Country Director, Christian Aid DRC

About us

Christian Aid is an international development charity that insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty, and for this to happen unequal power relations need to be challenged and changed.

We work in partnership to eradicate extreme poverty; dismantle its root causes across the world and enable the voice and agency of the poor and marginalised to be fully realised. We deliver humanitarian assistance, in the wake of disasters and conflict, development programmes and policy, advocacy and campaigns so that poor and marginalised children, women and men, of all faiths and none, can achieve equality, dignity and justice.

In the DRC, CA uses a risk-based approach to address the underlying causes of poverty for marginalized groups and works in collaboration with national and provincial governments, communities, faith actors and development partners to implement programs and influence policies that reduce poverty and social injustice. Our country program strategy facilitates and enables collaborative work with key institutions and our ACT Alliance partners. This strategy is aligned with Christian Aid’s three pillars of Poverty, Power and Prophetic voice (3Ps) which works in a symbiotic manner, to ensure that we stand together with, and recognize the voice and agency of communities in bringing about the social, economic and policy changes necessary to peace, prosperity, life with dignity and sustainable development. Our five thematic areas of work summarize how we translate this in action and contribute to addressing the complex issues that communities face in DRC: Humanitarian Assistance, Peace Building (FVTP), Gender Justice, Resilience-Building and Accountable Governance. With our operational base in Goma, North Kivu province, our geographic footprint spans from the Eastern part of DRC to the Western province of Kasai. Our current country portfolio is a mix of unrestricted income and institutional donors such as Irish Aid, WFP and UN OCHA.

About the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen to lead on the refreshment of the country strategy and the development of a strategic programming approach strategy for the DRC programme, which is in line with Christian Aid global strategy ‘Standing Together’ and responds to the main poverty drivers and prevailing funding context in DRC. This role brings dynamic and accountable leadership to Christian Aid’s programme and team in DRC, while enabling Christian Aid to work in partnership with others to contribute significantly to the change we want to see: individuals and communities living in dignity, free from poverty and need; economic, political and social systems transformed to remove power imbalances and other root causes of poverty and inequality; and movements of individuals and communities speaking out against poverty and injustice so that everyone can experience life in all its fullness.

The role champions the operational excellence of Christian Aid’s DRC programme ensuring that staff capabilities, the quality of our programmes, our financial resilience and digital capability all work effectively together to realise Christian Aid’s vision, goals and ambition. This is a senior management role which focusses on strategic analysis and choice and the intelligent resourcing for Christian Aid’s contribution in a complex, dynamic and global context. Christian Aid currently has her country office in Goma with field office locations in Bukavu, Tshikapa and Kindu.

You will represent Christian Aid in DRC, and you will manage relationships with key allies and stakeholder internally and externally. This includes relationships with current and potential local partners, international donors and with our ACT sister agencies. You will line manage the senior managers in the team in DRC. You will work in close collaboration with our teams in the UK and Ireland, with our senior management spread across Africa and other teams across Africa.

About you

You will have 5 – 10 years’ senior management experience of leadership in the non – profit context, in particular the INGO sector in DRC, with a deep understanding of the drivers of poverty in country. You will need to have experience in leading the refreshing and implementation of a new programme strategy, including reviewing it from time to time. You will have a proven record in thinking strategically, developing new resourcing and business models, planning, building relationships, collaborating across different audiences, negotiating and influencing. You are skilled and experienced in donor funding, contract management and fundraising. You will have in-depth experience in managing people, including working through conflict and leading a team. You will be able to reflect on yourself and shift your own thoughts in the service of progressing a situation positively. You will be able to work with uncertainty, assessing a situation afresh at each step along the way.

You will be fluent in French and English.

Further information

You will be based in Goma, North Kivu, DRC.

We value diversity and aspire to reflect this in its workforce. We welcome applications from people from all sections of the community, irrespective of race, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

You can expect a wide range of rewards and benefits, a flexibility that will ensure you enjoy a good work/life balance.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.