Senior Director of International Program

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC); Winnipeg; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Canada seeks a Senior Director of International Program to lead strategic and operational efforts across relief, development, peacebuilding, and service programs.

The role reports to MCC Canada’s Executive Director and works with MCC U.S. leadership to align priorities, manage resources, and foster accountability and learning across dispersed teams and partners.

Qualifications

• Graduate education or equivalent mix of education and experience.
• Progressive leadership in international development, relief or peacebuilding.
• Knowledge of disaster response and global development realities.
• Experience with program planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting.
• Ability to lead dispersed teams and develop leaders.
• Experience influencing across organizational boundaries.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem solving, and decisiveness.
• Excellent written and spoken communication for internal/external audiences.
• Ability to align diverse priorities within joint program structures.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion and intercultural competency.
• Ability to travel internationally; police record check.
• Preference for MCC or Anabaptist context is a plus; language skills valued.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight for MCC's international program strategy and operations.
• Lead long-range and annual program planning, budgeting, and reporting.
• Steward international program resources and partnerships; ensure compliance.
• Supervise directors and staff; foster a healthy organizational culture.
• Mitigate risks across the international program; uphold safeguarding.
• Drive innovation, learning, and evidence-based improvements.
• Collaborate with MCC Canada and MCC U.S. leadership for joint planning and alignment.
• Engage with stakeholders across cultures and contexts to build consensus.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Program management

Budgeting & planning

Cross-cultural leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Communication (oral/written)

Risk management

Collaboration

Decision making

Diversity & equity

Education

Graduate education in social science / international development / peacebuilding

Tools

Policy alignment tools

Job description

Senior Director of International Program

Job Synopsis

The MCC Canada Senior Director of International Program (IP) provides strategic and operational leadership for MCC’s international relief, development, peacebuilding, and service programs. Reporting to the Executive Director of MCC Canada and working jointly with the MCC U.S. Director of International Program, the role oversees program strategy, quality and accountability, resource stewardship, organizational effectiveness, risk management, and innovation across MCC’s international work. As a member of the MCC Canada Senior Leadership Team (SLT) , the Senior IP Director contributes to organization wide leadership and decision making. They align international program priorities, resources, and commitments with MCC's mission, strategic direction and organizational values . The role provides leadership through collaborative structure involving MCC Canada and provincial offices, MCC U.S. and regional offices , international program partners and external stakeholders to build trust, shared ownership and achieve measurable outcomes under the strategic directions approved by the MCC Canada and MCC U.S. Boards.

Salaried Employee -Full Time at 1 FTE

Qualifications

All MCC workers are expected to exhibit a commitment to: a personal Christian faith and discipleship; active participation in a Christian church or Christian community; and nonviolent peacemaking. MCC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to employment equity. MCC values diversity and invites all qualified candidates to apply.

Essential

• Graduate education in social science, international development, peacebuilding or related field, or an equivalent combination of experience and education
• Significant progressive leadership and management experience in international development, relief, peacebuilding, or a related field
• Current knowledge of disaster response, sustainable community development, justice, peacebuilding, and global economic and political realities
• Demonstrated experience in strategic and annual program planning, budgeting, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, learning, and reporting
• Proven ability to lead complex and geographically dispersed teams, develop leaders, strengthen accountability, and foster a healthy organizational culture
• Extensive experience leading through influence, managing complex stakeholder relationships, and building consensus across organizational entities, cultures, and contexts
• Strong strategic thinking, analysis, problem solving, and decision-making skills, including the ability to clarify complex issues and move groups toward action
• Excellent relational, diplomatic, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to represent MCC to internal and external audiences
• Demonstrated ability in working collaboratively in joint program management structure and to align diverse priorities
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, anti-oppression, and intercultural competency, including the ability to recognize and address systemic barriers
• Ability to articulate MCC’s mission and vision and to apply it in organizational leadership, program decisions, and relationships
• Understanding of and commitment to global Christian mission and service and MCC’s identity as an inter-Mennonite service agency rooted in Anabaptist churches
• Ability to travel internationally, on short notice or for extended periods to the United States and to the countries of MCC’s International Program
• Police record check

Preferred

• Prior experience with MCC or a related Anabaptist agency
• Proficiency in French, Spanish, or another language used within MCC’s International Program

Key Responsibilities

Major Responsibilities

55% Provide overall leadership and administrative oversight to all international program

• Develop, implement, monitor, and report on cohesive long range and annual program plans aligned with the Board approved direction
• Lead annual program and budget planning; monitor monthly financial reports; participate in quarterly budget review meetings; and manage expenditures within approved budgets and policies
• Steward MCC Canada’s International P rogram resources , including resources provided through government and coalition partnerships such as Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB)
• Monitor country registration, legal requirements, and organizational compliance across the international program
• Supervise, coach, and support international area directors, global and thematic department leaders, as well as the IP Office Supervisor for International Program
• Provide leadership in creating and maintaining a culture that prevents and responds appropriately to abuses of power, including safeguarding concerns, harassment, discrimination, fraud, exploitation, retaliation, and other conduct inconsistent with MCC's values and policies
• Foster a healthy organizational culture by developing leaders, mentoring staff, promoting collaboration, strengthening accountability, and supporting the spiritual and professional growth of employees
• Provide leadership in identifying, assessing, and mitigating strategic, operational, safeguarding, financial, legal, security, and reputational risks impacting MCC's international program
• Ensure policy frameworks approved by the MCC Board are implemented appropriately across program areas
• Foster innovation and continuous improvement by encouraging responsible initiatives, shared learning, evidence use and the strengthening of systems, policies and practices

20% Joint MCC Canada/MCC U.S. International Program Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership for MCC’s international program in close collaboration with the Director of International Program in MCC U.S.
• Coordinate joint planning, program priorities, standards, resource decisions, and implementation across the jointly managed international program
• Strengthen shared accountability, communication, and alignment between MCC Canada and MCC U.S. International Program Leadership
• Ensure international program structures and processes are evaluated periodically for clarity, efficiency, effectiveness, accountability and alignment with covenant agreements between MCC Canada and MCC U.S.
• Contribute to joint leadership forums and working groups that oversee the Canada-U.S. international program relationship and follow through on agreed actions

20% Organizational Alignment and Collaboration

• Participate actively as a member of the MCC Canada Senior Leadership Team and contribute to organization wide planning, decisions, and leadership
• Collaborate with provincial MCCs to understand their interests and invite meaningful engagement in international program
• Build alignment and collaboration between International Program and other MCC departments, offices, and organizational entities
• Develop leadership capacity through mentoring, succession planning, learning opportunities, stretch assignments and thoughtful delegation
• Create conditions for effective teamwork across geographic, cultural and functional boundaries, including inclusive consultation, constructive conflict engagement and shared accountability for decisions
• Support equitable and consistent people practices across international program in partnership with Human Resources,