COAST Facility Philippines Country Team Leader

Development Alternatives, Inc.; Philippines; On-site; PHP 2,500,000 - 3,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Development Alternatives, Inc. is seeking the COAST Facility Philippines Country Team Leader to manage the country programme in line with the UK-Philippines bilateral ODA project and COAST strategies.

You will apply your strong technical ability, stakeholder networks, and operations expertise to lead the country team, deliver grants and technical assistance, and ensure country reporting feeds into the overall programme analysis.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with government stakeholders and donors.
• Senior leadership experience delivering complex development or blue economy programmes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey vision to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead the COAST Facility Philippines country programme and line management of the in-country team.
• Ensure delivery of grants and technical assistance and adaptive management across activities.
• Oversee country reporting and contribute to programme leadership forums with evidence-based decisions.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Programme delivery

Team leadership

Operational management

UK government programmes

Job description

COAST Facility Philippines Country Team Leader

11 days ago Requisition ID: 1079

COAST Facility is a bilateral UK Government initiative operating in Southeast Asia and East Africa that delivers systemic change in coastal systems, towards resilient coastal communities, healthier marine ecosystems and inclusive blue growth. We do this through our three high level outcomes – known as our three P’s – strengthening Protection of critical habitats, improving the Productivity and sustainability of coastal livelihoods, and ensuring that People, especially the most vulnerable, have real voice and agency. We operate within the framework of the UK’s international climate and ocean commitments, as a flagship bilateral initiative that connects UK investments to structured, long-term partnerships at the country level. Beginning implementation in June 2025, we deliver UK's climate and ocean agenda in four priority countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Viet Nam and Mozambique.

COAST Facility’s mission is to catalyse more effective and inclusive coastal and marine ecosystem management and sustainable economic growth throughintegrated delivery platform that is designed to scale. This integrated delivery platform sets us apart by connecting national systems to local impact, and country teams that act as the connective tissue between host governments, British Embassies, local delivery partnerships. COAST is a practical and flexible mechanism to operationalise the UK’s bilateral climate and nature agenda, in partnership with host governments, in a way that puts coastal communities first.

Our integrated methodology is founded on five core delivery principles to direct our delivery approach of providing grants and technical assistance through our country teams. These principles are a holistic approach, community-centred solutions, collaborative partnerships, legacy and sustainability, and learning and adaptation.

COAST Facility is delivered by a consortium of organisations led by DAI Global UK Ltd., which is responsible for overall programme delivery. The selected candidate will be contracted by DAI Global UK Ltd.

Job Description

The COAST Facility Country Team Leader (CTL) in the Philippines is responsible for managing the country programme in line with the UK- Philippines bilateral ODA project, COAST’s strategies, and in response to national priorities.

The CTL will apply their strong technical ability, deep stakeholder networks, and operations expertise to provide effective leadership to the country team. Through a vision of transformative and inclusive change, they will ensure the integrated delivery of grants and technical assistance projects, and the implementation of COAST strategies - including MEL, GEDSI, Sustainability and Value for Money.

The CTL will manage a competent team of in-country personnel to deliver all in country activities and ensure country level reporting accurately reflects programmatic progress and feeds into the overall programme reporting and analysis.

The Country Team Leader is a member of the COAST Facility Programme Leadership team that ensures that learning, adaptations and risk are managed across the programme. Each Country Team Leader provides their technical and leadership expertise to ensure the overall delivery of the programme.

Person Specification

The postholder will be expected to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and experience set out below. Assessment will be through the application, interview and, where applicable, task based exercises.

Stakeholder engagement and collaboration

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with government stakeholders, including from BFAR and DENR, and to engage credibly with donors, including the UK, and delivery partners.
• Significant senior leadership experience delivering complex development, climate, environment, ocean or coastal programmes, including strategy development, planning, delivery and adaptive management in collaboration with government and national stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey vision and strategy to diverse audiences and facilitate learning and feedback.

Programme delivery and technical expertise

• Demonstrated technical expertise relevant to COAST the Philippines priorities, including coastal and marine ecosystem management, sustainable aquaculture, coastal tourism, fisheries value chains, and mobilisation of finance for sustainable and inclusive blue economy development in the Philippines.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate cross cutting priorities, including monitoring, evaluation and learning, gender equality, disability and social inclusion with a focus on marginalised and underrepresented groups, sustainability, and value for money, into programme design, implementation and reporting.
• Strong understanding of portfolio delivery, with the ability to prioritise, manage risk and assure quality from concept through to close out.

Team leadership and operational management

• Demonstrated people leadership, including the ability to lead and develop multidisciplinary teams, set objectives, manage performance and maintain an inclusive and respectful workplace culture.
• Strong operational and management capability, including oversight of work planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting and compliant country office operations
• Experience working across multi country programmes and with geographically dispersed teams, ensuring effective collaboration across locations and time zones.
• Experience contributing to senior programme leadership forums, including decision making based on evidence, learning, innovation and risk management.
• Experience delivering UK Government funded programmes, with familiarity with compliance and reporting expectations, including FCDO funded delivery.
• Experience leading safeguarding, security and duty of care risk management in a country programme context.