Associate Director - Africa

Overview:  Lead our growing portfolio of impactful work with government entities, foundations, and social impact organizations across Africa.

About Delivery Associates:

We help governments and social impact organizations turn ambitious goals into an everyday reality for the people they serve. At the heart of what we do is the methodology: Deliverology®, the evolving science of getting things done in the public and social sectors. We use our expertise—strategic planning, delivery and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, digital solutions, and strategic communications—to build the capacity of our partners to deliver at every stage of the implementation life cycle, both with us and beyond us. In every one of our services you will find a throughline back to this focus on helping partners to deliver better results through better implementation. We are a small but global remote organization focused on scaling impact around the world.

Job Description

We are currently seeking a citizen-centric consulting leader to join us in driving transformative change and growing our portfolio across Africa. Our support with clients in the region focuses on impact for beneficiaries and refining implementation along the way, accounting for learnings in the local context.

Leading our work in countries across Africa, you'll further develop and enable our strategic vision for impact in the region, as well as contribute to the overall leadership of Delivery Associates as a Global Leader in the firm. As an Associate Director, you’ll guide consulting teams working with governments and coalitions to support on-the-ground delivery of project priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Regional projects oversight: Manage and oversee multiple projects within the region, ensuring timely and successful delivery while adhering to DA’s methodologies and standards.
• Client and stakeholder relationship management: Act as the primary point of contact for key regional clients, particularly in the public sector and social non-profits, fostering strong, long-term relationships and understanding their needs to provide tailored solutions.
• Business Development: Identify and pursue new business opportunities, develop and present proposals, and collaborate with senior leadership to strategize and implement business development initiatives, particularly focusing on transformational change and capability building.
• Team leadership and development: Mentor and develop project leads and team members, fostering a collaborative and high-performance team culture and providing guidance, support, and constructive feedback.
• Strategic planning and execution: Contribute to the development of the DA’s regional strategy, analyze market trends and competitive landscape, and implement strategic initiatives in alignment with overall goals.
• Stakeholders management: Build and maintain relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including government agencies and non-profit organizations, ensuring effective communication and collaboration across different functions and teams.
• Financial management: Oversee project budgets, ensure financial targets are met, monitor the region's financial performance, and report status to senior leadership.
• Quality assurance: Ensure the highest quality of deliverables and client engagements, implement best practices and continuous improvement processes, and conduct regular reviews and audits to maintain standards of excellence.
• Innovation and knowledge sharing: Promote innovation in consulting practices and service offerings, encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration, and stay updated on industry trends to drive thought leadership within the region
• Risk management: Identify and mitigate risks associated with regional projects and client engagements, develop and implement risk management strategies and contingency plans, and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Entrepreneurial role: Act as an entrepreneur within the firm, reinventing strategies to open up new opportunities for client impact and creating positive, enduring change in the public sector and social non-profits.
• Distinctive and inclusive culture: Embrace and contribute to DA’s distinctive and inclusive culture, accelerating personal development as a leader and fostering an environment that supports positive change.

Skill sets

We work closely in diverse, global teams, leaning on each other’s strengths. We don’t expect any one person to do all these things perfectly. Our teams are made up of leaders with:

• Intellectual leadership: Ability to provide intellectual insights, effectively frame public sector challenges, and apply deep functional knowledge and expertise
• Team leadership and collaboration: Strong team orientation and collaborative approach with experience in leading project teams, coaching and developing staff, and ensuring high client satisfaction, particularly in the public sector and social non-profit sectors undergoing complex transformations.
• Business development and client engagement: Proven track record in developing new client relationships and generating business opportunities and proven expertise in advising on transformational change and capacity-building.
• Communication skills: Strong ability to communicate complex ideas effectively in both verbal and written English. Knowledge of French is a plus
• Stakeholder management and partnership: Ability to cultivate trust, manage through influence, and foster strong partnerships among senior stakeholders.
• Commitment to firm development: Demonstrated commitment to growing and developing the firm, including business development, recruiting, intellectual property (IP) development, and upholding organizational values.

Mindsets

We work well with people who are/have:

• Entrepreneurial vision and innovation: Ability to reinvent strategies, drive innovative initiatives, and create new opportunities for client impact.
• Inclusive collaboration and personal development: Embrace a distinctive and inclusive culture, fostering collaboration and supporting personal development.
• Commitment to high-quality standards: Dedication to maintaining the highest quality in client work and service delivery
• Adaptability and global perspective: Proven success in fast-paced, global environments, with the ability to work effectively across cultures and with senior-level partners.
• Flexible leadership and interpersonal skills: Adaptive management style, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively at all organizational levels.

Required Skills/Experiences:

• Educational background: Advanced degree in business administration, public policy, public health. Extensive requisite experience will be alternatively considered in lieu of formal education in relevant subject areas.
• Professional experience: Minimum of 10-12 years of experience, including time in a senior leadership role within a professional services firm, multilateral or government, with additional experience working with philanthropic organizations.
• Business development: Proven track record of successful client relationship management and business development. Strong business acumen and financial management skills.
• Organizational leadership: Exceptional leadership skills, including large teams and practices Ability to inspire and mentor a diverse and geographically dispersed, remote team.
• Broad Africa expertise: Understanding of and experience in African markets, with the ability to manage and develop business across multiple countries.
• Subject-matter expertise: Specialized knowledge in a specific sector relevant to our practices (e.g., health, education, data analytics) is an added advantage.
• Project management: Demonstrated experience in managing complex projects.
• Communication skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, negotiation, and presentation skills. Preference for bilingual candidates (English and French).
• Authorization + location requirements: Candidates must have the right to work in an African country and be based in and/or willing to relocate within the continent.

What we offer:

• Impactful work: Opportunities to develop and lead projects to deliver impact on the most important issues of our time 
• Excellent colleagues: We strive to be as talent-dense and diverse as possible, so we are always learning from each other.
• Growth environment: Opportunity to lead and shape the future of a growing global social impact firm.
• Flexibility: Remote working environment with opportunities for global collaboration.
• Healthy compensation: Competitive compensation and benefits package, including equity and a generous leave allowance.
• Travel opportunities: Travel across Africa up to 25-50%, as well as some cross-regional and global travel throughout the year.

Our Values:

These values serve as an anchor, enabling us to stay true to who we are and what we stand for.

• Passion: It is all about impact.
• Excellence: Delivering to the highest standards.
• Humility: Pride without ego.

For more information, visit deliveryassociates.com/our-work or contact our talent team at talent@deliveryassociates.com.

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