ForAfrika is an African-founded and led organisation with over 40 years of impact across the continent. We partner with communities through our integrated development continuum: saving lives and building resilience to reach self-sufficiency through our Humanitarian & Development work and unlocking commercial viability through our Social Enterprise activities. We are Africans, delivering African-led solutions for Africa, and we stand by our promise: we’re committed to the long run, until the job is done and communities are enabled to thrive.
Role Thesis
The Country Managing Director is the accountable leader for the ForAfrika South Africa platform and the principal architect of its next phase of growth and transformation. The MD will steward country operations, impact, people, governance, financial sustainability and risk while building the future South Africa platform. This includes developing the operating model, leadership capability, strategic partnerships, revenue pathways, market positioning, and organizational culture required for long-term success. The role is responsible not only for running the office, but for transforming it into a commercially credible, impact-led and financially resilient platform that can operate effectively across enterprise development, catalytic CSI funding and other appropriate growth opportunities. The MD will build on the foundations established during the interim leadership period and lead the next phase of ForAfrika South Africa's evolution into a market-relevant, scalable and sustainable organization.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Group Chief Operations Officer, the Managing Director (MD) is ForAfrika’s senior accountable leader in South Africa, with overall responsibility for the performance, resilience and future relevance of the country platform. The MD owns the full Country Office P&L, impact, revenue, delivery, people and transition outcomes, and is accountable for bringing Pre-Commercial Viability (PCV) and Commercial Transactions/FASE together within a single country strategy and operating model.
A core responsibility of the MD is to build the future South Africa operating platform — transforming the foundations established into a commercially credible, impact-led and sustainable country operation. This includes shaping the organisation, capabilities, leadership and operating systems required to support ForAfrika’s evolution, while protecting existing humanitarian, institutional, government, corporate and community commitments.
The MD translates ForAfrika’s enterprise strategy and 2026–2031 Revenue Plan into an executable country model, balancing strong operational stewardship with the development of new commercial and social enterprise opportunities. The MD brings Social Enterprise, Revenue, Operations, Finance and Impact & Evidence together around one country strategy, one P&L, one operating cadence and one accountable leadership team.
The South Africa Country Office must be flexible by design, balancing institutional funding and public-system strengthening with time-bound pre-commercial viability (PCV), corporate partnerships, transaction-linked opportunities, blended finance and FASE revenue. The MD is accountable for selecting, executing and rebalancing this mix in line with South Africa’s operating context and within enterprise guardrails.
The role therefore requires a leader who can operate simultaneously as country executive, external representative, growth leader, P&L owner and steward of mission, people and risk.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
- Leadership, Management, and Accountability
Model ForAfrika’s core values of Deep Love ForAfrika, Dependability, Compassion, Initiative and Discipline, while building a culture of accountability, collaboration, commercial discipline and timely execution across the South Africa Country Office.
Translate ForAfrika’s enterprise strategy and the South Africa transformation priorities into clear country plans, Rocks, scorecards, timelines and accountabilities, ensuring the Country Leadership Team is aligned around PCV, FASE, operational delivery, financial sustainability and impact.
Lead and manage the Country Leadership Team through clear expectations, regular performance reviews, disciplined operating cadences and timely follow-up, ensuring that each leader understands their responsibilities, decision rights and required outcomes.
Maintain effective management oversight of country P&L, revenue and diversification, contractual delivery, cash and financial sustainability, impact, people, risk and transformation, taking timely corrective action where performance is off track.
Establish and maintain a consistent Country Office operating cadence, including P&L reviews, pipeline and revenue reviews, delivery reviews, PCV/FASE portfolio reviews, Rocks and scorecards, ensuring issues are identified early, decisions are made and actions are followed through.
Hold senior leaders accountable for delivery against approved plans and ensure decisions have clear owners, timelines and measurable outcomes, escalating material risks or decisions requiring enterprise approval to the VP Operations/COO.
Coordinate effectively with GSO functions, FASE, Revenue and other Country Offices on One ForAfrika priorities, ensuring clarity of roles, accountability and execution while avoiding duplication of functional ownership.
Ensure the South Africa Country Office consistently applies organisational policies, delegated authorities, financial controls, risk and compliance requirements, safeguarding standards and other governance requirements.
Provide timely, accurate and decision-ready reporting to the VP Operations/COO on country performance, financial sustainability, revenue, delivery, transformation progress, leadership risks and material decisions required.
Take overall accountability for execution of the approved South Africa strategy and operating model, ensuring that the Country Office protects existing commitments while progressing towards a sustainable, commercially credible and impact-led operating platform
2. Strategic Mandate
Protect today's obligations while building the next operating model. Delivery continuity, safeguarding, duty of care, cash and donor/partner commitments cannot be compromised by transformation.
Build the future South Africa platform, translating the foundations established into a scalable operating model, high-performing leadership team, differentiated market position and sustainable growth engine.
Own a differentiated country strategy. Configure the country around its funding mix, humanitarian context, operating maturity, assets, risk profile, leadership capacity and strongest credible revenue pathways.
Build financial resilience. Reduce dependence on a single donor, programme, affiliate or funding channel through disciplined renewal, replacement, diversification and full-cost recovery.
Connect operations to growth. Convert local legitimacy, government relationships, operating assets, evidence and technical capability into competitive propositions for donors, governments, corporates, DFIs, investors, primes and strategic partners.
Operate as One ForAfrika. Share capabilities, intelligence, talent and delivery assets across countries and contribute to multi-country opportunities rather than optimising only for the local office.
Lead the transition to one Country Office operating platform with clearly governed PCV and Commercial Transactions/FASE lanes.
Lead the change-management process and establish clear accountability across the new leadership structure.
3. Country P&L, Financial Stewardship and Sustainability
Own the country P&L, annual operating plan, budget performance, cash forecast, cost recovery, working-capital visibility and structural cost base.
Ensure every material programme, contract, PCV activity and commercial proposition has realistic costing, funding separation, mobilisation assumptions and an identified financial owner.
Maintain disciplined fixed-cost management. Add capacity only where funded delivery, approved growth or strategic investment justifies the cost.
Maintain a credible renewal/replacement plan for expiring revenue and actively manage concentration exposure.
Partner with Finance to ensure auditable separation of restricted humanitarian/institutional funding, PCV co-capital and FASE/commercial activity.
Ensure the South Africa platform is positioned to compete effectively across corporate, institutional, public and other appropriate funding markets.
Sponsor priority strategic relationships and major country opportunities.
Ensure revenue opportunities are supported by credible delivery capability, realistic costing, evidence and mobilisation plans.
Hold the relevant executives accountable for pipeline, propositions, conversion, delivery and renewal performance.
4. Delivery, Impact and Operational Continuity
Deliver all contracted commitments safely, compliantly, on time and to agreed quality and outcome standards.
Maintain fit-for-purpose country controls for procurement, logistics, fleet, warehousing, safeguarding, security, partner management, HR, legal compliance and business continuity.
Own mobilisation readiness for new awards and contracts, including people, partners, supply chain, systems, cash and risk controls.
Intervene early when programme, partner, cash, security, leadership or compliance issues threaten performance; implement recovery plans and escalate material exposure.
Use country evidence to demonstrate outcomes, unit costs, operational reliability and value for money - not only activity completion.
Maintain appropriate controls for procurement, supply chain, safeguarding, security, duty of care, partner management and business continuity.
Intervene early where delivery or operational risks threaten performance or reputation....