Forcier is seeking a Director for its Regional Business unit based in Kampala, Uganda. The Regional Business unit overseas work in Uganda, Kenya, DRC, Rwanda and other singular projects throughout Africa. The Director is responsible for the overall development and management of the unit and serves as the direct line manager for the Operations Manager, Human Resources Manager, and Business Development Manager. They are responsible for overall project management and ensuring the business unit is run efficiently and effectively. The Director oversees the project and client process from identifying a business opportunity to project closure, in collaboration with the Director of Research who is the lead on the research aspects; they work together to translate the client needs to a final high quality product in a timely manner. They provide mentorship and guidance to the research side of the unit on a range of topics including client communication, project management and staffing, fieldwork management and budget management. They ensure standard operating procedures are followed in the operations and finance departments, while looking for new ways to build capacity and bring innovation to these departments. They are responsible for contributing to the success of business development in their unit through the provision of in-depth knowledge of the resources (time, money and people) needed to complete a project in various contexts. Overall, the Director is responsible for ensuring the success and stability of the unit and its activities throughout Africa.

In addition to these on-going tasks of running the unit, the person in this position will also be responsible for establishing this office in Uganda. Forcier is already registered and has a small office in Kampala, but the regional office needs to be established more broadly. A large component of this will be recruitment of relevant personnel, procurement of necessary items, and establishing vendors for necessary services such as local medical insurance, fieldwork logistics, and legal advice. Becoming familiar with the local labor laws, immigration restrictions, taxation processes, and other relevant local laws and regulation is imperative to success in this position. Alongside this will be drafting policies and procedures that fit the local context including security manual, risk register, and HR manual. 

Ideal Match:

Forcier is looking for a Director who is a generalist and a dynamic leader with knowledge of research, personnel management, financial management, and business development. The Director must approach the challenge of implementing projects in complicated and complex settings with excitement, persistence and a commitment to quality. An ability to manage a variety of people and competing priorities simultaneously, while also championing accountability, respect and fairness is essential; being a strong mediator and manager of both internal and external expectations is vital to success in this position. They must demonstrate an aptitude for building capacity and tackling difficult situations with creativity and flexibility. An ability to manage, organize, and keep remote on task is imperative. Our ideal candidate is a proactive leader, strong communicator, and passionate problem solver. This position is well suited for someone who is hands-on, stress resistant in the fast-paced work environment, and self-starter. 

Daily Tasks:

• Closely collaborating with the Director of Research and Research Officers in the unit to ensure research is being conducted in a high-quality manner and according to the agreements made with the clients.

• Maintaining overview over all projects and resources across various countries.

• Monitoring and approving all budgeted project expenditures, operations expenditures, and wages and salaries expenditures.

• Working closely with the business development team to identify opportunities and ensure proposals are dynamic, competitive and budgeted accurately.

• Representing Forcier to current and potential future clients.

• Overseeing the finance department in the unit in terms of projecting cash flow and approving expenses. 

• Identifying and introducing innovative policies and procedures related to finance, operations and research management.

• Building capacity of the team and attracting new staff on an ongoing basis.

• Ensuring the unit is compliant with all standard operating procedures and ensuring priorities across the unit are aligned.

• Overseeing the compliance of the unit with local laws and legal obligations.

• Ensure a positive corporate culture and environment within the regional office 

• Identifying gaps and filling gaps in all aspects of the office management.

Requirements

Requirements

M.A. degree (or equivalent) in business administration, international development, international relations, social science or related field with 3+ years of relevant work experience or B.A degree (or equivalent) with 6+ years of relevant work.  

Required Skills:

• Experience managing different projects simultaneously in a fast-paced industry such as the consultancy sector;

• Experience managing diverse, multi-cultural teams of staff and consultants for the successful delivery of projects;

• Experience with research management;

• Fluency in written and spoken English;

• Experience in management of operations or logistics, finance and budgeting, and personnel management;

• Experience in client/donor communication and proposal review/writing;

• Attention to detail in all aspects of their work from client communications to budget review;

• Ability to maintain the overview of time, money and resources in a fast-changing environment; 

• Ability to work entirely independently in a stressful environment;

• Ability to produce high-quality work under tight deadlines;

• Creativity and an ability to think outside the box to conceptualize projects, design systems implementation strategies, and coordinate limited resources;

• Strong communication skills, cultural sensitivity, curiosity, sense of humor and a ‘can do’ attitude;

• Excellent knowledge of Office package, including good skills in Excel.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working and living in Africa.
• Knowledge of a financial/accounting system;
• Experience in business development or proposal writing;
• Fluency in French will be considered a significant asset;
• Preference will be given to Ugandan candidates.