Sri Lanka Country Director

This Position is for 12 months from October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011 and is based in Colombo.

The Country Director (CD) is the leader-manager for LWR's office in Sri Lanka and the official spokesperson for LWR in the country. Her/his primary responsibility is to develop both short-term and long-term strategies for tsunami recovery and sustainable development, provide direction and vision to office staff and coordinate with peer international NGOs in a manner that comports with LWR's vision, values, and strategy. S/he plays a key role, working with other LWR Departments to link programs and partners to donor, constituent, and advocacy targets. The CD also has overall responsibility for ensuring that the office is efficiently and effectively managed and liaising with local government.

Program Leadership/Partner Accompaniment 

1. Provide leadership in developing and managing a program that is consistent with LWR's regional and country strategies.

2. Provide technical assistance and project oversight to program and implementing partner staff in designing, implementing, and evaluating tsunami response and development programs in sustainable livelihoods, community managed risk, capacity strengthening and peace-building, etc.

3. Guide LWR's accompaniment work in identifying, building, maintaining, and evaluating partner relationships. Promote partner organizational capacity development as a part of the accompaniment process.

4. Work with partners to ensure the timely submission of complete, high-quality concept papers, proposals, progress, financial, audit and evaluation reports in accordance with LWR's guidelines. Track partners' submission of reports. Provide or arrange training for partners that are consistently late or whose reports are inaccurate or inadequate.

5. Monitor, evaluate, and distill lessons learned from project and program implementation. Report to Regional Director on lessons learned and use that information to improve practice and to inform the next planning cycle. Promote learning among partners in the country.

6. Work in close coordination with the HQ Regional Team (Regional Director, Program Associates and Emergency Response Program Manager) to ensure timely response to disasters and complex emergencies.

Team Leadership/Office Management

 1.   Oversee and develop a strong office team, organized around operational outcomes and priorities. Ensure team learning and individual and team performance standards and accountability. Provide frequent feedback to, and support for, the country office team. Identify training needs, and plan training opportunities for team members to enhance their skills and expertise.

 2.   Assume primary responsibility for the safe, efficient, and effective management and administration of the LWR Sri Lanka office, and security of the office team. Ensure related policies are reviewed and updated.

 3.   Oversee the preparation and monitor implementation of the budget and cash flow for the office; ensure that generally accepted accounting principals are adhered to in areas including: (a) authority and approval, (b) proper documentation, and (c) physical security.

 4.      Ensure that LWR Sri Lanka is legally authorized to operate as an International NGO and is in full compliance with the national laws of Sri Lanka.

Coordination and Representation

1. Represent LWR on the ACT (Action by Churches Together) Forum and during drafting and implementation of Appeals. Coordinate non-appeal projects with ACT members to ensure non-duplication of efforts.

2. Develop and strengthen relationships with Lutheran Churches and their related development agencies; consult with these institutions on development issues and activities. Develop relationships with Lutheran World Federation Department of World Services (LWF/DWS) and Lutheran World Federation Department of Mission and Development (LWF/DMD.)

3. Develop in-country relationships with other international NGOs, multilateral institutions, donor organizations and USG agencies such as USAID/OFDA.

Policy and Advocacy

1. Keep abreast of, and report on, social, political, environmental, and economic trends in Sri Lanka.

2. In coordination with the Public Policy Unit, guide LWR's advocacy work in the US by sharing timely information from partners and about developments in the country.

Documentation and Communication

1. Lead development of communications and documentation plan for existing projects.

2. In coordination with Asia Unit HQ, lead production of quality documents for communication and marketing purposes.

1. Deep commitment to LWR's core values and ability to model those values in relationships with colleagues and partners.

2. Familiarity and experience addressing key development and economic and social justice issues (including rights-based and gender programming) at a practical and policy level. Practical and intellectual familiarity and experience in Sri Lanka required.

3. Demonstrated experience in the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of development and emergency response projects.

4. Demonstrated ability to manage an office, program, and budget and to supervise staff.

5. Post-graduate degree in social sciences or Bachelors degree and 8 or more years of experience in social development sector.

6. At least eight years of progressively responsible professional experience in a developing country context with micro-enterprise, risk reduction, agricultural, and emergency response programs.

7. Proven experience working with international donors and NGOs.

8. Fluency in English with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

9. Excellent interpersonal skills.

10. Ability to travel up to 40 percent of his/her time. Ability to travel at least once a year to LWR Baltimore.

11. Proficiency in using Microsoft Word, Excel, e-mail, and web browser software.