Desk Director

Jobtailor; Deutschland; Hybrid; EUR 130.000 - 170.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Jobtailor is seeking a senior leader to oversee a multi-country portfolio valued at approximately $60 million annually. You will directly manage Country Directors and the Desk Manager, guiding the Desk Team on operations, quality, donor engagement, and risk management across diverse contexts.

The role requires extensive senior leadership experience in humanitarian and development settings, with a track record of managing large donor-funded portfolios and collaborating with major donors and

Qualifikationen

• Master's degree in International Development, Political Science, Social Sciences or related field.
• Significant senior leadership experience in humanitarian/development organizations with multi-country oversight.
• Proven track record managing large donor-funded portfolios in fragile environments.
• Experience with major institutional donors (BHA, PRM, ECHO, UN Agencies).
• Strong understanding of programme cycle management, compliance and risk systems.

Aufgaben

• Provide strategic leadership for a multi-country portfolio totaling ~ $60M annually.
• Directly line manage Country Directors and the Desk Manager.
• Lead the Desk Team to support country operations, donor engagement, risk management and sustainability.
• Oversee programme quality, financial management, compliance and security across portfolio countries.
• Coordinate with Finance, HR, Security, Supply Chain, Awards Management and Technical teams.

Kenntnisse

Strategic Leadership

Donor Engagement

Stakeholder Negotiation

Risk Management

People Management

Ausbildung

Master's degree in International Development

Jobbeschreibung

• 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. Possesses strong experience with major institutional donors and a proven ability to influence and negotiate effectively.

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