in the region and guide its programming and grant-making priorities in alignment with the Foundation’s mission and values and the goals of the International Civic Engagement and Government program.
- Provide intellectual leadership inside and outside the Foundation.
- Represent the Foundation externally; and, initiate/foster strategic partnerships in the field of civic engagement and government–collaborating broadly with international scholars and practitioners, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and other donors on issues of common program concern.
- Lead/conduct annual reviews of strategy and propose changes to ensure greatest impact.
- Oversee and manage, mentor and coach a small team of professional, administrative and support staff including directing development of grantmaking plans by Program Officers; establishing annual performance delivery goals for the team and direct reports; and planning and implementing talent management strategies.
- Prepare and manage the Middle East and North Africa office annual grant and administrative budget.
- Incorporate a rights-based and gender focus in the work and advance initiatives focused on people with disabilities.
- Establish learning goals for Middle East and North Africa team, including working with Ford strategy and learning colleagues to build a monitoring framework to assess impact and synthesize learning.
- Communicate with the team, senior Foundation leadership and external partners clearly and consistently in a transparent, timely and respectful manner, and enabling them to be strategic and achieve impact.
- Supervise local compliance requirements in coordination with local counsel and the foundation’s Office of Legal Services.
CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS
- Proven record of leadership, strategic design, planning, and management success;
- Subject-matter expertise on civil society and social protection, preferred;
- Substantial previous experience in and deep knowledge of the history, culture and social justice context of the Middle East and North Africa region – as well as the region’s broader engagement with the African continent and global developments;
- Exceptional leadership presence – internally and externally;
- Demonstrated exceptional people management and team management skills, including the ability to motivate and build teams, constructively lead, coach, mentor, develop and evaluate a staff;
- Proven abilities to diplomatically manage complex relationships with private and public sector stakeholders in the region;
- An understanding of development and social change processes and a proven track record of achieving change;
- In-depth knowledge of the philanthropic sector and grant-making capabilities in social development sector;
- Substantive expertise in and experience with applying gender analysis to work;
- Ability to effectively lead a regional office within a larger global organization with headquarters in New York and strategize/solve problems through solicitation of relevant internal expertise (Human Resources, Finance, Legal Services);
- An understanding of the civil society landscape in the Middle East and North Africa;
- Administrative skills, in particular an appreciation for the importance of strong fiscal management;
- Strong facilitation skills – the ability to listen and learn from diverse perspectives;
- Exemplary communications skills – strong active listening skills and public presentation skills;
- Demonstrated organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously;
- Strong time management proficiency;
- Sound, mature judgment and integrity;
- Personal qualities of humility and capacity for self-reflections;
The successful candidate will have the following minimum qualifications and experience:
- A graduate level degree in a relevant field of study or equivalent combination of education and experience
- 10+ years of experience leading strategies, people and teams
- Ability to travel extensively on behalf of the Foundation
- Creativity, energy and non-traditional thinking capacity
- Written and oral fluency in English and preferably Arabic as well.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/TRAVEL
This position is primarily a sedentary role. However, the person in this position may need to occasionally move about inside the office to liaise with internal staff, access files, office machinery and a copy machine/printer.
Additionally, domestic/international travel will be expected, approximately 25%; some travel is directly related to grantmaking, but also to attend team conferences, retreats and meetings— and may occasionally include travel to rural or remote places with difficult conditions.
Alignment to Culture and Values
- Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and core values of equity, openness, collaboration, trust, accountability and urgency
- Personal qualities of humility, capacity for self-reflection, and a sense of humor
- Discretion and ability to handle confidential issues
- Action-orientated and entrepreneurial self-starter who can work well independently and in teams
Benefits
- Medical and dental benefits for employee and immediate family on first day of work
- Retirement savings account with matching company contributions of up to 13%
- Three weeks’ paid vacation in first year of work; four weeks in subsequent years
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Office closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
- Professional development initiatives for growth
- Generous parental leave (maternal and paternal) during new child’s first year (born into family or adopted)
Method of Application
Cick her to read more and apply
Application deadline: September 1, 2021
About Ford Foundation
The FORD FOUNDATION is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than 80 years it has worked with visionary people on the front-lines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement.
With headquarters in New York, the foundation has ten regional offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The Ford Foundation seeks a dynamic, creative and innovative leader to serve as its Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Building on Ford’s rich legacy in and longstanding commitment to promoting social justice and reducing inequality in the region, the Director will oversee and lead the Foundation’s program development and implementation and manage the Foundation’s team, external relations and administrative operations in the MENA region.