Executive Director - Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa

OSIEA - Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

The Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA) is seeking to recruit an Executive Director to lead its work across five Eastern Africa countries.

About OSIEA

OSIEA is part of a global network - the Open Society Foundations - operating in more than 100 countries and committed to promoting local knowledge and agency. OSIEA works with diverse voices to advance public accountability, challenge corruption, strengthen free media, increase access to justice and end stigma and abuse of marginalized groups. The foundation is based in Nairobi, Kenya, with branch offices in Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan. OSIEA awards grants and conducts operational work in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda Sudan and South Sudan, as well as working with regional organizations focused on Eastern Africa.

The Position

OSIEA’s Executive Director leads a staff of 35 spread across offices in four countries in Eastern Africa. She/He is responsible for the organisation’s strategic direction and priority-setting, relationships with partner organisations, oversight of a range of grant-making to partner entities, convenings on key issues, advocacy, research and other activities. 

With the senior team, he or she provides program and administrative management and ensures office operations are conducted effectively and efficiently in support of OSIEA programs. The position works with the entire OSIEA team to ensure performance standards are met. 

OSIEA places great emphasis on promoting the wellbeing of staff and establishing a workplace that encourages and supports professional growth. Top quality work, initiative, creativity, strategic thinking and innovation are core values for the organisation. At OSIEA, all staff are expected to work at integrating the organizational values into the performance of their duties and tasks on a daily basis and by participating in in-house working groups designed to uphold the values and foster healthy inter-office communication. The Executive Director must be committed to values-based leadership and reports dually to the OSIEA regional advisory board and to the Africa Regional Director of the Open Society Foundations.

Qualifications and requirements

The successful candidate will have a track record of commitment to human rights, deep knowledge of Eastern Africa and a strong vision of the region’s future as a site of justice, equitable development and economic security and inclusion. She/he will be a passionate and vigilant defender of open society values and principles and promote non-discriminatory, respectful and fair dealings inside and outside the organization. 

Integrity, professionalism and instinctive reliance on the highest moral and fiduciary standards are indispensable in this role in both personal relationships and institutional governance.

The successful candidate will:

• Demonstrate strong leadership skills: proven by experience as a successful leader in other organisations and/or situations with diplomatic and problem-solving skills;
• Earn and keep the respect of staff through sound and fair judgment, reliability, concern for their well-being, and high standards regarding conduct of work and behaviour in the workplace; 
• Show strong organizational and management skills with a strong a grasp of budgeting techniques and analysis, planning ability, personnel management and supervisory skills, and excellent time management; 
• Engage in confident and inspiring public communication, whether through media outreach or one-to-one encounters; 
• Be knowledgeable and experienced in implementing effective and instructive monitoring and evaluation tools; 
• Be knowledgeable and experienced in the legal dimensions of non-profit organisations and comfortable implementing complex, rule-based systems; 
• Be proficient in office software (email, spreadsheets and word processing) and able to learn and grasp other management software used internally; 
• Travel extensively as part of the routine of the job managing their responsibilities remotely when necessary; and 
• Have fluency in English. Competence in other regionally useful languages is an added advantage.

An advanced degree and at least ten years work experience are required, including at least five years of managerial and supervisory experience at senior level in a complex institution. 

The position carries a competitive salary and good benefits package.

Application instructions

Please email your resume and cover letter to: jobs@osiea.org: include in subject line ED-OSIEA and your name and surname. 

No phone calls, please. Only successful candidates will be contacted. 

For more information: http://www.osiea.org and http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/.

Search closes 18th April 2014.