Africa Director at Oxfam

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (Technical, Leadership, People and Resource management)

• To contribute to and implement Oxfam’s Global strategy, by providing vision and strategic direction to all of Oxfam’s work in Africa. 
• Lead a significant change management process merging the current regional platforms in West Africa and the Horn East and Central Africa and the Pan Africa Programme into one Africa Oxfam regional 
• platform and team.
• Work with the OiA Leadership Team to lead Oxfam’s humanitarian responses, long term development 
• programme design and implementation, advocacy and policy and influencing, including through strengthened creative partnerships. 
• Work closely with the relevant affiliates involved within the Region in several different ways to ensure 
• productive relationships are maintained in order to develop and deliver all Country and Regional Programmes.
• Represent Oxfam in Africa within the Africa continent and globally, together with the OiA Leadership 
• Team. Working with external stakeholders such AU, ECD, ECOWAS, EAC, IGAD, SADC, at the most 
• senior level to influence and inform decision makers at the highest levels, to build alliances and 
• networks within to promote Africa interest and Oxfam agenda to the Poverty movement, civil society and other critical constituencies.
• Represent Oxfam in Africa within the confederation, working with internal stakeholders, and the Executive Leadership team to influence and inform decision makers on Oxfam work in Afric and 
• serving as a spokesperson with media and social media to expand Oxfam’s reach and influence.
• Ensure that Oxfam’s work in Africa is adequately funded, both internally within Oxfam and externally. 
• Build relationships with external donors and proactively identify new donors for Oxfam’s work in the region
• Accountable to the Oxfam International Global Programmes Director for the leadership, delivery, effective management and monitoring, evaluation and learning in respect of the programmes in Africa.
• Line management together with the deputy Africa directors, of the One Africa Oxfam platform team, the Country Directors, the cluster Director of the SAF cluster, and the Addis Advocacy Office, 
• implementing a plural and robust leadership team to ensure collective and distributed leadershipaligned with Oxfam values and principles.

ESSENTIAL

Oxfam Competencies 

• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Building 
• Influencing
• Strategic Thinking and Judgment

Knowledge 

• Geographical, Political and Regional Knowledge: A deep understanding and knowledge of the politics, 
• economics and political context within Africa enabling the effective management of strategy and 
• influencing key stakeholders. Ability to manage the development of, and contribute to, the high-level
• analysis of factors driving poverty, inequality and vulnerability in developing country contexts, 
• including the ability to ‘think politically’ by understanding motivations, pressures and challenges faced by colleagues, partners and other actors

Experience 

• Management and Leadership: Significant senior leadership experience of managing and motivating, multi-disciplinary, multicultural, geographically remote and matrix managed teams. Significant 
• experience of leading and managing complex change processes and relationships involving a wide 
• range of both internal and external multi-cultural stakeholders across a variety of disciplines and 
• geographical areas.
• Strategic Analysis: Ability to oversee the development of, and contribute to, high level analysis of 
• factors driving poverty, marginalization and vulnerability in developing country contexts, including the 
• ability to ‘think politically’ by understanding motivations, pressures and challenges faced by colleagues, 
• partners and other actors across the Africa Region. 
• Proven analytical skills, able to take and manage calculated risks based on evidence-based
• assumptions. Able to think strategically, to maximise adaptability and agility, encourage forward 
• thinking, new ideas and learning from experience beyond the country program context while acting within a global framework. 
• Finance and Funding: Competent financial and asset management experience. Able to oversee the 
• management of multiple budgets of up to £200 million, mitigating and controlling financial risks –
• including managing donor funding and relationships, across a large number of countries and programmes.
• Risk Management and Judgement: Able to take calculated risks based on evidence-based assumptions. 
• Ability to continually assess and analyze the external context of the organisation enabling the 
• development of realistic strategies to maximise adaptability and agility, encourage future thinking, 
• innovation, new ideas and learning from experience, as well as sound judgement on when to stop as 
• well as start new initiatives. Proven track record of making sound judgements in uncertain and 
• pressurised situations. Including experience of crisis management leadership, while faced with multiple possibilities but limited resources.
• Representation and Communication: Demonstrated ability to convey complex messages in an 
• appropriate manner to broad and diverse audiences via multiple channels. Proven track record of advocacy, and representation to the highest level including understanding of and experience with 
• media and an ability to represent the organisation externally at various forums and in the media 
• (including social media) if required. A commitment to maximise Oxfam’s influencing capability across 
• our programmes. Excellent written and verbal communication skills to motivate, influence, and 
• negotiate with in a multi-cultural environment which includes decision makers in government, media and pivotal figures in society. Able to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels, including and particularly with Oxfam’s partners

Desirable
Competencies 

• Fluently Bilingual (French and English) in written and Oral communication
• Agility, Complexity, and Ambiguity
• Decision Making

Contract: 4 years fixed term.

Closing date: 28th April @ 23:59 GMT