Country Director

The BBC World Service Trust uses media and communications to reduce poverty and promote human rights in developing countries. To achieve this, the Trust partners with civil society, local media and governments to:
• Produce creative programmes in multi-media formats which inform and engage audiences around key development issues.
• Strengthen the media sector through building professional capacity and infrastructure.

Currently this position is responsible for World Service Trust operations in Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. As programmes change over time, it may be possible that other countries are added, or that countries may no longer by line managed by this position.

The World Service Trust promotes development and human rights through five main thematic areas: health, governance, livelihoods, climate change and emergency humanitarian response. The World Service Trust is looking to develop new projects in these areas in Kenya, Uganda and Somalia and requires a dynamic manager with solid fundraising experience to lead us into the next phase of development.

Overall Purpose of Job

The Country Director will assume overall responsibility for developing new projects, securing funds for these projects and delivering the Trust’s work in Kenya, Uganda and Somalia to a high standard. This will include identifying funding opportunities, developing funding proposals, securing funding, delivering projects to agreed targets and objectives, managing in-country teams and ensuring the quality and cohesion of project outputs.

The Country Director will be responsible for the financial management of projects and reporting on editorial and operational progress to London headquarters and to project donors. The Country Director will represent the World Service Trust in Kenya, Uganda and Somalia to key stakeholders and will ensure effective relationships and partnerships with funding agencies, government bodies, broadcasters, NGOs, academic institutions, international development agencies and others.

The role of Country Director will also involve leading the development and implementation of the Trust’s Country Strategy for Kenya, Uganda and Somalia. and contributing to the overall development and strategy of the World Service Trust’s overall programme in Africa.

Main Duties

1. To be the World Service Trust’s representative and to ensure sustainability of the World Service’s work in specific countries East Africa (currently Kenya, Uganda and Somalia).

2. To ensure the effective execution of all Trust activities in specific countries in East Africa.. This includes:
i. Ensuring that all initiatives are delivered within agreed standards, timescales and budgets.
ii. Developing and managing effective relationships with funding agencies, stakeholders and partners.
iii. Meeting the requirements of funding agencies and other stakeholders.
iv. To take overall responsibility for all project outputs, based on a thorough understanding of the Trust’s methodologies and objectives, the needs of target audiences and of BBC editorial values.
v. To report regularly to the London office of the BBC World Service Trust, on editorial, operational, legal and financial issues.

3. To be responsible for developing and implementing the World Service Trust’s strategy for Kenya, Somalia and Uganda including:
i. Identifying future business development opportunities.
ii. Raising funding to secure a long term future for the World Service Trust in the region.

4. To take overall management responsibility for the Trust’s team in country, including
i. Providing dynamic, inspirational leadership and management to local production and administrative teams based in multiple location.
ii. Ensuring staff development plans are created, supported and delivered.
iii. Ensuring effective management of project office and that finance and administrative functions are carried out in line with BBC guidelines and local regulatory requirements.
iv. Leading on staff recruitment as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

1. Substantial overseas management experience, ideally in a media and/or international development setting.
2. Excellent field-based knowledge of the development and/or media context in East Africa
3. Proven track records of developing and securing funding for large complex international development or media projects
4. Substantial experience in the management of diverse and creative teams of staff, ideally to include distance management.
5. Significant experience in the management of budgets, with an ability to demonstrate effective use of resources including financial management of budgets of no less than ?250K.
6. Proven ability to deliver complex projects to deadlines and within budget, with good track record of donor liaison and reporting.
7. Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills, with a proven track record in forming effective relationships with a range of local and international partners, including at the highest levels of government and media.
8. Managing effective collaboration between partners and stakeholders, including those with differing agendas.
9. Strong understanding of and commitment to international development, including the use of media for developmental goals.

Competencies

The following competencies (behaviours and characteristics) have been identified as key to success in the job. Successful candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies.

PLANNING & ORGANISING
1. Able to create a vision and inspire others to realise it, irrespective of circumstances.

PLANNING & ORGANISING
1. Excellent planning and organisational skills including experience of prioritising and managing the complexities of large projects. Able to think ahead and juggle priorities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors.
2. Consistently delivers to agreed deadlines and delegates tasks appropriately.

ANALYTICAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
1. Ability to organise work effectively and methodically with attention to detail. Sifts information, and selects what is significant. Identifies gaps and knows how to find relevant data.
2. Can interpret and evaluate information from a range of sources and in a variety of formats. Ability to research, connect with and provide feedback on specific audience groups.
3. Knowledge or ability to acquire it, of BBC Producer Guidelines and Fair Selection procedures.

COLLABORATIVE WORKING & MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS
1. Excellent team-working and interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships quickly and efficiently with people at all levels both within and outside the BBC
2. Is aware of, and shows understanding and respect for, other people’s needs and actions.
3. Values individual’s differences.
4. A commitment to the understanding of knowledge sharing and informal learning, for the benefit of the team.

RESILIENCE
1. High levels of self-motivation, with the ability to work on own initiative.
2. Demonstrates an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, motivation and enthusiasm.

COMMUNICATION
1. Highly-developed written and verbal communication skills. Listens, encourages discussion and two-way communication.
2. The ability to get one’s message clearly understood by adopting a range of styles, tools and techniques appropriate to the audience and the nature of the information.

INFLUENCING, PERSUADING AND NEGOTIATING SKILLS
1. Ability to present sound and well-reasoned arguments to convince others. Can draw from a range of strategies to persuade people that results in agreement or behaviour change.
2. Can identify key influencers in the organisation.
3. Constantly develops and expands own sources of influence.

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