Deputy Country Director

MEDAIR UK; Brighton; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

Medair UK is seeking a Deputy Country Director in Damascus to provide strategic, operational, and managerial leadership for emergency response programmes. You will support country strategy, oversee programme coordination, ensure compliance, and deputize for the Country Director as needed.

You will engage with donors and authorities, lead cross-team collaboration, manage budgets and grants, and mentor senior staff while upholding Medair’s values and security standards in a dynamic humanitarian

Qualifications

• University degree in Management, Development Studies, Business Administration, Public Health or a relevant technical field.
• At least two years of post-qualification management experience in humanitarian or development programmes.
• Experience in team leadership and security management.
• Proven experience working with donors, government officials, and humanitarian coordination structures; understanding of CHS, Sphere, and humanitarian standards.
• Understanding of humanitarian principles.
• Strong competencies in budgeting, financial oversight, proposal development, compliance, risk management, and external engagement.

Responsibilities

• Ensure coordinated, high-quality programme implementation underpinned by effective support services.
• Oversee cross-departmental planning and operational coherence.
• Contribute to country strategy and proposal development, reporting and partnership management.
• Deputize for the Country Director as required.
• Support Country Director in external engagement with authorities, partners, sector working groups/clusters, and donors.
• Maintain oversight of spending and grant management. Ensure appropriate compliance and controls are in place to mitigate risks of fraud or disallowances.
• Line-manage senior staff. Promote a supportive, accountable, and inclusive work environment; ensure effective communication, performance management and capacity building.
• Understand and communicate programme needs clearly to the support teams, fostering close collaboration.
• Manage security in the Country Director’s absence. Support with Project Coordinators to updating security plans/protocols and talk through security decisions. Manage incidents and support staff preparedness as required.

Skills

Program management

Donor engagement

Leadership

Security management

Budgeting & financial oversight

Proposal development

External representation

Cross-team collaboration

Education

University degree in Management, Development Studies, Business Administration, Public Health or a relevant technical field

Job description

Deputy Country Director

Starting Date / Initial Contract Details

January 2027. Full-time, 24 months (subject to funding)

Role Summary

Working at country-level, the Deputy Country Director provides strategic, operational, and managerial leadership to ensure effective programme implementation and support function performance. The role supports country strategy development, oversees programme coordination, strengthens systems and compliance, and deputizes for the Country Director when required. The DCD plays a key role in donor engagement, external representation, and cross-team collaboration.

Project Overview

Medair Syria implements emergency response humanitarian assistanceinterventions across multiple sectors, including MPCA, Health, Nutrition, MPCA, and WASH. The programme supports crisis‑affected populations with life‑saving and early recovery assistance in a complex and evolving humanitarian environment.

Workplace & Conditions

Position based in Damascus, Syria.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure coordinated, high-quality programme implementation underpinned by effective support services. Oversee cross-departmental planning and operational coherence. Contribute to country strategy and proposal development, reporting and partnership management. Deputize for the CD as required.

• Support Country Director in external engagement with authorities, partners, sector working groupsclusters, and donors. Actively participate in coordination fora as required.

• Maintain oversight of spending and grant management. Ensure appropriate compliance and controls are in place to mitigate risks of fraud or disallowances.

• Line-manage senior staff. Promote a supportive, accountable, and inclusive work environment; ensure effective communication, performance management, capacity building and support the team to work together effectively, modelling Medair’s values. Understand and communicate programme needs clearly to the support teams, fostering close collaboration.

• Manage security in the Country Director’s absence. Support withProject Coordinators to updatinge security plans/ protocols and talk through security decisions. Manage incidents and support staff preparedness as required.

Qualifications, Experience & Technical Competencies:

• University degree in Management, Development Studies, Business Administration, Public Health or a relevant technical field.

• At least two years of post-qualification management experience in humanitarian or development programmes.

• Experience of team leadership and security management

• Proven experience working with donors, government officials, and humanitarian coordination structures; understanding of CHS, Sphere, and humanitarian standards.

• Understanding of humanitarian principles

• Strong competencies in budgeting, financial oversight, proposal development, compliance, risk management, and external engagement.

Behavioural Skills

• Self-motivated, energetic, hard-working, accountable

• Servant-hearted, relational leader able to build trust, promote collaboration, and model integrity across diverse teams.

• Strong analytical, planning, and problem-solving skills; adaptable in rapidly changing contexts.

• Culturally sensitive team-builder with strong coaching and mentoring skills, able to develop others effectively.

• Able to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and maintain personal resilience and composure.

• Demonstrates spiritual team leadership by nurturing a supportive, faith-based environment aligned with Medair’s Christian identity.

Team Spiritual Life

Reflect the values of Medair with team members, local staff, people we serve, and external contacts. Work, live, and pray together in our Christian faith-based teams. Fully contribute to a rich spiritual team life, including team devotion, prayer, and words of encouragement.