Director – Eastern Europe

Sayara International is hiring a Director for its Eastern Europe operations. Please read the full Terms of Reference below and guidelines on how to apply for this role. We look forward to hearing from you.

Position Description:

The Director – Eastern Europe is responsible for Sayara’s growth and development in the region. The incumbent will report to the President.

The ideal candidate for this position has strong market knowledge, specifically in areas related to social and behavioral change communication (SBCC) – such as counter disinformation – and/or monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL). Our major clients include UK and U.S. government agencies such as FCDO and USAID. The incumbent is expected to deploy organizational resources to capture new business in the region based on Sayara’s global growth plan.

The Director – Eastern Europe will contribute to the work Sayara does to build positive change in societies that most need it. You will be working as part of a welcoming and diverse international team of experienced professionals.

About Sayara International:

Sayara International is a social enterprise combining rigorous research and communication to create positive change in fragile and conflict-affected societies.

Sayara provides complex monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and social and behavior change communication (SBCC) in the most challenging environments. We work on countering disinformation, measuring social cohesion, and assessing education, migration, inclusive governance, climate change, and health.

Diverse perspectives and an emphasis on equity bring strength to Sayara. Gender, inclusion, and intersectional identities are cross-cutting themes across all our internal practices and our programs for governments, civil society organizations, and international institutions.

Sayara has evolved across unstable contexts. Our decentralized structure – with a global leadership network and investment in local talent – enables agility and rapid start-up, while equipping us with unique values and competencies.

Founded in 2003, Sayara operates in 30 countries across Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Our teams of professionals are based in field offices in Khartoum, Kyiv (until recently), and Nairobi, with support from our offices in Dubai, London, Marseille, and Warsaw.

Find out more about Sayara International:

Website: https://sayarainternational.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SayaraIntl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sayarainternational

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9407279/

Responsibilities:

• Oversee regional program delivery team to ensure client expectations are met and exceeded.
• Champion Sayara’s corporate values with internal and external stakeholders.
• Grow Sayara’s business in the Eastern Europe region in line with Sayara’s global growth strategy.
• Develop formal market analyses and an associated growth plan for the region.
• Pursue and generate opportunities in the region.
• Liaise with Sayara’s global team to ensure global resources are allocated optimally against Eastern Europe opportunities.
• Work closely with the Business Development and Communications teams to generate public facing knowledge products to highlight Sayara’s work in the region.
• Lead client outreach meetings.
• Support the drafting of programmatic bids for clients including FCDO, USAID, EU, UN, and others.
• Collaborate with Sayara’s senior management on visioning new programs and framing programmatic proposals to meet client interests in the region.

Desired Skills & Qualifications:

• 10+ years in international development, with a minimum of 5 years in Eastern Europe / Former Soviet Union.
• Proven success in business development and growth.
• English fluency and fluency in a regional language such as Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, etc.
• Master’s degree in the social sciences (or similar field).
• Legal right to reside and work in a country in the region.
• Technical experience in MERL and/or SBCC.
• Prior experience with USAID, FCDO, and NGOs.
• Must possess skills such as but not limited to effective leadership skills, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and excellent communication skills.
• Financial and budgeting knowledge.

Location & Travel:

Central or Eastern Europe, or Caucuses. Sayara seeks a candidate currently based in or willing to relocate at their own expense in the region. The candidate should have legal authorization to work in at least one country in the region – Sayara cannot sponsor work authorization.

Travel throughout the region will be part of the position’s duties.

We highly encourage applications from women and people originating from minority groups.

Job Type:

This is a full-time position (40 hours per week), Monday-Friday.

Duration:

The Director – Eastern Europe will be offered a one (1) year Employment Contract, with a four (4) month probation period and the option for renewal, based on the discretion of, and mutual agreement between Sayara International and the Director – Eastern Europe.