Executive Director
Position Summary Expectations - Duties, Responsibilities
Post Lever : Management Level 4
Duty Station : Phnom Penh (with occasional field travel)
Report to : Executive Committee (EXCOM)
Contract length : 2 years, renewable subject to effective performance and fund availability
Position Summary:
The Executive Director is a visionary and a strategic leader who operates effectively at the intersection of service delivery, community development, and organisational management. With a deep commitment to the not-for-profit sector, S/He brings a nuanced understanding of Cambodia’s development landscape and champion inclusive approaches that foster civic engagement and cross-sector collaboration.
The Executive Director is a skilled relationship builder, engaging stakeholders through thoughtful dialogue and mutual understanding. As an interdisciplinary thinker, the Executive Director combines innovation and pragmatism, acting as both an enabler and facilitator, approaching complex issues with curiosity and openness, valuing collaborative outcome over individual ownership of ideas. S/He works in close partnership and is guided by a robust and actively engaged Executive Committee (EXCOM), elected by member organisations, ensuring strategic alignment and participatory governance.
- Strategic Partnership and Networking:
- Strengthen linkages between the NGO Community, the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Donor Community (by participating in Government and donor development forums).
- Collaborate with other civil society network organizations to develop position papers and communication strategies to inform policy discussions and development dialogue/debate.
- Draw on inputs from the membership to strengthen CCC’s role as the shared voice of NGOs to the Royal Government of Cambodia and donor partners on issues of concern to the NGO community.
- Commission research studies to support discussion papers and policy dialogues that represent the views of the NGO community.
- Ensure effective NGO coordination and fair and reasonable representation of all CCC members
- Oversee identification, organizing and mapping of key development working groups and forums of common interest to enable sharing of resources and information amongst all members and key stakeholders.
- Lead in assessing and analyzing development trends in Cambodia to support effective NGO sector contributions.
- Ensure CCC supports the development of the NGO sector through capacity building programs and promoting standards of good practice.
- Strategic Management:
- Program management:
- In collaboration with the EXCOM, provide leadership and strategic oversight for long-term program and organizational development.
- Develop strategic partnerships and network relationships to support achievement of program goals.
- Provide direction to CCC’s GHP and ensure program support functions are aligned to allow for effective implementation.
- Routinely monitor needs in the development sector in order to identify trends to which CCC should respond with new initiatives.
- Work with senior management team and/or senior managers to secure funding and deliver the GHP.
- Staff management:
- Supervise and manage the work of the Head of Program, Head of Operations, Head of Communications and Membership Development and Resource Mobilization Development, including conducting annual performance reviews and providing regular development supervision.
- Work closely with management team and/or senior managers to lead the organization in developing and upholding quality assurance mechanisms consistent with CCC’s vision, mission, goals and values, and the Cambodian context.
- Ensure that the CCC Human Resource Strategy is both implemented and periodically reviewed for its relevance and effectiveness in developing and retaining staff capacity.
- When the seriousness of situation requires Director-level intervention, take action on staff disciplinary matters.
- Financial Management:
- Take overall responsibility for the financial management of the organization including ensuring accountability and transparency in the use of financial resources and that financial policies are upheld at all times.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Documentation and Reporting:
- Ensure that adequate mechanisms are in place to effectively monitor program implementation and evaluate the impact of program activities.
- Take the lead in identifying key issues related to organizational development, capacity building and learning processes in the local context, and provide oversight on the documentation and dissemination of learning to the wider development community.
- Ensure that all reports about CCC’s financial and program functioning required by the Royal Government of Cambodia, Donors, EXCOM and other stakeholders are prepared and submitted on time.
- Governance:
- Ensure effective communication with the EXCOM regarding issues of strategic importance to CCC, CCC members and the NGO community.
- Contribute to the work of the EXCOM by advising in an ex-officio capacity. Prepare the EXCOM meeting agenda in consultation with the Chair and ensure that all relevant documents and minutes of meetings are provided to the EXCOM members in a timely manner.
- With EXCOM, ensure the legality of the organization and all its activities.
- Present CCC policies to the EXCOM for approval and adoption, negotiating understanding and cohesion between EXCOM and organization as required.
- Ensure that EXCOM requirements for policy development or review are fully carried out.
- Fundraising:
- Work with the EXCOM, management team and/or senior managers, as appropriate, to develop and implement a fundraising strategy that is consistent with vision, mission, goals and values, so as to ensure CCC’s organizational development and long-term sustainability.
- With senior managers and/or management team, lead proposal development processes in a way that builds Cambodian capacity for fund raising.
- On behalf of the organization maintain a good working relationship with current and potential future donors.
- Capacity for resource mobilization strategy
- Vision Setting and Change Management:
- Work closely with EXCOM to set up strategic visioning for effective ecosystem of NGO/CSO in Cambodia and lead in executing supporting role for members of CCC and member of CSO in Cambodia at large.
- Co-create strategic vision in consultation with EXCOM and senior management team to shape a shared long-term vision aligned with the organization’s mission and Cambodia’s development landscape.
- Facilitate inclusive dialogue through structured consultation and strategy sessions to gather diverse perspectives, build consensus and ensure broad ownership of visions and change agenda.
- Work closely with EXCOM to translate strategic direction into governance priorities, while empowering SMT to operationalize change effectively.
- Establish joint mechanisms with EXCOM and SMT for tracking progress, reviewing impact, and adjusting strategies in response to internal and external shifts.
- Competency and Skills Requirements:
- Demonstrates ability to anticipate future trends, challenges, and opportunities in the development sector, both locally and globally, and to articulate the vision in a way that inspires and motivates internal teams and external stakeholders to act with purpose and unity.
- Possesses adaptive leadership skills and ability to guide the organization through uncertainty, complexity, and transformation with resilience and confidence.
- Excellent external networking skills; ability to represent CCC and to communicate effectively and diplomatically, in writing and orally, with a range of senior-level government, international and national representatives.
- Deep understanding of economic and social development issues, in Cambodia, the region and globally.
- Familiarity with major international development institutions and key bilateral donors and their development priorities.
- Proven ability to raise funds and maintain successful relationships with donors in support of institutional priorities.
- Ability to build effective teams and motivate staff; understanding of and commitment to staff development.
- Personal commitment to uphold organizational values.
- Flexibility and a sense of humor.
- Ability to comfortably switch from micro to macro levels and vice versa.
- Must be Cambodian
- Qualification Requirements:
- Education:
- Ph.D. or Master's degree in management or a related field.
- Experiences:
- Minimum of 10 years prior management experience, either in a similar membership organization or development organization.
- Proven ability and experience in developing and implementing capacity building strategies in Cambodia or similar development environment.
- Proven tracked record of successful fundraising
- Proven experiences in change management.
- Language Requirements:
- Excellent communication skills – verbal and writing, in both Khmer and English.
