Turkey: Country Director

Organization: Building Markets
Country: Turkey
Closing date: 10 Feb 2016

About Building Markets

Founded in 2004, Building Markets is an award-winning nonprofit that creates jobs and encourages economic growth in developing countries by finding, building and connecting competitive local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to supply chains and investment. Through this approach, the organization has built a network of more than 20,000 verified SMEs, assisted them in winning over $1.2 billion in contracts, and helped create over 70,000 jobs in some of the world’s poorest economies. Building Markets is headquartered in New York City and currently operates programs in Liberia, Myanmar and Mozambique. It will soon open a country office in Turkey. For more information, please visit www.buildingmarkets.org.

Background and Program Description

Syria is facing one of the largest humanitarian crises of the 21^st century. Now approaching its sixth year, with no end in sight, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 250,000 people. It is estimated that 6.5 million Syrians are internally displaced and over 4.3 million people are currently living in neighboring countries.

As part of the Syrian response effort, Building Markets is establishing a program that will facilitate the delivery of humanitarian and development assistance in Syria through increased partnerships with Syrian organizations and enterprises. This will include a screening mechanism to help international organizations identify capable local partners, a targeted training and capacity building program, the development of an information-sharing platform and an analysis of monitoring and evaluation approaches.

Position Overview

The Country Director (CD) is responsible for the smooth and efficient management of all aspects of the country office in Turkey. This includes, but is not limited to strategic planning, program implementation, representation, and oversight of all administrative and finance functions, operations, logistics, human resources, security and compliance with organizational, local government and donor policies and regulations. The CD is expected to successfully manage a demanding workload that involves planning, executing, and monitoring the day-to-day activities of the program. The CD demonstrates a successful track record of managing large missions in developing countries along with demonstrated skills in building and maintaining productive internal and external relationships.

Responsibilities and Duties

Strategic Management & Leadership:

Work with headquarters to lead program development and strategic planning initiatives. This includes but is not limited to the development of work plans, targets and objectives;
Work with headquarters to prioritize complex tasks and resolve possible issues, often involving a significant degree of risk;
Provide strategic guidance (including direct implementation as required) on substantive issues including: monitoring and evaluation, results, civil society, private sector development, and training;
Identify opportunities to innovate and improve program impact and outcomes. This includes working with headquarters to develop new project ideas and proposals;
Oversee needs assessments, evaluations, monitoring visits and internal audits;

Program Management and Delivery:

Work with headquarters to set-up the country office in Turkey;
Oversee and coordinate program implementation. Ensure targets and objectives are met, and activities are completed as planned, adhering to the highest levels of quality and accountability;
Ensure Building Markets’ programs remain cost-effective, efficient, and compliant with all organizational and donor regulations;
Ensure results and success stories are documented and communicated appropriately and regularly;
Ensure donor narrative reports are completed and submitted on time;
Ensure proper management of country office data sets, data and information systems.

Communication and Representation:

Participate in regular meetings with headquarters to facilitate information sharing and resolve possible implementation challenges as they arise;
Represent Building Markets with relevant institutions, associations, corporations, UN agencies, NGOs, stakeholders, donors and other coordinating bodies;
Work with headquarters to manage country office donor relations, as required;
Liaise with other relevant organizations to identify common challenges, solutions to operational concerns and cultivate opportunities for partnerships;
Delegate representation to other staff members appropriately, based on activity streams;
Enhance in-country coordination and links to regional coordination relating to the Syria Crisis;
Stay current on the evolving context, and engage in advocacy and policy dialogues where appropriate, ensuring Building Markets represents the needs of its target audience.

Human Resource and Team Management:

Ensure the smooth running of all country office administration functions and responsible for all country office staff in Turkey;
In consultation with HQ, plan human resource needs and spearhead recruitment processes including orienting and supervising new team members;
Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect in which team members strive to achieve excellence;
Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews;
Ensure open channels of communication within the country office team;
Mentor staff on management skills needed (planning, prioritization, organizational, financial management, representation, HR management);
Contribute to country team-building efforts including helping staff identify problem-solving options and ensuring the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

Finance, Operations and Logistics:

Work with headquarters and the Administration and Finance Manager to develop and ensure budget execution in line with project work plans;
Ensure the smooth running of country office finance and accounting functions by the Admin/ Finance team. This includes but is not limited to payroll, banking, taxation, etc.;
Ensure that financial reports are completed and submitted on time;
Ensure financial compliance with all other relevant donor rules, requirements and local laws;
Supervise procurement processes and guarantee adherence to organizational and donor policies.

Security:

Stay apprised of the security situation in Syria and Turkey;
Lead on issues of safety management, including risk assessment, safety mitigation plans, and all other elements of staff safety in the region.

Qualifications

You are:

Fast: You work at lightning speed, efficiently, with attention to detail, despite looming deadlines and a constantly demanding workload;
Strategic: You have the ability to think long term, and can preempt issues before they arise;
Open and willing to learn: You work well with others, you believe in continuous learning, and you accept constructive criticism and feedback as a part of the learning process;
Passionate: You believe in the power of locally driven solutions in developing countries;
Creative: You innovate where others groan under the weight of a difficult problem.

Required:

Masters degree in international studies, business administration or equivalent in relevant field;
7-10 years experience in a senior leadership role;
Exceptional and proven track record designing and implementing complex programs including experience managing cross-departmental teams of national and international staff;
Knowledge, understanding, and experience in humanitarian and development programming with special preference to Turkey and the Middle East;
Skilled in effectively managing a diverse range of relationships and stakeholders;
Demonstrable flexibility, stamina, and ability to work under difficult/high-stress circumstances;
Able to travel extensively;
Excellent written and spoken English language skills, with the ability to explain complex issues in simple and relevant terms.

Desirable: