JOB TITLE: Region Director for Europe, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 

LOCATION: Major City in either the UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France

JOB TYPE: Full-time 

REPORTS TO: Director Global Markets 

Job Overview 

WEConnect International helps drive money into the hands of women business owners around the world by enabling them to compete in the global marketplace.  Our buyers are large organizations committed to global Supplier Diversity and Inclusion that help build sustainable communities by sourcing from women-owned businesses around the globe.  WEConnect International has been growing steadily and is now seeking to dramatically accelerate growth. Therefore, this exciting full-time strategic staff position requires that the Regional Director for Europe and MENA lead the strategy and implementation of WEConnect International activities in the region. The individual must be experienced managing teams and have a strong knowledge of the region and its women’s local economic empowerment and entrepreneurship ecosystems.  The Director should be mission-focused, collaborative, a strong team player, creative, self-motivated, open to change, and process minded. The position requires that the individual has strong communication skills and can adjust to the different requirements and cultural conditions of the diverse operating environments where WEConnect International supports buyers and sellers. The Regional Director must be a leader who delivers measurable, cost-effective results that help to sustain and grow the mission.  Successful Candidates MUST be located in a major city in one of the following countries in order to be considered: UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France.

Education and Experience 

• Preference for candidates with a college degree in Marketing or related field.  Equivalent training and experience will substitute for education.  

• A minimum of seven (5) years of managing multi-cultural teams across countries.  

• Experience or expertise in entrepreneurship, business, and international trade.  

• Knowledge of Supplier Diversity and Inclusion. 

• Demonstrated passion for women’s economic empowerment. 

• Strong understanding of how the marketing and communications functions support business development.  Preference for experience using marketing technology tools to conceptualize and implement branding campaigns.  

• Proficient use of English required.  Multi-lingual abilities of the languages in the region a plus. 

Job Responsibilities 

• Lead, inspire, manage, and develop the skills of your team across Europe, Middle East, and North Africa to drive the goals and mission of WEConnect International.  

• Collaborate with a team in a global matrixed organization to deliver shared results and exchange best practices.   

• Develop a budget and strategy for the region and deliver measurable, cost-effective results.  

• Grow and nurture the corporate member buyers and women-owned businesses in the region to our network and facilitate connections and business wins. 

• Lead marketing and business development efforts for the region team to increase brand recognition and thought leadership, as well as recruit women=owned businesses and member buyers into the network and identify strong funding opportunities.   

• Identify and develop strategic partnerships with women and Supplier Diversity & Inclusion organizations, governments, international development organizations, chambers of commerce, and others. 

• Measure, track progress, determine impact, and achieve metrics, goals, and stretch goals designed to recruit, engage, and retain women business enterprises and member buyers. 

• Support the management and growth of donor funded projects in the region by creating and facilitating processes throughout all project lifecycles including maintaining annual budgets and workplans. 

Skills & General Capabilities 

• Comfortable in a fast-paced environment. 

• Managing teams on-site and virtually. 

• Sound judgment and good political skills.  

• Customer service mind-set. 

• Ability to raise funds and work within allotted budgets. 

• Ability to travel as needed.  

• Experience with relationship management of multinational corporations. 

• Knowledge and experience with supply chain systems and procurement processes.   

• Skilled networker and partnership player with the ability to influence others. 

• Program management, strategic thinking capabilities, team building, and leadership. 

• Patience and high communication skills to be able to address concerns and questions of various stakeholders. 

• Excellent written communication and presentation skills in English; with the ability to deliver presentations to a wide variety of audiences; and additional local languages are preferred, but not required. 

• Ability to analyze and interpret information from a variety of sources, apply critical and creative thinking to draw conclusions or develop solutions to complex problems, and deliver results. 

• Ability to provide quality client service to both internal and external clients. Involves the use of considerable tact, discretion, and persuasion in gaining the cooperation of others. 

• Excellent motivational skills, enthusiasm, vision, and a willingness to think big and encourage the team to develop approaches to overcome challenges.  

Physical Demands.  The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel. 

• The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. 

• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. 

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor. 

No phone calls, please. We regret that we are unable to respond to individual inquiries about the position. 

WEConnect International is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All aspects of employment will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local laws in the United States. 

About WEConnect International 

WEConnect International is a member-led, global non-profit that brings motivated, large corporate, multilateral and government buyers together with qualified women-owned suppliers around the world. It works with over 160 multinational buying organizations, with more than $1 trillion in annual purchasing power combined, that have committed to sourcing more products and services from women-owned businesses based in more than 130 countries. WEConnect International identifies, educates, registers and certifies women’s business enterprises that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by one or more women. WEConnect International provides certification in over 50 countries that represent over 70 percent of the world’s population. 

Core Values and Culture 

As we continue to grow our impact, WEConnect International will attract and hold accountable members, partners, staff and stakeholders based on these core values, which help to define our culture, brand and operational strategies. 

• Embrace Diversity and Inclusion to Unleash Potential 

• Demonstrate Passion for Women's Economic Empowerment 

• Make a Positive Difference in the World 

• Deliver Stakeholder Value 

• Exemplify Integrity in Everything We Do 

• Pursue Teamwork with a Shared Vision and Purpose 

• Embrace Openness, Trust and Candid Communication