Country Director Haiti
Location: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Background:
Created in 1962 through a unique agreement between the Organization of American States (OAS) and the private sector, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) is an independent, non-profit organization 501(c)(3) that creates public-private partnerships to assist the least advantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean. Having worked in every country in the region, PADF engages community-based groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), public and private sector in the process of implementing appropriate solutions for sustainable development. The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) empowers disadvantaged people and communities in Latin America and the Caribbean to achieve sustainable economic and social progress, strengthen their communities and civil society, and prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other humanitarian crises, thereby advancing the principles of the Organization of the American States (OAS).
Expectations:
The Country Director for Haiti is a full time expatriate position which has overall responsibility for the program and operations of PADF Haiti. He/she directs and supervises programs focusing on building Haitian capacity at the national and local levels to foster the active participation of community and civil society groups in the country’s socio-economic development; support human rights protection; build, maintain and manage productive infrastructure and improve natural disaster management and preparation. Current efforts involve collaboration with national and local government, community organizations, and national and international NGOs.
The Country Director leads and supervises a growing staff of over 100 employees (mostly Haitian nationals) working throughout the country from PADF’s central office in Port-au-Prince, and several field offices. PADF has been a development leader in Haiti for over 30 years working in priority areas such as:
1. Rebuilding neighborhoods damaged with the 2010 earthquake
2. Strengthening community organizations and local governments through community-based initiatives
3. Developing small and medium-sized businesses
4. Improving agricultural production and protecting Haiti’s vulnerable hillsides
5. Helping Haitian communities prepare for and respond to disasters.
6. Increasing cross-border and regional cooperation and exchanges
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
The Haiti Country Director is a strong, confident leader with a deep knowledge of development issues and management. The Haiti Country Director is comfortable leading top level professionals and coaching them to be their best. The Haiti Country Director is self-confident enough to help these professionals to succeed and to receive public recognition for their successes and to publically accept the blame for the failures of those under him or her. The Haiti Country Director can see through the myriad of details involved with a complex operation and recognize the strategic actions required to keep the office moving relentlessly towards its strategic goals. The Haiti Country Director rolls up his/her sleeves to assist in operations as needed. The Haiti Country Director is comfortable talking with the poor beneficiaries of our programs as well as discussing this work with private sector leaders, Ministers and Presidents.
The Haiti Country Director will ensure that program results are achieved beyond the satisfaction of the donor, the Government of Haiti, and the Haitian beneficiaries, while fulfilling PADF’s Strategic and Operation Plans. The Haiti Country Director is responsible to further grow the Haiti Program, expanding its annual expenditures from approximately $20 million per year to $30-40 million per year over the next two to three years.
Requirements:
- 10 years of experience managing operations of different sizes
- 5 years of senior level managerial experience in international development directing and supervising multi-year large and complex programs funded by major multilateral and/or bilateral donor agencies. The ideal candidate would have five years of experience in Haiti.
- Excellent oral and written communications skills in English and French. The ideal candidate would also be fluent in Creole and Spanish.
General Description:
The Country Director provides high level representation of PADF with key audiences, and leadership for PADF Program in Haiti. He/she directs, manages and takes responsibility for all PADF activities in Haiti to ensure that all program, communication, financial and fundraising activities support the country sustainable socio-economic development, add up to a unified effort which accomplishes PADF’s goals in Haiti, and comply with PADF’s policies and procedures.
Responsibilities:
- Provides leadership to ensure the implementation of PADF’s portfolio of activities in Haiti. He/she ensures that projects are implemented on time and under budget; that donors are kept informed of the progress, successes, and challenges; and that reports are well written and submitted on time. He/she helps the different Project Directors to work together to strengthen the synergies between the different programs.
- Ensures that the PADF staff follows PADF policies and procedures as well as those of the donors and works with the Haiti team, especially the Director of Administration and Finance to continually update and improve the procedures to ensure that PADF maintains world class implementation systems.
- In collaboration with the Senior Director for Caribbean Programs, develops new proposals to allow PADF to maintain and grow its portfolio. He/she will maintain close working relationships with the donors, international organizations, and host government to understand funding priorities. He/she will have a deep understanding of PADF’s different programs to understand how PADF can respond to the constantly changing funding landscape and to help orient PADF’s strategy.
- Represent PADF effectively in national and international forums, demonstrating PADF’s technical leadership in its strategic areas and helping the Haitian government, donors, and other international organizations to better orient development activities in Haiti.
Supervision:
- Reports to the Senior Director for Caribbean Programs in PADF headquarters in Washington, D.C. with policy guidance from the Executive Director.
- Directly supervises the Project Directors and the Director of Administration and Finance in the Haiti office.
- Works in highly collegial manner with PADF headquarters, donors, the Haitian government, civil society, municipalities, departmental governments and private sector officials.
- Works with PADF Trustees in Haiti to mobilize additional private funding to support program implementation.
How to Apply:
To apply please e-mail a cover letter addressing how your skills and experiences meet the needs of the position and the organization along with an updated résumé/CV to:
Patrick Shields, Search Manager
501 Westport Avenue, Suite 285
Norwalk, Connecticut (CT) 06851 USA
Tel / Fax: +1- 203-899-0499