Line Manager: Chief of Programmes (CoP)
Countersigning Officer: CEO
Grade: JG4
Direct reports: Ghana country and corridor team (to be confirmed)
Department: Programme Department
Location: Accra, Ghana
JOB SUMMARY
TMEA has received an initial grant to launch a support programme with the AfCFTA with target interventions at the AfCFTA Secretariat and initially in countries along the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor in West Africa. TMEA is actively fundraising for the West African Trade Corridors and is looking for a Lead to implement the initial programme and to substantially grow the portfolio and TMEA’s presence in West Africa.
1. The Lead West Africa and AfCFTA will lead the implementation of the TMEA’s programmes that support the AfCFTA, both at the AfCFTA Secretariat. and in selected West African countries.
2. S/he will oversee TMEA’s programme delivery in West Africa at both a country and corridor level - through developing and implementing TMEA’s in-country strategies and trade corridor programmes to generate the required results – and with the AfCFTA Secretariat based in Accra, Ghana.
3. S/he will be responsible for liaising with external partners and stakeholders and other major programmes of key development partners, to establish TMEA as a significant and respected organisation and programme, in response to the challenges of Continental and regional trade.
4. The role involves strategic planning, management, and oversight of TMEA’s delivery system to achieve agreed organisational impact objectives.
5. The Lead West Africa and AfCFTA will function with a high degree of autonomy, responsibility, and accountability while reporting on key country programme deliverables to TMEA’s Chief of Programmes (CoP) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
6. A strong track record in fundraising will be critical, as will well developed trade facilitation, infrastructure and private sector development skills.
7. The job holder will work with other TMEA colleagues to develop and sustain a high-performance culture in West Africa, where TMEA will deliver results that demonstrate its expertise in trade and regional integration.
8. S/he work with the CEO, CoP and the other members of the Senior Leadership & Management Team (SLMT) to ensure strong integration across all functional areas to improve TMEA’s effectiveness and to drive a results-focus and institutionalise mechanisms that align people and resources to strategy to enable positive impacts on prosperity for African citizens.
9. The position holder will need to be fluent in both English and French, at a high standard both verbal and written.
10. The job holder will be requested to establish an office in West Africa and recruit a high performing team for the programme, while fundraising to quickly grow the regional portfolio with SLMT support.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Programme development and delivery (30%)
1. Initial focus of the position will be on design, proposal writing and marketing of the programme in order to raise funds and donor investment into the West African Corridor and AFCFTA support programme, with support from TMEA teams and SLMT;
2. Work closely with the CEO, CoP and the technical experts to design programmes and implement TMEA’s operations in West Africa and at the AfCFTA Secretariat;
3. Lead on (and be held accountable for) development and delivery of coherent operational strategy, and allied budgeting, business planning, forecasting & expenditure reviews;
4. Ensure robust country risk management frameworks are in place in all countries of operation and organise political-economy assessments;
5. Analyse and co-manage political risk and high-level engagement at country and regional levels with the CEO and SLT;
6. Ensure full compliance with TMEA regulations across operations (first Line of Defence);
7. Provide on-going strategic input and quality assurance support to maximise results impact;
8. Ensure a comprehensive dashboard of key programme performance indicators (KPIs) is regularly monitored and managed across his/her portfolio to ensure 80% plus levels of performance attainment;
9. Report monthly on key programme KPIs in a meeting with the CoP and quarterly with the CEO;
10. Coordinate annual reviews in West Africa and on the AFCFTA programme;
11. Liaise with the Programme Delivery Hub and Impact Unit to ensure that the portfolio and projects are regularly monitored through implementation of robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms;
12. Liaise with the Programme Delivery Hub, Impact Unit and Communication team to ensure proactive communication of TMEA’s results streams to stakeholders and partners;
13. Ensure implementation of key crosscutting themes and strategies for gender, poverty, safeguards, extractives and climate change;
14. Oversee efficient and effective operation of the portfolio in line with funding agreements with donors and defined TMEA policies and procedures;
15. Prepare periodic management reports for submission to the NOC(s), Board and Council; and
16. Ensure that programme has a high calibre financial management with 90% of disbursements/payments made in line with forecasts, and that TMEA manages its financial resources with minimal risk or incidence of fraud or misappropriation.
Strategy and Implementation (20%)
1. Work effectively and closely with the CEO, CoP and the technical experts in developing and managing TMEA’s strategy and programmes for West Africa and support to the AfCFTA;
2. Develop annual business plans for the portfolio, including capacity development, policy reforms, systems and infrastructure development for regional trade and integration in West Africa in support of the broad AfCFTA goals and objectives, for approval by the National Oversight Committees (NOCs),
3. Board and Council;
4. Contribute actively to regular internal TMEA meetings, highlighting key programme portfolio issues for senior engagement;
5. Implement the national programmes of the footprint countries as well as possible other West African countries if the funding becomes available;
6. Liaise with the Chief of Programmes in development of Project Appraisal Reports (PARs) outlining inputs, activities and outputs required to achieve TMEA’s strategy and business plan, for approval by NOCs, Board and Council;
7. Coordinate and integrate on-going Development Partners’ support for regional trade and integration activities where aligned to TMEA’s goals and objectives;
8. Undertake and oversee initial and ongoing political economy and stakeholder analysis to inform TMAE programme design and implementation in West Africa and with the AFCFTA Secretariat;
9. With the CEO and CoP, take a key role in developing TMEA’s new long-term strategy and developing greater learning and accountability practices across the organisation; and
10. Work with SLMT on strategic analysis, portfolio analysis and stakeholder perceptions to inform future programming, and for reporting to the NOCs, Board and Council.
Political, stakeholder and diplomatic engagement, fundraising and partnership development (25%)
1. Analyse and oversee a comprehensive political economy analysis to produce a political engagement strategy for TMEA in West Africa and with the AFCFTA Secretariat;
2. Oversee and shape TMEA’s strategic political, stakeholder and diplomatic engagement for the support to the AfCFTA Programme and the West Africa portfolio;
3. Co-ordinate political management with CoP and SLMT at the level of the Secretariat and the countries of operation in West-Africa. This will include undertaking regular Ministerial level operational engagement with country-based stakeholders;
4. Examine opportunities for strategic partnerships to enable TMEA to achieve its objectives;
5. Actively fundraise to grow TMEA’s portfolio around the AfCFTA and in West Africa. This will include contacting possible donors, preparing funding documents and concept notes, proactive responding to requests for information, etc;
6. Actively represent and promote TMEA’s work and profile and deputise in national and international public events and fora for the CEO and CoP, particularly those related to TMEA operations in West Africa and with the AFCFTA; and
7. Promote local procurement of all proposed, direct or indirect, TMEA sub-contracts and related opportunities in order to develop the Africa based service provider capacity.
Team Management (10%)
1. Recruit a team to support the implementation of the portfolio in line with the funding streams;
2. Once the team is in place, provide excellent strategic leadership and management of direct reports to obtain the optimal performance from TMEA’s key assets, its staff; and
3. Ensure close coordination, harmonisation and strong integration between (possible) countries of operation in West Africa.
Support TMEA’s governance and oversight structures (10%)
1. The Lead will support the setting-up of a Governance mechanism for the AfCFTA programme in line with the discussions with the donors and other stakeholders;
2. For each of the TMEA countries of the portfolio in West Africa, the job holder will provide support to the NOCs; and
3. Support CEO and CoP in provision of support to the Board of Directors (including Board Committees) and Council including drafting high-quality Board and Council papers.
Corporate level responsibilities (5%)
1. Support TMEA business through meetings and follow-up on issues as and when they arise;
2. Contribute to knowledge generation and dissemination and support teams in knowledge sharing and learning events;
3. Apply the highest standards of controls and risk management practices and behaviours and embed a positive risk and control culture;
4. Understand and comply with the relevant end-to-end processes including applicable risks and controls;
5. Ensure good practice project cycle management (PCM) is followed by the whole team in terms of project design, procurement & contract management, outcome/output-based planning, reporting and financial management, and results-oriented monitoring, learning and evaluation;
6. Demonstrate prudence, sound judgement and appropriate and timely escalations in management of all types of risk (including fraud risk) applicable to this position;
7. Seek to identify, understand and escalate risk events/incidents/ issues on a timely basis focusing on fixing root-causes and taking ownership of identified mitigating actions;
8. Adhere to the safeguarding policies and procedures and immediately report any safeguarding concerns;
9. Promote and adhere to TMEA’s core values and ensure compliance with organisational policies and procedures;
10. Maintain zero tolerance to bribery, fraud and corruption, and ensure the immediate reporting of any corruption or suspect behaviour that threatens TMEA’s reputation; and
11. Undertake any other related responsibilities that may be assigned by the CEO and CoP from time to time.
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ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Undergraduate or Master’s degree preferably in Economics, Development Studies, International Trade, Planning, Finance or Management.
WORK EXPERIENCE
12. Undergraduate degree holders will have at least 12 years’ working experience, including five years of leadership and management experience. Postgraduate degree holders will require at least 10 years’ experience including five years of leadership and management experience.
13. Minimum of Seven years’ experience in managing business units or development programmes, particularly in areas related to TMEA’s core focus areas: of infrastructure development, trade facilitation and private sector engagement.
14. Demonstrable knowledge, skills and experience in programme cycle management and programme delivery, political economy analysis, donor management and fundraising.
15. Three years of senior level experience within West Africa or other developing economies are essential for this role.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
Essential:
1. Strong strategy orientation and experience with the ability to communicate strategy and results concisely and simply;
2. Excellent fundraising skills, competence, and ability to market complex ideas in a simple and understandable way, both verbally and in through the written word in both French and English;
3. Well-developed technical knowledge of the AFCFTA, trade facilitation and regional trade integration in West Africa in particular, and across the Continent;
4. Fluency in both French and English, both verbal and written. Candidate needs to exhibit excellent writing skills in both English and French often under time pressure, in addition to excellent verbal presentation, communication and personal effectiveness skills;
5. Excellent leadership and management skills of diverse teams, with demonstrable strong people management, and delivering tangible change and achieving results;
6. Ability to establish and maintain strong collaborative partnerships/relationships with development partners, senior government officials, civil society and business organisations;
7. Sound decision-making, judgement, problem solving, organisational and analytical skills; and
8. Strong computer literacy with proficiency in MS Office applications.
Desirable:
Knowledge and practice in the areas of financial management, grant management or risk assessment in a development organisation.
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English 
FRENCH
