Country Director
Руководитель программы
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Moscow, Russia

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) is seeking nominations and applications for a strategic, seasoned, and politically astute Country Director to lead CTFK's efforts to promote strong tobacco control legislation in the Russian Federation. CTFK is a leading civil society organization dedicated to the fight to reduce tobacco use and its deadly toll in the United States and around the world. Qualified candidates will understand and have proven experience with promoting policy change and will be a strategic partner to grantees, partners, and funders in preventing the devastating health impacts of tobacco use.

This position is based in Moscow and open to citizens of the Russian Federation.

The Country Director will be responsible for developing a comprehensive strategy to support the adoption and implementation of effective tobacco control policies consistent with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Russia. This includes conducting and/or coordinating necessary power- and opportunity mapping, identifying and coordinating partners and allies to promote tobacco control policies. The new Director will serve as the primary liaison with Russian non-governmental organizations and government actors to identify strategic opportunities to advance tobacco control. S/he will coordinate the work of CTFK’s in-country team to ensure compliance with and periodic revision of work plans, and to identify new program opportunities and strategic partners. The Country Director will work closely with the Director of Russia Programs in Washington DC to develop annual and long-term strategic plans.

The new Country Director will have a track-record of designing and implementing effective policy initiatives; ten or more years’ experience relevant to working in the region paired with deep knowledge of Russia and its political processes. S/he will be a strategic and analytical thinker who partners effectively with grantees and stakeholders on the ground and has the gravitas and personal agility to navigate a complex policy making process. Fluency in English as well as Russian is required.

This search is being conducted by Katherine Jacobs and Carolyn Ho of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids works to prevent children from smoking, to help smokers quit, and to protect everyone from secondhand smoke by changing public attitudes and public policies on tobacco. Established in 1996, the Campaign envisions a world free from the death and disease caused by tobacco. The Campaign promotes public policies that have been proven to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, including higher tobacco taxes, comprehensive smoke-free laws, strict bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and graphic warning labels on tobacco products. Internationally, CTFK supports governments and non-governmental organizations in promoting and implementing these policies in low- and middle-income countries where more than 80 percent of tobacco-related deaths will occur in the coming decades.

The statistics on tobacco-related deaths are astonishing. While enormous progress has been made in the United States, tobacco still kills more than 400,000 Americans every year. The worldwide death toll is at more than five million people a year and climbing. Without urgent action, tobacco will kill one billion people in the 21st century. Every day, 80,000 to 100,000 young people around the world become addicted to tobacco, and secondhand smoke kills more than 600,000 people each year, including 165,000 children. If current trends continue, 250 million children and young people alive today will die from tobacco-related diseases. Tobacco use also costs the world an estimated $500 billion each year in health care expenditures, productivity losses, fire damage, and other costs.

The International Division

The Campaign is a global leader in tobacco control and has advocated for the tobacco control treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and is a founding member of the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), a coalition of more than 350 non-governmental organizations from more than 100 countries that was formed to support the treaty negotiations and ensure its proper implementation. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization and was developed in response to the rapid globalization of the tobacco epidemic. The FCTC is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health and aims "to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental, and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke by providing a framework for tobacco control measures to be implemented by the Parties at the national, regional, and international levels." It was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2003 and entered into force in 2005. It has since become one of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in United Nations history, and if effectively implemented, the tobacco treaty will be a fundamental turning point in reducing tobacco use and its devastating consequences around the world.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has been designated as one of five partner organizations to coordinate activities under the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, working with governments and non-governmental organizations to implement effective measures to reduce tobacco use. CTFK has active initiatives in Latin America, Southeast Asia, China, Russia, and Ukraine in addition to its longstanding efforts in the United States.

With a population of over 140,000,000 people, Russia has one of the highest rates of smoking in the world: 61 percent of men and 15 percent of women smoke. Roughly 330,000-400,000 Russians die each year from tobacco-related causes. Russian female smoking rates more than doubled from seven percent in 1993 to 15 percent in 2004. In 2008, Russia ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Prime Minister Putin signed a National Concept on Tobacco Control Measures through 2015 in September 2010. The National Concept outlines the policies the Russian government will adopt to combat tobacco use consistent with the FCTC. The Ministry of Health introduced implementing legislation for public comment in August 2011 and expects to submit the bill to the Duma for passage this year. The new Country Director joins the Campaign at an exciting moment, poised to expand this critical work in Russia and create a lasting impact on the lives and health outcomes related to tobacco use in Russia.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE NEW COUNTRY DIRECTOR

The new Country Director will work closely with the Director of Russia Programs in Washington, DC, to develop and implement the Campaign’s tobacco control policy initiatives, manage in-country staff, and provide technical assistance to local and regional partners and grantees. S/he will be a critical leader in shaping and advancing tobacco control policy initiatives in Russia, focusing on the priority areas of smoke-free public places, tax and price increases on tobacco products, comprehensive bans of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, and mandating pictorial warnings on all tobacco packaging.

• Developing a comprehensive strategy to support the adoption of effective tobacco control policies consistent with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Russia;
  The new Country Director will lead the strategic planning process in cooperation with the Director of Russia Programs, working with him to formulate detailed work plans and timelines, conduct regular policy mapping and SWOT analyses, and develop initiatives and procedures for partnerships with national power structures.

• Assisting in the development and implementation of advocacy campaigns in partnership with stakeholders in the public and private sector;
  The new Director will play a central role in identifying partners in Russia to advance tobacco control policy change. S/he will support, coordinate, and energize Russian partners to build a strong tobacco control movement to support the enactment and implementation of tobacco control policies and to document and respond to tobacco industry efforts to undermine tobacco control policy change. The Director will be politically savvy and will seek appropriate strategic alliances both within the public and the private sector in Russia to promote swift and strict compliance to the FCTC. S/he will coordinate appropriate communications and media support to keep tobacco control in the public discourse and improve reporting on tobacco control issues.

• Serving as the key ambassador and primary liaison on behalf of the Campaign;
  The new Director will be a central point of contact with Russian government actors and civil society (NGOs, business, academic, and media partners) to identify strategic opportunities to advance tobacco control. S/he will coordinate the work of in-country partners, including periodic meetings and calls. The new Director will also oversee all reporting on program activities to its donors and coordinate site visits as appropriate.

• Recruiting and overseeing the work of in-country CTFK staff and consultants and leveraging the Campaign’s DC-based resources to support on the ground efforts.
  The new Director will lead the Campaign’s in-country team in Moscow and will work closely with the Director of Russia Programs to manage the program’s budget and internal reporting. S/he will liaise with CTFK DC based staff to assure focused communications, legal and research support, including taking part by phone in the CTFK Russia team meeting. The new Director will be expected to assess in-country team skills and, if necessary, collaborate with the Director of Russia Programs to develop a staffing plan that meets the Campaign’s long-term needs in Russia.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

This position is based in Moscow and open to citizens of the Russian Federation. The new Country Director will understand, have experience with, and be excited by the challenge of inspiring policy change in Russia. The successful candidate must therefore appreciate the unique challenges of working in Russia and be an inspiring, effective, and strategic partner to the Campaign’s stakeholders. While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

• A minimum of 7-10 years work experience in Russia in governmental relations, program management, public policy, media, public health, business, or other related field;

• A proven track-record of designing and implementing projects or initiatives that have achieved advocacy and policy change;

• High level of familiarity with the political system in Russia and understanding of the complex formal and informal relationships that go into policymaking;

• Keen understanding of Russian civil society, including NGOs, domestic and international charitable organizations, trade and business associations, etc.;

• Strong strategic and analytical thinking skills and the ability leverage creative partnerships in a challenging political climate;

• The gravitas and personal agility to navigate a variety of relationships across multiple levels of society;

• Exceptional organizational skills and comfort working collaboratively in networks or coalitions to create shared vision and set complementary work objectives;

• The political savvy to capitalize on opportunities for change and the capacity to build and nurture strong partnerships across geographical divides to achieve the Campaign’s bold agenda;

• Experience executing advocacy campaigns in other issue areas in the region;

• Management expertise supervising, engaging, and directing a dispersed team of staff and consultants;

• Excellent oral and written communication skills; Personal presence necessary to passionately convey the importance of tobacco control, the confidence to command the spotlight when appropriate, and the wisdom and savvy to know when to direct the spotlight elsewhere;

• Master’s degree or higher in economics, political science, public health, or law is desirable;

• High level of proficiency in spoken and written English and Russian, and

• Ability to travel within Russia and internationally.

TO APPLY

More information about the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids may be found at: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org.

Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), salary history, and where you learned of the position should be sent to: ctfk-rd@nonprofitprofessionals.com. In order to expedite the internal sorting and reviewing process, please type your name (Last, First) as the only contents in the subject line of your e-mail.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes applications from individuals who will contribute to its diversity.
 

(05/07/2012)