Chief Programmes & Strategy Officer StrongMinds

Position Summary
The position of the Chief Programmes & Strategy Officer (CPSO) is a senior leadership role that works directly with the Global Leadership Team to ensure delivery of StrongMinds (SM) strategic direction. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the CPSO is responsible for leading and managing the SM country directors and key functions at the global office that are critical to SM’s programme delivery i.e Innovations, Research, and Partnerships. The CPSO is an important member of the Global Leadership Team (GLT) and plays a key role in ensuring that StrongMinds achieves its annual milestones, completes its longer-term strategic goals, and ultimately attains its mission of improving the mental health of women and young people.
In collaboration with the CEO, the CPSO will articulate and implement a strategic vision for SM, that focuses on effective growth; oversee implementation of the strategic plan in close collaboration with country directors and the GLT, build new partnerships to grow and sustain the organisation and manage special pilot projects. This role also serves as an innovator and implementer of game changing opportunities to advance SM, working across the senior team of direct reports to facilitate change that ensures programmatic alignment and the effective utilization of resources.

Job Responsibilities
Leadership and Strategy
• Serves as a visible, vocal, and accessible leader who provides daily mentorship within the organization and builds relationships to encourage a collaborative, team-oriented and results-focused environment.
Working in partnership with both the CEO and GLT, develop/execute new processes and approaches to implement StrongMinds’ strategic initiatives/milestones to drive the
• organization’s mission and strategies. Work to maintain and strengthen the culture of StrongMinds as a nimble, fast-paced, innovative results-oriented entity.
• Oversee SM’s long term strategic plan, making it actionable through annual milestones.
• Lead and build infrastructure for scalable growth, facilitating collaboration and results across SM, and drive data-based decision making.
• Lead with a high level of risk management and awareness, effectively managing risk in country programmes and global office programmatic oversight.
• Working with the Director of People, create an environment that supports learning and professional growth for staff. Ensure that StrongMinds is a fair and ethical employer and a workplace of choice.
• Role model to the highest degree, the core values of the organization.
• As needed, partner with the CEO to represent StrongMinds with external constituency
• groups, including donors and other organizations/stakeholders. Programme Delivery
Provide effective and inspiring leadership and management of StrongMinds by actively leading the country and global office programmatic areas. Ensure that innovations, partnerships, research, M&E programs are high-performing, high-quality, efficient, improving, innovating, and delivering/surpassing their objectives.
• Lead the country directors and actively engage key country programmatic personnel.
• Ensure that programmatic milestones and donor requirements are consistently met/exceeded.
• Vigorously lead the efforts of StrongMinds to scale/increase its impact. Ensure the resources and plans are in place and that the team meets/surpasses its scaling goals.
• Work closely with the organization’s communications and development team to facilitate routine and strategic information requirements, to ensure that current and future programs receive the necessary financial resources.
• Work closely with all the organization’s partners, to include scaling partners like INGOs and the government.
• Lead the development, improvement and implementation of systems that will better track and report on programmatic initiatives.
• Lead the global research director to provide oversight to the monitoring and evaluation
• functions in the countries. Drive the research, M&E function to continuously innovate and improve.
• Mentor, coach and develop staff using effective performance management and collaborative approaches; assign accountabilities, set objectives, establish priorities, monitor/evaluate results. Conduct real-time performance feedback.
• Lead the innovations director to manage and advance the StrongMinds Mental Health
• Advisory Panel (MHAP), working to ensure the MHAP is a vibrant source of mental health technical advice for the organization.
• Maintain a strong connection to the global mental health community, ensuring that StrongMinds increases its thought-leadership and learning.
• Serve as the key advocate and focal point for country programs, keeping the CEO and GLT informed of progress and needs for change, strategic decisions, process, and programme improvements.
• Promote regular and ongoing opportunities for all direct reports to give feedback on program operations.
• Maintain continuous lines of communication, keeping the CEO informed of all critical issues and involved in important decision-making.
• Lead the budget development process and maintain a high level of fiscal responsibility in the country programmes and global office functions.

Qualifications:
• An MBA, any other relevant master’s degree equivalent e.g project management, international development
• 15 + years’ experience with significant experience leading strategic planning and all the major aspects of an organization (e.g., strategy development, advocacy, programs, policy development, and partnerships)
• 5 years’ experience at a C-Suite level position
• Demonstrated successful experience in partnering with the CEO and country level project management including organization-wide project implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple teams, with members who are geographically distributed throughout the organization.
• Familiarity with international development practices and trends. Strong community awareness and astuteness.
• Demonstrated experience managing a high-performing team in a multi-tiered structure to include professional development and mentorship.
• Comprehensive working knowledge of organizational planning, organizational structure, budgeting, administrative operations, and fundraising.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and compile complex data for planning purposes.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, with the ability to represent the organization externally across a wide range of stakeholders and constituencies.
• Strong relationship builder, comfortable with leading from behind, with the ability to find common ground, build consensus and strengthen collaboration among diverse
• stakeholders.
• Ability to successfully navigate organisational dynamics in a fast-paced, outcomesdriven, and entrepreneurial, data rich environment.
• Ability to respond enthusiastically and positively to ambiguity, be resilient to shifting priorities and setbacks, and be comfortable with imperfect analysis and solutions.
• Working familiarity of mental health programming is an added advantage.
• Must share StrongMinds audacious mission to end depression.
• Strong preference for a candidate with permission to live and work in Zambia OR Uganda full time.

Key Competencies
• Management and Operational Delivery: Demonstrated ability to plan, organize, and direct the work of multidisciplinary professional and programmes senior leaders; strong in and passion for analysing administrative policies, organization procedures and practices.
• Coaching and Leadership: Appropriate to provide teams with appropriate coaching and leadership support, including learning opportunities, inspiring and motivating them with and without direct supervisory roles.
• Relationship Management: Evidenced ability to build effective and sustainable relationships internally and externally.
• Program Management: Able to simultaneously manage multiple projects while keeping organizational priorities in mind. Uses sound project management principles, including establishing goals and performance measurements, developing budget and plans, securing buy-in and approval from upper management, integrating the project across the organization.
• Good knowledge of global development trends, sustainable development: Awareness of global development trends. Experience of working and living in low-income and middle-income countries a plus.
• Professionalism: Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity. Demonstrates corporate knowledge, self-development, and initiative-taking. Ability to work in a multicultural and international environment based on mutual respect and tolerance. Ability to exercise good judgement, discretion, and tact in handling sensitive issues. Ability to negotiate at the highest level.
• Planning and Organizing: Excellent organizational and task management skills, with appropriate attention to details and quality, and ability to prioritize work among multiple competing demands, and under tight deadlines. Ability to manage multiple workflows at the same time. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment where adaptability is essential.
• Teamwork: Support colleagues, contribute to team culture, and share responsibility for decision-making and results. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility. Ability to work without direct authority to deliver timely and high-quality products