regional director - africa october 2019 · donkeys and mules, and the people who depend on them for...

REGIONAL DIRECTOR - AFRICAOCTOBER 2019

THE DONKEY SANCTUARY REGIONAL DIRECTOR AFRICA 2

Welcome

Who We Are

Global Programmes

Our Mission

Our Vision

Our Values

The Future

The Region

About the Role

Regional Director (Africa)

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities of all Donkey Sanctuary Employees

Hours

Location

Person Specification

How to Apply

About Oxford HR

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WELCOMEThank you for expressing your interest in The Donkey Sanctuary. We are a global organisation supporting projects in countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, transforming lives through direct care, community training, collaborative partnerships and advocacy work to improve the way donkeys are treated. The exciting new role described in this pack arises out of an ambitious programme of change and growth both in our Global Programmes, and in the charity more widely.

Since our foundation in 1969 we have worked towards achieving our vision, which is to create a world where donkeys and mules live free from suffering, and where their contribution to humanity is fully valued.

Together with our volunteers, partners and supporters over the last 50 years, we have: • Helped millions of working animals via our work with donkey-owning communities all

over the world• Become the world’s leading authority on donkeys and mules• Rescued and cared for over 20,000 donkeys from within the UK and mainland Europe• Increased our income from £27 million in 2012 to over £40 million in 2018• Welcomed over 350,000 visitors a year to our award winning sanctuary and visitor

attraction in Devon, including school children and volunteers helping with our extensive wildlife and habitat projects

• Supported tens of thousands of vulnerable children and young people through access to our Donkey Assisted Therapy programme

However, there is so much more to do. There are an estimated 50 million donkeys worldwide and they are pivotal to the survival of some of the most impoverished and vulnerable communities on the planet. Our aim is to help them all.

Our vision is ambitious, but we meet it with determination and resolve. We make smart, strategic decisions, we adapt quickly, and we take calculated risks. We have always been pioneers for our cause, and as we enter our second half-century we are looking for candidates who embody the same the spirit of passion, creativity and drive, to join us on the next stage of our journey.

We very much hope that you will be inspired to join us in our mission to change the world both for donkeys and for the people that depend on them, wherever they may be.

Linda EdwardsExecutive Director of Operations


WHO WE AREThe Donkey Sanctuary has grown from a charity rescuing UK donkeys from neglect and abuse to an international animal welfare organisation transforming the lives of millions of donkeys and mules, and the people who depend on them for their livelihood.

Today, we have 10 sanctuaries around the UK and Europe, giving lifelong care to over 6,000 donkeys and mules, and we reach approximately 1.8 million donkeys and mules through our project work in countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

THE DONKEY SANCTUARY REGIONAL DIRECTOR AFRICA


GLOBAL PROGRAMMESAround the world, donkeys and mules support livelihoods, water access, the construction and tourism industry and more, and yet their wellbeing is almost universally forgotten or maligned in legislation, policies, development programming and even in cultural practices. We believe that donkeys and mules are more than just tools or assets for the communities that rely on them; they are sentient beings that deserve respect, and which need their welfare to be adequately and skilfully managed.

We collaborate with other sectors such as the humanitarian, international development, governmental and environmental sectors to pilot holistic, sustainable solutions which can then be evaluated, scaled up and integrated into the work of others. We also work with veterinary services, universities and tertiary education providers and legislative decision makers to strengthen the systems that protect and improve the welfare of working equids at local, national and international levels.

Our research and monitoring functions mean that we strive to understand the greatest welfare issues and needs of donkey and mules across the world, identifying possible solutions and tracking welfare trends. That means that The Donkey Sanctuary is very well positioned to act quickly to campaign on emerging issues such as the global trade in donkey skins, and in the past we have responded urgently to address emergencies facing donkeys and mules such as hurricanes and floods.

As the largest equine welfare organisation in the world, our global programmes team draws on the whole organisation’s substantial experience and evidence, and we advocate on issues with authority as one of the world’s strongest champions of equine welfare. Whether lobbying on key issues such as the global skin trade or whether raising the status and value of donkeys at high level political events, we give donkeys and mules the strong voice they need.

THE DONKEY SANCTUARY REGIONAL DIRECTOR AFRICA 6THE DONKEY SANCTUARY REGIONAL DIRECTOR AFRICA 6

Compassion The Donkey Sanctuary is above all else compassionate. We never turn away from a donkey in need. Donkeys and the people who rely on them for their livelihoods or to help them cope with physical, mental and emotional challenges, lie at the heart of everything we do. We act as a global engine of caring, both for suffering donkeys and mules, and for all those people whose lives they touch. We also foster a culture of caring for our staff, volunteers and supporters without whom none of our work would be possible.

Our values are compassion, collaboration and creativity.

Collaboration The Donkey Sanctuary is collaborative in all its activities, working through a worldwide network of partners, communities and individuals. We work inclusively with people frequently marginalised within their own countries and communities, whether due to poverty, ignorance, race, gender or disabilities. We know that it is only together and in partnership that we can transform the lives of donkeys and the people who depend on them, wherever they are in the world.

Creativity The Donkey Sanctuary’s goals are ambitious but its resources are finite – which means that we must exercise creativity to meet the ambitious goals we set ourselves. Whether this be in adapting locally available materials for donkey-friendly harness, tailoring our donkey assisted therapy activities to the unique needs of a vulnerable child, or reaching donkey-owning communities in the midst of man-made and natural disasters – creative thinking underpins everything we do.

OUR VALUES

There are an estimated 50 million donkeys in the world and our vision is to reach them all: To elevate their status, to transform their lives, and to create a world where donkeys and mules live free from suffering.

Our six key aims to change the world for donkeys by 2023 are:• We will ensure that every donkey in the UK can live a happy and healthy life • We will transform the lives of working donkeys in greatest need across the world

• We will significantly reduce the number of donkeys suffering in the production of meat, milk and skin

• We will ensure that donkeys affected by major disaster receive prompt and expert care • We will transform the status of donkeys, demonstrating the positive impact they have on

human health and happiness/wellbeing • We will demonstrate the value of feral and wild donkeys in their natural and human

environments

THE FUTURE

A world where donkeys and mules live free from suffering and where their contribution to humanity is fully valued.

OUR VISIONTo transform the quality of life for donkeys, mules and people worldwide through greater understanding, collaboration and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing relationships.

OUR MISSION


THE REGIONThe map overleaf outlines our current work across the region, some of which dates back over 35 years. The region is both complex and challenging and presents the greatest area of intervention for The Donkey Sanctuary.

Africa hosts the greatest number of working donkeys. Working equids can and should have good welfare but the majority do not. Our strategy aims to scale improved welfare through the both government structures alongside the development sector, thereby seeking to address both the needs of working equids and in turn supporting communities whose livelihoods depend on them.

The region is also seeing an unprecedented demand for donkey skins. Millions of donkeys every year are being stolen, traded, slaughtered and smuggled. Their skin is used in the production of ejiao, a Chinese remedy of which extravagant claims are made from curing the common cold to boosting libido.

Never before have donkeys faced this level of threat. If the relentless demand for donkey skins continues the world’s donkey population would be wiped out in 10 years. Already donkey populations in 20 countries are being destroyed, with countries across Africa being greatly impacted.

In order to address the above and our broader strategic aims, it is estimated that our work across Africa will grow dramatically over the next 5 years. At present our expenditure in the region is est. £2.5m – this includes research, advocacy and programming – however, the scale of the issues and need to broaden our scope will see this grow, both through regional fundraising as well as strategic partnerships.


Current work: G,CaOpportunities: T,I,L,DRR

Current work: G,CaOpportunities: TSS,L,DRR,S

Current work: TSS,G,CaOpportunities: L,I,P,S,TSS,DRR

Current work: TSS,G,CaOpportunities: S,L,I,DRR,Fe

Current work: G,CaOpportunities: L,DRR,S,TSS

Current work: TSS,G,P,PEOpportunities: L,S,P,TSS,DRR

Sahel

MENA

Southern Africa

West Africa

Horn & East Africa

Ethiopia9,184,924

1,439,343

1,040,297

8,482,120

2,995,395

1,336,251

Population

2,300,000

Donkey

Mule

Ca: Campaigning/Emerging ThreatsDRR : Disaster Risk ReductionFe: Feral

G: Grant Funded PartnersI: IndustryL: Livelihoods

P: ProductionPE: Policy EngagementS: Skins

Sa: Sanctuary SupportT: TourismTSS: Tertiary System Strengthening

Countries and ClustersHorn & East Africa

MENA

Sahel

Southern Africa

West Africa

Primary country

AFRICA


ABOUT THE ROLEAs Regional Director, you will be the leading figure in the Africa region. You will be responsible for providing high level oversight to The Donkey Sanctuary’s operations for all key areas of performance. The Regional Director plays a pivotal role in the broadening of The Donkey Sanctuary’s presence through strategic partnerships. As the Regional Director, you will also be the driving force of external engagement with other regional actors, coalition building and advocacy at the regional level.

THE DONKEY SANCTUARY REGIONAL DIRECTOR AFRICA


Responsible to: Global Programmes Director

Directly Responsible for: Regional Office Staff and Country Manager, Ethiopia

REGIONAL DIRECTOR (AFRICA)

OVERALL PURPOSETo provide strategic oversight and support in the development and implementation of the charity’s organisational strategy in Africa. The post holder will achieve this by working with internal and external stakeholders to develop innovative programmes; acting as our ambassador and strengthening relationships that advocate and raise awareness of our vital work; and building partnerships to pilot new ways of working and deliver effective donkey welfare programmes.



MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES• Support the Global Programmes Director to engage with institutional networks to

establish synergies, collaborative programming advocacy campaigns and research priorities, strengthening the direct and indirect linkages between donkey welfare programmes and the humanitarian and development sector;

• Work with colleagues in in the UK and across regions to ensure effective integrated delivery of donkey welfare strategies and campaigns.

• Develop and implement strategy for the region.• Build strong programme partnerships ensuring partners deliver our programmes to the

required standards;• Provide internal and external stakeholders with a range of reports assessing with impact

of regional donkey welfare programmes;• Develop new fundraising channels, understanding, and responding to the needs of

donors and ensure their compliance requirements are incorporated into the programme design process;

• Collaborate with internal partners to develop programmes based on robust data and researched evidence;

• Work with the Global Programmes Director and other stakeholders to build effective and mutually beneficial relationships with the organisations operating in the development and animal welfare sectors at global level;

• Work with the regional teams to determine programme priorities and to develop model projects in areas of high priority;

• Inspire, motivate and lead the regional team to deliver a broad range of activities which are aligned to the business plan and strategy of the charity;

• Cultivate a high-performing team culture that demonstrates the organisational values • Manage the region’s Global Programme Support budgets;• Stay informed of developments in the equid welfare field at global level to ensure that

programme support activities are informed by, and in line with, wider emerging trends and developments;

• Carry out any other reasonable duty as may be required.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALL DONKEY SANCTUARY EMPLOYEES• Act as an effective Ambassador for the Charity, demonstrating behaviour which supports

the Charity’s strategy and values and work in a way which promotes the standards described in the Competency & Standards Framework;

• To work within the Charities’ guidelines with regard to conduct, recognising its policies with regard to equality, and showing respect and co-operation towards fellow colleagues;

• Under Health & Safety legislation, all staff must work in the safest possible way in order

to ensure their Health & Safety and that of all others who may be affected by their actions;

• Contribute to making The Donkey Sanctuary a safer environment for vulnerable people (children and adults);

• Demonstrate a commitment to continuing personal development;• To co-operate with management and colleagues to promote good communications

through sharing appropriate information and building positive working relationships.


HOURS

LOCATION

35 hours per week.

Based in Nairobi with substantial travel in the region and to the UK. There may be occasions when the post holder may be requested to work at another location considered reasonable by the Charity.


PERSON SPECIFICATIONEssential• Educated to degree level or above (or equivalent experience); • Experience of working in international humanitarian/development/animal welfare sector;• An understanding of the needs, complexities and challenges associated with donkeys in

the community and donkey welfare in the African context;• Substantial experience at senior leadership level including managing and motivating

multifunctional and geographically dispersed teams;• Flexible and adaptable leadership style; • Experience of representing an organisation internationally;• Proven ability to build strong working relationships with internal and external

stakeholders and partners in particular international organisations, government agencies, academics and NGOs;

• Excellent budget management skills;• Highly developed negotiation, influencing and presentation skills; • Experience of operational planning and strategy implementation; • Experience of programme portfolio oversight and the ability to grow and develop a

diverse programme portfolio;• Competent IT skills, including MS Office;

Desirable• Experience of working with equines• Experience of applying monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning approaches to

improve programme delivery;• Knowledge and experience of the international animal welfare sector (and its role in

development);• Proficient in French, Swahili or Amharic

Personal Attributes• Helps others to grow and succeed through coaching, mentoring and actively

encouraging the sharing of knowledge and experience;• Leads change by effectively communicating and building commitment;• Recognises the importance of customer service and strives to deliver high standards;• Maintains performance, professionalism and composure when under pressure;



HOW TO APPLY All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page and complete our online application form. Please provide a CV and cover letter in ONE single document, which should be prepared before applying as they will be requested in the application process.

The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit. The CV should be a maximum of 4 pages.

The document should be saved in MS Word in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (yymm) e.g: Pat-Jones-CVandStatement-1910

Applicants must have the right to work within the East African Community (EAC).

TimelineClosing date: Preliminary interviews: Final Interviews:

Equality Statement Equality and diversity are at the core of The Donkey Sanctuary’s values. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

Selection ProcessAll candidates will be notified about the status of their applications. Shortlisted candidates may be required to undertake an additional assessment prior to the final interview.

QueriesIf you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email [email protected] in the first instance.

8th DecemberWeek of January 6th

Week of January 27th


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regional director - africa october 2019 · donkeys and mules, and the people who depend on them for...

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