Desk Director

Darum lohnt es sich

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for a multi-country portfolio of up to seven country programmes valued at approximately $60 million annually • Directly line manage Country Directors and the Desk Manager • Lead the Desk Team supporting country operations, programme quality, donor engagement, risk management and organizational sustainability • Oversee programme quality, operational performance, financial management, compliance and security across portfolio countries • Ensure country programmes deliver high-quality, timely and compliant services while managing risk and maintaining donor confidence • Coordinate with Finance, HR, Security, Supply Chain & Operations, Awards Management and Technical teams • Support donor engagement, strategic positioning and business development initiatives • Oversee proposal development to ensure submissions are strategic, competitive, compliant and aligned with organizational priorities • Drive proactive identification and mitigation of operational, programmatic, security and reputational risks • Foster collaboration, innovation and knowledge sharing across countries and departments • Contribute to organizational strategy, priorities and continuous improvement as a senior leader within the Program Implementation Department • Travel internationally up to 30% Requirements • Master's degree in International Development, Political Science, Social Sciences or a related field • Significant senior leadership experience within humanitarian and development organizations, including multi-country, regional or global management responsibilities • Demonstrated success managing large and complex donor-funded portfolios across fragile, conflict-affected and rapidly changing environments • Strong experience working with major institutional donors including BHA, PRM, ECHO, UN agencies and other international funding bodies • Excellent understanding of programme cycle management, programme quality standards, compliance frameworks and risk management systems • Exceptional leadership and people management skills, with experience coaching senior leaders and building high-performing teams across multiple locations • Proven ability to influence, negotiate and collaborate effectively with donors, partners, boards, senior executives and cross-functional teams • Strong strategic thinking and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance operational realities, humanitarian imperatives and organizational objectives • Excellent written and spoken English • French and/or Arabic language skills are highly desirable • Experience in localization, partnership strengthening, climate resilience or nexus programming would be an advantage • Ability to work within the UTC+1 to UTC+4 time zones • Ability to complete enhanced pre-employment checks, references, criminal records self-declaration, and other checks as applicable Core Competencies Demonstrates strategic leadership in managing multi-country portfolios, ensuring programme quality, compliance, and risk management while fostering collaboration and innovation across teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords • Strategic Leadership • Programme Cycle Management • Donor Engagement • Risk Management • People Management ATS Optimization Keywords Hard Skills • Master's Degree in International Development • Programme Quality Standards • Compliance Frameworks • Risk Management Systems • Proposal Development • Operational Performance Management • Financial Management • Localization • Climate Resilience • Nexus Programming Soft Skills • Leadership • Coaching • Influencing • Negotiation • Collaboration Industry Keywords • Humanitarian Organizations • Development Organizations • Multi-Country Management • Institutional Donors • BHA • PRM • ECHO • UN Agencies • Cross-Functional Teams • Organizational Strategy Possesses strong experience with major institutional donors and a proven ability to influence and negotiate effectively.