Directeur pays

ForAfrika is an African-founded and led organisation with over 40 years of impact across the continent. We partner with communities through our integrated development continuum: saving lives and building resilience to reach self-sufficiency through our Humanitarian & Development work and unlocking commercial viability through our Social Enterprise activities. We are Africans, delivering African-led solutions for Africa, and we stand by our promise: we’re committed to the long run, until the job is done and communities are enabled to thrive.

Role Thesis

The Country Managing Director is the accountable leader for the ForAfrika South Africa platform and the principal architect of its next phase of growth and transformation. The MD will steward country operations, impact, people, governance, financial sustainability and risk while building the future South Africa platform. This includes developing the operating model, leadership capability, strategic partnerships, revenue pathways, market positioning, and organizational culture required for long-term success. The role is responsible not only for running the office, but for transforming it into a commercially credible, impact-led and financially resilient platform that can operate effectively across enterprise development, catalytic CSI funding and other appropriate growth opportunities. The MD will build on the foundations established during the interim leadership period and lead the next phase of ForAfrika South Africa's evolution into a market-relevant, scalable and sustainable organization.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Group Chief Operations Officer, the Managing Director (MD) is ForAfrika’s senior accountable leader in South Africa, with overall responsibility for the performance, resilience and future relevance of the country platform. The MD owns the full Country Office P&L, impact, revenue, delivery, people and transition outcomes, and is accountable for bringing Pre-Commercial Viability (PCV) and Commercial Transactions/FASE together within a single country strategy and operating model.

A core responsibility of the MD is to build the future South Africa operating platform — transforming the foundations established into a commercially credible, impact-led and sustainable country operation. This includes shaping the organisation, capabilities, leadership and operating systems required to support ForAfrika’s evolution, while protecting existing humanitarian, institutional, government, corporate and community commitments.

The MD translates ForAfrika’s enterprise strategy and 2026–2031 Revenue Plan into an executable country model, balancing strong operational stewardship with the development of new commercial and social enterprise opportunities. The MD brings Social Enterprise, Revenue, Operations, Finance and Impact & Evidence together around one country strategy, one P&L, one operating cadence and one accountable leadership team.

The South Africa Country Office must be flexible by design, balancing institutional funding and public-system strengthening with time-bound pre-commercial viability (PCV), corporate partnerships, transaction-linked opportunities, blended finance and FASE revenue. The MD is accountable for selecting, executing and rebalancing this mix in line with South Africa’s operating context and within enterprise guardrails.

The role therefore requires a leader who can operate simultaneously as country executive, external representative, growth leader, P&L owner and steward of mission, people and risk.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

1. Leadership, Management, and Accountability

• Model ForAfrika’s core values of Deep Love ForAfrika, Dependability, Compassion, Initiative and Discipline, while building a culture of accountability, collaboration, commercial discipline and timely execution across the South Africa Country Office.

• Translate ForAfrika’s enterprise strategy and the South Africa transformation priorities into clear country plans, Rocks, scorecards, timelines and accountabilities, ensuring the Country Leadership Team is aligned around PCV, FASE, operational delivery, financial sustainability and impact.

• Lead and manage the Country Leadership Team through clear expectations, regular performance reviews, disciplined operating cadences and timely follow-up, ensuring that each leader understands their responsibilities, decision rights and required outcomes.

• Maintain effective management oversight of country P&L, revenue and diversification, contractual delivery, cash and financial sustainability, impact, people, risk and transformation, taking timely corrective action where performance is off track.

• Establish and maintain a consistent Country Office operating cadence, including P&L reviews, pipeline and revenue reviews, delivery reviews, PCV/FASE portfolio reviews, Rocks and scorecards, ensuring issues are identified early, decisions are made and actions are followed through.

• Hold senior leaders accountable for delivery against approved plans and ensure decisions have clear owners, timelines and measurable outcomes, escalating material risks or decisions requiring enterprise approval to the VP Operations/COO.

• Coordinate effectively with GSO functions, FASE, Revenue and other Country Offices on One ForAfrika priorities, ensuring clarity of roles, accountability and execution while avoiding duplication of functional ownership.

• Ensure the South Africa Country Office consistently applies organisational policies, delegated authorities, financial controls, risk and compliance requirements, safeguarding standards and other governance requirements.

• Provide timely, accurate and decision-ready reporting to the VP Operations/COO on country performance, financial sustainability, revenue, delivery, transformation progress, leadership risks and material decisions required.

• Take overall accountability for execution of the approved South Africa strategy and operating model, ensuring that the Country Office protects existing commitments while progressing towards a sustainable, commercially credible and impact-led operating platform

  2. Strategic Mandate

• Protect today's obligations while building the next operating model. Delivery continuity, safeguarding, duty of care, cash and donor/partner commitments cannot be compromised by transformation.

• Build the future South Africa platform, translating the foundations established into a scalable operating model, high-performing leadership team, differentiated market position and sustainable growth engine.

• Own a differentiated country strategy. Configure the country around its funding mix, humanitarian context, operating maturity, assets, risk profile, leadership capacity and strongest credible revenue pathways.

• Build financial resilience. Reduce dependence on a single donor, programme, affiliate or funding channel through disciplined renewal, replacement, diversification and full-cost recovery.

• Connect operations to growth. Convert local legitimacy, government relationships, operating assets, evidence and technical capability into competitive propositions for donors, governments, corporates, DFIs, investors, primes and strategic partners.

• Operate as One ForAfrika. Share capabilities, intelligence, talent and delivery assets across countries and contribute to multi-country opportunities rather than optimising only for the local office.

• Lead the transition to one Country Office operating platform with clearly governed PCV and Commercial Transactions/FASE lanes.

• Lead the change-management process and establish clear accountability across the new leadership structure.

  3. Country P&L, Financial Stewardship and Sustainability

• Own the country P&L, annual operating plan, budget performance, cash forecast, cost recovery, working-capital visibility and structural cost base.

• Ensure every material programme, contract, PCV activity and commercial proposition has realistic costing, funding separation, mobilisation assumptions and an identified financial owner.

• Maintain disciplined fixed-cost management. Add capacity only where funded delivery, approved growth or strategic investment justifies the cost.

• Maintain a credible renewal/replacement plan for expiring revenue and actively manage concentration exposure.

• Partner with Finance to ensure auditable separation of restricted humanitarian/institutional funding, PCV co-capital and FASE/commercial activity.

• Ensure the South Africa platform is positioned to compete effectively across corporate, institutional, public and other appropriate funding markets.

• Sponsor priority strategic relationships and major country opportunities.

• Ensure revenue opportunities are supported by credible delivery capability, realistic costing, evidence and mobilisation plans.

• Hold the relevant executives accountable for pipeline, propositions, conversion, delivery and renewal performance.

  4. Delivery, Impact and Operational Continuity

• Deliver all contracted commitments safely, compliantly, on time and to agreed quality and outcome standards.

• Maintain fit-for-purpose country controls for procurement, logistics, fleet, warehousing, safeguarding, security, partner management, HR, legal compliance and business continuity.

• Own mobilisation readiness for new awards and contracts, including people, partners, supply chain, systems, cash and risk controls.

• Intervene early when programme, partner, cash, security, leadership or compliance issues threaten performance; implement recovery plans and escalate material exposure.

• Use country evidence to demonstrate outcomes, unit costs, operational reliability and value for money - not only activity completion.

• Maintain appropriate controls for procurement, supply chain, safeguarding, security, duty of care, partner management and business continuity.

• Intervene early where delivery or operational risks threaten performance or reputation.

  5. Revenue Growth, Capture and Market Positioning

• Own the country revenue target and country account plan in partnership with Global Revenue / Business Development.

• Maintain a 36-month view of priority opportunities, renewals, replacements and strategic accounts; ensure accurate country pipeline inputs and disciplined Salesforce use.

• Personally cultivate senior relationships with government, donors, corporates, DFIs, investors, primes, foundations, faith networks and strategic partners relevant to the country model.

• Participate actively in capture before proposal release: buyer intelligence, problem definition, partner selection, solution shaping, evidence, operational feasibility and win strategy.

• Convert local assets, government access, community legitimacy, technical capability and past performance into differentiated, market-facing implementation propositions.

• Do not pursue revenue that creates capability overreach, unpriced risk, unfunded infrastructure or unsupported past-performance claims.

  6. Government, Partnerships and Market Access

• Serve as a senior representative of ForAfrika South Africa with government, corporates, institutional partners, investors, communities and strategic stakeholders.

• Build a deliberate country relationship portfolio across donors, embassies, corporates, DFIs, investors, industry platforms, UN agencies, civil society, universities, faith institutions and local organisations.

• Use partner-led delivery where it strengthens localisation, market access, technical capability or entry discipline; ensure clear roles, due diligence, safeguarding, commercial terms and accountability.

• Position the country office for strategic industries and transaction-linked opportunities where relevant - including mining, energy, logistics, agriculture, health, water, infrastructure and economic corridors - without presenting ForAfrika as the mine operator, engineer, lender or security provider.

• Leverage and strengthen strategic country relationships to support national, regional and multi-country opportunities, enhance organisational positioning, sustainability and delivery, and protect ForAfrika’s reputation, and mission

  7. People, Organisation and Culture

• Build a high performing country leadership team around the approved operating model and funded work; eliminate duplicated roles and unsupported structural cost.

• Ensure right people / right seats, clear accountabilities, measurable scorecards, succession coverage and timely performance action.

• Develop national leadership and technical capability wherever feasible, consistent with ForAfrika's African-led operating model and address underperformance decisively and fairly.

• Create an accountable, collaborative culture that can operate across humanitarian, institutional and commercial disciplines without forming internal silos.

• Lead change with clarity and respect while remaining decisive when role, cost or performance changes are necessary.

• Build succession and leadership capability for critical roles.

  8. Risk, Compliance, Safeguarding and Duty of Care

• Own the country risk register and ensure legal, regulatory, sanctions, anti-corruption, safeguarding, security, financial and partner risks are actively controlled and escalated.

• Maintain country-specific security, access, medical evacuation and business-continuity arrangements proportionate to operating context.

• Ensure proposals, partnerships and commercial commitments are operationally realistic and within ForAfrika's risk appetite before commitments are made.

• Apply heightened controls in high-risk expansion markets, including beneficial-ownership, sanctions, anti-corruption, responsible-sourcing and partner due diligence where relevant.

• Protect organisational reputation by ensuring no revenue target overrides safety, compliance, evidence integrity or mission guardrails.

  9. Evidence, Systems and Decision Quality

• Treat Evidence & Learning (DMEAL) as management and revenue infrastructure. Use verified data to make decisions and prove results to government, donors, investors and partners.

• Maintain current evidence and past-performance packages for the country's strongest capabilities, including outcomes, references, delivery metrics, unit costs and lessons learned.

• Operate within common enterprise systems and standards for finance, revenue, contracts, evidence, HR, procurement, risk and technology while configuring legitimate local requirements.

• Ensure country operating data and revenue pipeline data reconcile sufficiently for mobilisation, capacity and investment decisions.

• Use AI and digital tools to improve productivity, market intelligence and analysis only within approved information-security, source-verification and human-accountability controls.

• Enterprise Contribution - One ForAfrika

• Contribute talent, assets, evidence, partners and technical capacity to enterprise priorities and other countries when this increases overall ForAfrika value.

• Support regional strategic accounts, cross-border humanitarian responses and multi-country investment opportunities through coordinated planning.

• Adopt enterprise standards and decision gates even where local practice previously differed, unless an approved country exception is justified.

• Share wins, losses, lessons, market intelligence and operating innovations so that the country network compounds learning rather than repeating it.

First 12-Month Priorities

• Validate and build upon the foundations established, including the existing diagnostic across contracts, cash, people, systems, assets, revenue mix, pipeline, partners, evidence, risk, humanitarian readiness and PCV / FASE potential.
• Refine and agree the country target operating model and transformation sequence with the SVP Operations; protect all current obligations before structural change.
• Establish the country EOS cadence: leadership accountability chart, annual and quarterly Rocks, weekly scorecard review, issue-solving discipline and decision log.
• Produce a 36-month country revenue and strategic-account plan covering renewals, replacements, institutional opportunities, government, corporate/DFI relationships and suitable PCV / FASE propositions.
• Reset the fixed-cost base and organisation structure against funded work and future strategy; identify critical talent, succession and capability gaps.
• Create or refresh the country's evidence and past-performance package for its highest-value humanitarian, institutional and commercial propositions.
• Establish a prioritised government and external relationship map with named objectives, relationship owners and next actions.
• Validate country risk, security, safeguarding, legal, partner and business-continuity controls; close material readiness gaps.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities.

Leadership Standard.-The next-generation ForAfrika Managing Director must be a country enterprise executive - not solely a technical programme leader. The successful candidate must combine operational depth, financial discipline, external credibility and growth judgement, with the adaptability to lead a humanitarian-heavy, commercially led or mixed country platform.

• Bachelor's degree required in Business, International Development, Public Administration, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Supply Chain, International Relations or another relevant field; Master's degree or equivalent executive experience strongly preferred.
• 12-15+ years of progressively responsible professional experience, including at least five years in a senior country, business-unit or multi-functional leadership role in Africa.
• Demonstrated responsibility for a material operating portfolio with budget / P&L, delivery, people, risk, compliance and external-stakeholder accountability.
• Proven ability to protect current operations while leading organisational change, turnaround, integration, restructuring or operating-model transformation.
• Demonstrated ability to connect operations to growth: diversify revenue, build senior relationships, shape opportunities, develop partnerships and convert organisational capability into funded programmes, contracts or transactions.
• Strong understanding of institutional and humanitarian funding and delivery. Experience with UN agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral institutions or government-funded programmes is highly valuable.
• Commercial and financial literacy sufficient to understand customers, contracts, pricing, cost recovery, unit economics, working capital, investment readiness and the difference between grant-funded, PCV and commercial risk.
• Experience engaging corporates, investors, DFIs, infrastructure sponsors, prime contractors, philanthropy or strategic industries strongly preferred, particularly in commercially led or corridor markets.
• Strong government-relations capability and the judgement to operate credibly across national ministries, local authorities, donors, communities and private-sector leaders.
• Deep experience in operational risk, safeguarding, security, duty of care, procurement, supply chain, partner management and legal/compliance oversight, especially in complex or fragile contexts where relevant.
• Track record of using evidence, data, digital systems and performance dashboards to improve decisions, demonstrate outcomes and strengthen external credibility.
• Established professional networks in the country and/or region across government, donors, civil society, business, finance, academia or implementing partners, with the credibility to open and sustain senior relationships.
• Exceptional judgement, communication, negotiation and influencing skills; able to move from strategy and external representation to detailed operating decisions when required.
• Demonstrated ability to build high-accountability teams, coach senior leaders, confront underperformance and develop national succession capacity.
• Fluency in English required for enterprise engagement; proficiency in relevant national or regional languages is a significant advantage and may be required for specific countries.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, including remote, fragile or high-risk operating locations where appropriate.
• Balanced Experience Requirement-ForAfrika does not require every Managing Director to have identical career experience. A candidate may bring deeper humanitarian/institutional expertise or deeper commercial/private-sector expertise depending on the country. However, every MD must demonstrate enough fluency to govern all three operating lanes, use specialist enterprise functions effectively, and make disciplined decisions outside their original professional comfort zone.