Country Director, Uganda - SYS-1240

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is seeking a Country Director, Uganda to lead and manage GAIN Uganda Country office. This role will be offered on a 2 years’ fixed term contract basis, subject to availability of funding. You will be based in GAIN’s Uganda office in Kampala, Uganda.  

Reporting to the Director Country Programs, the Country Director (CD) will be responsible for implementing and adapting existing strategy in collaboration with technical colleagues setting the overall direction of GAIN’s strategy, partnerships and programmes.

The postholder must ensure that the country strategy implementation is in line with GAIN’s vision, outcomes, policies and procedures. As the most senior representative for GAIN in the country, you will be responsible for high level representation to the government, donors, the private sector and the UN. In addition, the Country Director has overall responsibility for security management and health and safety for GAIN staff within the country.

You will lead and manage all aspect of GAIN`s Country office, including operations and financial management, compliance with local laws, fiscal planning, human resource planning and the creation of a shared vision among all staff.

• Providing overall leadership to GAIN staff, coaching, mentoring and motivating team members and ensuring team synergy, including leading the senior direct reports
• Ensuring the appropriate implementation of all Human Resource policies, procedures and practices
• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with relevant officials in government, civil society, donors, partners and other international organizations
• Leading the development, implementation and quality management of the country’s strategy, which maximizes impact to transforming local food systems for better nutrition
• Planning and tracking of progress of the implementation of the country strategy, including the development and review of annual business plans, to support the vision set out in the country strategy
• Supporting the operations and programs teams to ensure the efficient and proper use of funds, supporting team in the development and management of the country program and grant level budgets
• Leading the identification of in-country funding to support our planned work and to make best use of resources available to maximize impact
• Developing a proposed annual budget and ensuring the timely submission of financial reports, which accurately reflect the financial condition of the country office
• Leading the preparation, regular updating and implementation of the security plan in line with GAINs security policy and procedure

About You

The ideal candidate will have extensive leadership and management experience in leading and developing projects in a multi-cultural environment at international level in the private sector, food industry or with development organizations. You should possess solid experience in representation with key donors, government, internal and external stakeholders with a demonstrable track record in fundraising and business development.

In addition, you will have excellent understanding and experience of risk, programme, financial and operational management. You will also have demonstrated success in building and managing multi-disciplinary teams and proven successful people management experience, ability to work as part of a multicultural team.

The postholder will be fluent in written and spoken English, candidate with proficiency in local languages is highly desirable. You should possess excellent communication skills and willing to present clear and structured arguments with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills. In addition, you should be highly flexible and willing and able to travel in-country and overseas as and when required.

A Master’s degree in agricultural science, food science, public health, nutrition, economics, business administration or equivalent. You will have broad understanding of the nutrition-food systems nexus, public health and community development and a good understanding of key trends in international and humanitarian development.

The starting salary on offer for this role is from UGX 231,129,372 – UGX 265,772,664 per annum (gross salary), depending on experience.

GAIN has a fair and competitive salary structure that allows for annual progression subject to good performance. In addition, GAIN offers a total of 37 days holiday per year (including annual leave, public holidays and additional office closure days), an attractive pension scheme and competitive insurance cover including health, travel and life assurance.

We are committed to the health of our staff, especially in these challenging times, and have developed a programme of wellbeing that includes flexible working, additional leave allowances, wellbeing days, mindfulness coaching and access to independent and confidential counselling.

GAIN also has a strong commitment to professional development. We will support you to grow in your career through both formal and informal training, and are committed to providing opportunities through internal recruitment, secondments and promotion. All of this is delivered in a supportive and collaborative environment.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Due to COVID19, conflict in Ukraine and climate change, malnutrition and hunger have worsened significantly since 2019, reversing a decade of progress. There is growing recognition that our food systems need to change if we are to reverse these trends.

GAIN’s Strategy aims to transform food systems to make healthier diets from sustainable food systems accessible to all people and especially those whose are most vulnerable to shocks. By 2027, we aim to improve the access of 1.5 billion people to nutritionally enhanced staple foods, improve the access of 25 million people to healthier diets, and support positive food system change in 10 countries. This is bold and complex, and the only way to achieve this is to work together with partners including governments, businesses, and civil society at the country and global level. These goals, and the ways of achieving them, build on our twenty-year legacy of transforming people’s lives with improved nutrition through concerted action and effective policy change.

We provide a flexible working environment that includes a combination of home and office working opportunities through our global hybrid working policy. This encourages our staff to have a healthy work-life balance and increases staff motivation, enriches employee wellbeing, and improves performance and productivity.

All of our positions are based in one or more of GAIN’s designated offices as stated on our job advertisements. Successful candidates will be based in one of GAIN’s country offices and must have the existing right to live and work within a reasonably commutable distance of the relevant city / cities in which the role is advertised. Please note, that GAIN does not sponsor working visas and relocations. 

GAIN reserves the right to withdraw an offer of employment for candidates who are considered to ineligible under the above conditions during or after the recruitment process.

For more detailed information please see the attached job description. To apply, follow this link - Country Director, Uganda - Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) - Oxford HR .

Applicants must be currently based and have the existing right to live and work in the Kampala, Uganda region to be eligible to apply for this position.

This advert closes on 10th January 2025. Early applications are encouraged. GAIN reserves the right to close this advert early should we receive suitable candidates ahead of the closing date.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is committed to equality of opportunity and creating an inclusive environment where diversity is valued.  We are keen to reflect the diversity of our society at every level within our organisation and therefore welcome applications from talented and committed people from all backgrounds, representing the diverse societies we operate in.