Regional Director- Africa

ABOUT ISRAAID

IsraAID is an international non-governmental humanitarian aid organization with its HQ based in Israel. Since we were founded in 2001, our teams have worked in emergency and long-term development settings in more than 60 countries around the world. IsraAID responds to emergencies and helps communities affected by crises rebuild their lives, and their futures, together. From hurricanes to refugee crises to global pandemics, we mobilize quickly and collaborate with communities at the deepest level, accompanying the process of becoming self-reliant in the ability to prepare and respond to emergencies and crises and return to adaptive functioning.

IsraAID has operated in Africa since 2011. The Africa Regional Desk currently oversees Country Offices in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, and South Sudan, with programmes grounded in community resilience framework and tailored to some of the world's most complex humanitarian and development contexts.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Director of Africa Region is the primary regional authority for IsraAID's Africa portfolio.. The Director is IsraAid’s regional representative and holds full line management and responsibility for Country Directors across the Africa region, operating with expanded authority and independence within the organization.

Working in close partnership with the Senior Director RRP and the Senior Management Team the Director of Africa Region leads the regional desk team (including the SPO for Africa Region), drives performance of Country Offices, and serves as the primary management interface between HQ departments and Country Directors in Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, and South Sudan. In addition, the Director of Africa Region is the key authority to lead the Regional Team in achieving the region’s objectives and deliverables through a matrix structure management lines. While officially part of the HQ team, the director if region leads the regional’s team collaboration across support functions ensuring that operational needs on the ground are sufficiently supported and implemented in line with organizational policies and practices.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Line Management & People Leadership

Hold formal line management responsibility for all Africa Region Country Directors (CDs) and the Senior Programme Officer (SPO), Africa Region, including setting performance expectations, defining objectives, and conducting performance reviews.

Provide ongoing guidance, mentoring, coaching, and advisory support to CDs, fostering leadership development and building future organizational capacity within the region.

Ensure CDs have clear direction and aligned workplans, and that leadership gaps or transitions are addressed proactively and with appropriate organizational support.

Lead and coordinate the Africa regional desk team under the matrix management structure, ensuring team members are well informed, prioritized, and coordinated.

Lead the region’s engagement at HQ and with departmental leaders, representing the countries in strategic conversations ensuring realities on the ground are considered and inform organizational decision making.

Represent the Africa region and IsraAid across external fora, with partners and in front of stakeholders.

Country Office Performance, Risk & Stabilization

Hold primary accountability for the overall performance, stability, and risk profile of all Africa Country Offices, including oversight of strategic delivery and leadership effectiveness.

Ensure early identification of operational, financial, reputational, and contextual risks; mandate and oversee performance improvement or stabilization plans for underperforming or high-risk offices.

Provide decisive leadership during periods of crisis, transition, or CO instability — serving as the management anchor for complex situations that require direct intervention.

Strategic Execution & Programme Quality

Guide the development and review of country strategies and annual workplans, ensuring coherence with IsraAID's global strategy, organizational standards, and resilience framework.

Ensure global programmatic quality standards are integrated throughout the CO programmatic portfolio across the region, working in close partnership with the Director of the Technical Unit and other relevant departments.

Collaborate across programmes to integrate resilience thinking, sustainability, and cross-cutting considerations (including MEAL, safeguarding, and inclusion) into programme design and delivery.

Ensure that learning, evidence, and adaptation systematically inform both programme delivery and strategic decision-making at CO, regional and HQ level.

HQ Coordination & Regional Team Management

Serve as the primary lead of the Africa regional team under the matrix management structure, ensuring coherent, prioritized, and timely HQ support to Country Offices.

Coordinate with HQ technical, operational, and enabling functions to ensure guidance to COs is consistent, non-duplicative, and aligned with CO priorities and capacity.

Prevent CO overload through active prioritization of HQ requests and timelines; ensure competing demands are escalated and resolved at the appropriate level.

Ensure SPO Africa Region is well-supported, empowered, and proactively managing administrative and programmatic processes.

Partnerships, Fundraising & Local Donor Engagement

Through guidance and in coordination with DevComs, support Country Directors in the cultivation of strategic partnerships, funding relationships, and donor engagement at the country level, ensuring coherence with organizational fundraising priorities.

Maintain and strengthen institutional relationships with key regional and country-level partners, coordinating introductions and handovers to preserve institutional continuity and trust.

Lead IsraAid’s regional positioning, donor engagement in Africa and identification of strategic funding opportunities under the guidance of the Senior Director RRP and in close collaboration with DevComs and IsraAids strategic offices..

Safeguarding & Organizational Values

Champion and uphold IsraAID's safeguarding standards across all levels of the Africa portfolio, ensuring COs maintain a safe working environment and operate in accordance with organizational policies.

Ensure Country Directors and regional team members are appropriately trained, supported, and equipped to identify, report, and respond to safeguarding concerns.

Act as a senior organizational representative for accountability, ethical conduct, and compliance with IsraAID's values: Professionalism, Humanity, Collaboration, Flexibility, and Adaptability.

SCOPE & CONTEXT: NEW ROLE EXPECTATIONS

Success in 2026 will be measured by: stabilization of existing Country Offices; effective transition of CDs to the new regional structure; improved programmatic management and documentation; and a reduction in high-risk escalations requiring Senior Director intervention.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & COMPETENCIES

Education

Master's degree (or equivalent) in International Development, Project Management, Social Sciences, Humanitarian Affairs, or a related field relevant to IsraAID's work.

Experience

Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership and management experience in humanitarian and/or development settings at international level, including at least 5 years working in sub-Saharan Africa (required).

Proven track record of direct line management of Country Directors or equivalent senior managers across multiple countries or contexts.

Demonstrated experience in country office oversight, risk management, and performance management in fragile or complex operating environments.

Strong background in programme quality oversight across multiple sectors (Education, Health & Nutrition, Protection, WASH), with solid understanding of results-based management and resilience approaches.

Proven experience in financial