Director ReAct Europe - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

ReAct (www.reactgroup.org) is an international network focusing on antibiotic resistance. The network is financed by Sida (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) and coordinated from Uppsala University. ReAct was founded in 2005 and today we are based on five continents with offices in North America, Africa, Asia and Latin America. We work in a multidisciplinary team which include expertise ranging from physicians and microbiologists to journalists and communicators. We believe sustainable access to effective antibiotics for all is a question of global development and equity, and we work to create political momentum on this issue. To achieve this we advocate towards governments, governing bodies within the EU and the UN, and other international and regional organisations. We also support implementation of national action plans on antibiotic resistance by collaborating with a broad set of actors including international organisations, governments and civil society organisations. One of ReAct’s strengths is that we operate on many different levels, from local grassroot work, to producing evidence-based data and arguments for use at the highest political level.

ReAct Europe is looking for a visionary and experienced Director with a strong policy background in global health. As Director you will have the overarching operational and financial and personnel responsibilities for ReAct and its staff at Uppsala University and managing day-to-day work at the office. The position is based in Uppsala, but work includes aspects of coordination and development of work done in ReAct’s regional offices, and hence international travelling can be expected. ReAct Europe’s office in Uppsala has 9 staff and the global network has around 30 staff. You can read more about ReAct on our website.

ReAct is formally a part of the Department of Medical Sciences which is a large clinical department with about 250 staff and over 300 people who are connected via Uppsala University Hospital. You can read more about the work of the department at www.medsci.uu.se.

Job description:

Tasks and duties include to:

• Be responsible for the strategic development of ReAct Europe’s work as well as take part in the overall strategic development of the full network
• Manage and develop ReAct Europe’s staff and operations, with a communicative and inclusive leadership that provides space for professional development, facilitates knowledge sharing, promotes organizational learning and makes ReAct an attractive workplace
• Have personnel responsibilities for all ReAct Europe staff including skills development of individual staff, salary discussions, recruitment of new staff and ensuring a good working environment
• Represent ReAct Europe in external meetings (both nationally and internationally) and in political advocacy work
• Take part of the development of background documents, policy analysis and advocacy strategies
• Act as primary contact point for our primary funder Sida
• Be a member of ReAct’s Global Leaders Group, which is responsible for ReAct’s long-term strategic work
• Ensure coordination between ReAct’s five regional offices (nodes), which includes quality assurance, risk management and results-based management (RBM) of ReAct’s Sida-funded projects
• Have the financial responsibility including budgeting and reporting
• Build and maintain effective partnerships with relevant stakeholders
• Plan for ReAct’s resource mobilization and fundraising

Qualification requirements:

• University degree or similar in for example global health, political science, medicine, microbiology or similar
• At least 7 years of relevant experience in global health policy and advocacy work
• Experience in political advocacy (politicians, policy makers, NGOs and international multilateral organisations like the WHO)
• Documented experience of strategic organisational development
• Documented management experience with financial, personnel and operational responsibilities
• Excellent communication skills in English – written and spoken

Preferred merits:

• Knowledgeable about antibiotic resistance
• Experience of fundraising
• Good knowledge of global health governance and international relations
• Experience of leading and motivating employees in a multi-professional, multi-cultural and decentralized organisation
• International experience, particularly from working in low- and middle-income countries
• Excellent communication skills in Swedish – written and spoken

As a leader you are visionary and like to think big and outside the box. You are confident, clear and result-oriented with an interest in leading and developing your staff. Your leadership is characterized by being open and coaching, and you take responsibility for ensuring a good work-life balance for yourself and all staff. You are a responsible person with a well-structured way of working, who is good at collaborating and have the capability to lead an organisation through development and change. Great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities and personal suitability for the position.

ReAct Europe’s team is characterised by having a broad set of skills and being passionate about and mobilizing the required global response to antibiotic resistance. We are looking for a person for the Director position that identifies with ReAct’s values and mission. Read more here:  https://www.reactgroup.org/about-us/our-values-and-vision/.

Application: please submit a CV and a personal letter with a description of how you match the job requirements. 

Salary: Individual salary setting is applied.

Starting date: As soon as possible.

Position: 100%, Permanent position (6 months trial period).

Please direct any questions about the position to: Helle Aagaard, Deputy Director ReAct Europe, Telefon: 070-232 73 60, Email: helle.aagaard@medsci.uu.se.

Application deadline 27 October, 2021, UFV-PA 2021/3624.

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