Regional Cross-Cultural Engagement Officer at World Concern

Location: Nairobi, Kenya with travel throughout World Concern operational areas in Africa

Length of Contract: One Year Renewable

We serve over 6 million people in 15 countries, focusing on clean water and health, child protection, disaster response, economic empowerment, and spiritual transformation.

Position Summary: The Regional Cross-Cultural Engagement Officer will have responsibility for regional implementation, integration, and growth of Cross-Cultural Engagement programming throughout World Concern’s Africa countries of operation, with two primary areas of focus:

• Overall responsibility for managing and growing the Africans to Africa (A2A) missions initiative (currently Kenya and South Sudan) through regional church mobilization and partnership development.
• Regional development and execution of World Concern’s short-term missions program, with responsibility for regional logistics, hosting, opportunity development, and experience design.

This position has significant interaction with staff, partners (donors, churches, and STM participants), community partners, and the public.

As such, its impact on the overall standing and credibility of World Concern must be considered at all times, and this position must safeguard the reputation of the organization with all stakeholders.

This position will work in close cooperation with country, regional, and global headquarters staff to ensure high quality project delivery.

Essential Functions (General overview and may not include all details of responsibilities)

Duties

Leadership

• Provide strong and clear leadership in articulating and championing World Concern’s Transformational Development ethos.
• Collaborate with regional, country, and project leaders to identify, develop, and execute short-term mission opportunities in the region in alignment with World Concern’s philosophical approach and values.
• Provide overall strategic direction for the A2A project by ensuring that the vision and project plans are implemented as planned.
• Facilitate the growth and sustainability of A2A by drafting an expansion strategy into other regional countries.
• Take the lead in the development of quality key project documents, including but not limited to strategic plans, work-plans and budgets.
• Plan and convene quarterly meetings of A2A Coordinating/Advisory Committee.

Fundraising and Partnership Development

• Pray and mobilize the church to pray for the field work and workers.
• Develop networks and platforms to mobilize individual and church partners to support the A2A initiative.
• Develop fruitful and robust relationships with pastors and church mission boards in the region.
• Organize and create opportunities for vision casting meetings with regional churches.
• Organize short-term missions for interested regional churches as appropriate.
• Organize gala events geared toward getting new individuals and churches to support the A2A initiative.
• Plan and organize biannual partner meetings with existing partners to update them on overall project progress.
• Prepare materials and tools to assist churches in considering partnership with World Concern.

Logistics

• Work with all relevant parties to ensure that short-term mission trip planning is completed within a reasonably advanced timeframe and communicated to all stakeholders as appropriate.
• Coordinate logistics and support functions for short-term missions in the Africa region, ensuring that short-term trips are executed in a safe, professional, and timely manner within budget. This includes airport transfers, in-country transportation, accommodation, food, supplies, contingency planning, on-field training, and debriefing.
• Establish and maintain relationships with visitor hosting service providers (hotels, transport, tour operators, cooks, nurses, etc.) and local government authorities as needed to ensure short-term mission trips are executed smoothly and meet experience standards.
• Work with Regional Safety & Security Advisor to assess short-term mission trip viability and to develop emergency plans and protocols.

Training & Capacity Building

• Serve as a capacity building resource for regional, country, and project teams for short-term missions, including but not limited to the areas of opportunity development, experience design, logistics, budgeting, and cross-cultural understanding.
• Conduct training and debriefing for short-term mission teams as needed.
• Assist in developing training for short-term missions.
• Assist in developing and maintaining up-to-date country visitor orientation materials as requested.

Hosting

• Serve as a host and team leader for short-term mission participants, meeting and traveling with them from arrival in-country until departure, for the duration of their trip as needed. (Will vary by location.)
• Provide spiritual and practical leadership to visiting short-term mission participants as needed.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Improvement

• Coordinate with the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Manager to develop and implement an M&E framework for A2A programming.
• Evaluate the effectiveness and impact of short-term missions for all stakeholders.
• Support the development, assessment, and revision of short-term mission’s processes and operating procedures.

Communication

• Serve as a liaison between World Concern headquarters, the Africa regional office, and field staff facilitating short-term missions.
• Foster regular communication between A2A partner churches/supporting individuals and their adopted evangelist through monthly reports / prayer letters / newsletters on email and social media platforms.
• Ensure that monthly and quarterly project reports are prepared as required, including Monthly Program Review (MPR) updates.
• Facilitate regular Skype meetings between staff supporting A2A in Kenya and South Sudan and file minutes.
• Submit timely trip reports after each short-term mission trip.

Administration

• Work with Regional HR and Administration Manager and other staff to handle administrative needs for short-term missions in the region, including but not limited to visa assistance, application processing, and budgeting.
• Work with country and project leadership to accurately forecast short-term trip expenses, track spending, allocate expenses appropriately, and reconcile discrepancies.
• Utilize short-term mission’s systems (e.g. Managed Missions software) to effectively manage program processes.
• Be the custodian of all A2A project documents and records.
• Create and maintain an up-to-date A2A support database.
• Ensure that processes and procedures are understood and adhered to by short-term mission participants and relevant volunteers, staff, and contractors.

Other

• Work collaboratively with supervisor, coworkers, constituents, and community partners.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Essential Qualifications

• High degree of ownership, passion and commitment to World Concern’s vision, mission, and values.
• Spiritually mature with a strong theological understanding of the Gospel, the local church, and missions.
• Able to disciple others and provide spiritual leadership in a group setting.
• Fluent in spoken and written English and Kiswahili; able to translate and interpret.
• Strong organizational and administrative skills, including effective time management, scheduling, and prioritization of competing demands and multiple deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience in project/program management and financial management.
• Strong cross-cultural understanding and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence with the ability to interact genuinely, sensitively and appropriately with people from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds.
• Willing and able to travel frequently to remote and harsh locations throughout World Concern’s operational countries with responsibility for other travelers.
• Welcoming, outgoing, and empathetic with a strong customer service orientation.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to care for people and accomplish mission objectives in the midst of ambiguity, change, and stress.
• Able to anticipate risks and identify contingency plans and processes to adapt and prevent disruptions.
• Strong oral, written, and public communication skills with the ability to effectively represent World Concern to constituents.
• Demonstrated experience in cultivating and expanding fundraising partnerships.
• High degree of comfort with leading through influence without line authority. Skilled at building consensus and collaborating across an organization.
• Able to work independently with little supervision and within a team environment.

Christ Centered

• Profession that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.
  Lifestyle that is consistent with biblical principles.
• Agreement and support of CRISTA’s Doctrinal Statement.
• Demonstrates the values of a CRISTA leader.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited college or university recognized by the relevant commission on higher education and the United States Department of Education or equivalent.

Experience

• Minimum 3 years in local church ministry and cross-cultural Christian missions.
• Minimum 3 years’ administrative experience.
• Minimum 3 years managing people.
• Minimum 3 years of experience living cross-culturally and significant international travel experience.

Licensure / Certification

• First Aid, CPR, or Wilderness First Responder certification; or willingness to obtain certification in the first year of employment.

Software / Equipment Knowledge

• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Email and internet-based communications (Skype, WhatsApp)
• Web-based file sharing (SharePoint, OneDrive)
• Satellite phones
• Strong aptitude for learning to use new software

Other Considerations

• Must be able to obtain visas to most World Concern operational countries in Africa as well as the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

Education

• Post-graduate studies in missions, Biblical studies, intercultural studies, anthropology or another relevant field.

Experience

• Experience in international development or disaster relief.
• 3+ years of experience working in an international organization.
• Strong understanding of safety and security for travelers in fragile contexts.
• Fluency in French, Arabic, or other languages spoken in World Concern operational countries.