Country Director, Papua New Guinea

About ChildFund Australia

ChildFund Australia is an independent international development organisation working to reduce poverty for children in developing communities. Our mission is to partner to create communities and systems change, which enables vulnerable children and young people, in all their diversity, to assert and realise their rights.

We're also a member of the ChildFund Alliance – one of the world’s oldest and most experienced child-focused development agency networks. With a global network of 11 organisations, the ChildFund Alliance assists almost 36 million children and families in 70 countries around the world.

ChildFund Australia directly implements and manages development programs in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, while also supporting projects delivered by partner organisations throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas;  our work is funded through, among other sources, generous public donations and government grants.

Join us in realising our vision of a world without poverty where all children and young people can say: "I am safe. I am educated. I contribute. I have a future."

About the role

As the Country Director for ChildFund Papua New Guinea (PNG), you lead all aspects of ChildFund’s strategy and operations in PNG, working closely with the Senior Management Team in-country and the Executive team in Sydney (HQ). The Country Director provides leadership to the Senior Management Team (SMT) and builds a positive work culture, in line with ChildFund’s Vision, Mission and Values. You cultivate and strengthen effective working relationships with local partners under ChildFund Australia’s key strategic pillar of locally-led development.  You also work closely with governments, donors, other INGOs the local community as well as the ChildFund Australia Management team and the ChildFund Australia Programs team, to ensure our programming and projects delivery is aligned with best practices in the sector.

Key Duties:

• Lead the implementation of the Country Strategy for ChildFund PNG, in alignment with the ChildFund Australia Strategic Plan and relevant national and subnational government priorities.

• Provide strategic direction for ChildFund PNG’s programs, to ensure the delivery of high quality, child-rights based development programs.

• Actively support ChildFund’s commitment to locally-led development, including identifying and growing new partnerships with local NGO’s.

• Grow trusted relationships with key donors, in particular USAID to enable staged growth of programs and operations.

• Lead strategic conversations with local governments to support the 1-Tok GBV Helpline in PNG to become the go-to national service and support its transition to a locally led service.

• Represent ChildFund in PNG by developing and maintaining effective working relationships with governments, international NGOs, multilateral agencies, the ChildFund Alliance, and other key stakeholders.

• Identify fundraising opportunities in collaboration with ChildFund Australia; ensure adequate grants compliance relating to ChildFund PNG’s grants portfolio; and seek diversification of resource mobilisation in the context of decreasing regular giving funds.

• Manage the PNG office including human resource development, program delivery, financial management, and legal and regulatory compliance.

• Oversee organisational policy implementation and compliance, and adequate risk management processes in the Country Office, as well as across project-implementing partners.

• Lead the development of members of the Senior Management team.

• Contribute to the overall operational effectiveness of ChildFund Australia as an active member of the Country Office Leadership Team.

• Promote strong Child Safeguarding, and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) practices, in line with ChildFund’s Safeguarding policies and procedures, to ensure that all staff are alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks and concerns.

• Promote and integrate gender quality, disability, and social inclusion into day-to-day work.

Qualifications & Experience

• Graduate degree in social sciences, economics, finance, public policy, international studies, management, health, education, child rights, child protection, or other relevant disciplines.
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in the design, delivery and/or management of international development programs, with a focus on participatory and community-driven programming.
• Demonstrated experience with and a commitment to locally-led development and partnership approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to engage at a high level with government officials, senior INGO and UN agency staff.
• In-depth understanding of current development issues in PNG, at both the practice and policy levels or similar context.
• Experience effectively running an organisation or office, particularly the management of financial and administrative systems, including grants, budgets, general office management, human resources, IT, and other systems.
• Experience in grant management, especially with a diverse donor portfolio, including CSOs, DFAT, MFAT, USAID, the EU, and others.
• Experience in Climate Change Adaptation or Disaster Risk Management programming.
• Demonstrated understanding of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion.
• Good command of written and spoken English and Tok Pisin.

Skills & Qualities

• A strong leader and great role model for others that supports people in achieving their goals, upholds organisational values, and furthers the goals of the organisation.
• Excellent at building and managing relationships with key stakeholders.
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities, and open to learning innovative new approaches.
• An energetic, passionate motivator and creative thinker that remains positive, even in challenging situations.
• An excellent communicator who excels at conveying ideas.

Working at ChildFund Australia

Some of the benefits of working with ChildFund Australia include:

• A remuneration package continuously benchmarked against local employment conditions to ensure we offer competitive employment conditions appropriate to our sector.
• Support for flexibility in the ways you work, which allows our people to to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• Support for employee learning & development, including through on-the-job and external training, coaching, and workshops.

Department: Operations

Location: ChildFund PNG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Employment: Full time, two-year employment agreement, with option to extend upon mutual agreement / dependent on funding

Reports to: CEO, ChildFund Australia

Email us at hr@childfund.org.au if you have any other questions about the role.

ChildFund Australia believes in a global community where children are safe and can reach their full potential. We take extensive steps to safeguard children in any work done by our people, i.e., our staff, volunteers and interns, supporters, partners, board members, ambassadors and suppliers. We strive to keep children safe through child safe practices, and rigorously ensure we prevent, oppose, and combat all exploitation and abuse of children and vulnerable people. As part of this commitment, all people working with us will undergo relevant background checks before joining ChildFund Australia.

At ChildFund Australia, all staff must remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding or sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment (SEAH) risks. Staff will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to understand our Child Safeguarding and PSEAH policies & procedures, promote strong safeguarding practices, and conduct themselves consistent with these policies.

In line with our values, diversity of people and ideas is critical to our work and our success at ChildFund Australia. We strive for a team culture that is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive. Childfund is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and strongly encourages people from all backgrounds, abilities, and identities to apply for any vacancies.