Country Director

Summary

Join People in Need (PIN) as their Country Director in Kabul, Afghanistan for a 12-month contract with possible extension, starting October 2025 or upon agreement. As the main representative of PIN in Afghanistan, you will provide strategic leadership, ensuring compliance with PIN's values and policies. You will manage risks, oversee program quality, and supervise human resources. The role involves strategic planning, financial management, external relations, and risk management. You will report to the Regional Director and supervise several key staff members. The position requires significant experience in managing large programs, strong financial management skills, and extensive experience with donor relations.

Requirements

• Degree in a relevant field (humanitarian action, social sciences, etc.)
• Experience in managing a Country Program or large emergency response and/or development programs, with strong proficiency in budgeting and financial management of a CP or major initiative
• Knowledge of institutional donor environment (UN, ECHO, EU, BHA, etc.), and extensive experience with donor liaising, external communication, and strategic program planning
• Strong leadership skills and extensive experience with management, supervision and capacity building of diverse teams
• Strategic thinking, analytical skills and sound judgement
• Ability to organize and plan effectively, follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work in difficult conditions and under pressure
• Outstanding communication skills (written and spoken)
• Fluency in English - written and spoken
• Experience of working in complex and volatile contexts
• Understanding of project cycle and principles of humanitarian and development work
• High ethical standards; gender and cultural sensitivity; and demonstrated patience and overall outstanding interpersonal skills
• Commitment to and understanding of PIN’s goals, values, and principles

Responsibilities

• Is responsible for upholding the strategy, vision, and mission of the RDD in compliance with PIN’s core values; and contributes to the organisational development and achievement of strategic objectives/organizational changes (localization, greening, etc.)
• Provides strategic direction for PIN’s presence in the country and is responsible for the formulation and implementation of the country strategy in line with the RDD strategic framework
• Holds overall responsibility for maintaining and expanding PIN’s program portfolio in Afghanistan, in line with the CP strategy
• Monitors in-country developments and donor trends; and ensures the continued relevance of PIN programs in both the local and global context, with a particular focus on building upon and strengthening local capacities
• With support from the HQ, ensures that the necessary human, financial, and other resources are available and effectively used for their intended purposes
• Oversees the CP economy, striving for diversification of funding sources and long-term financial stability of the CP
• Ensures compliance with applicable local rules and regulations
• Is responsible for contingency planning and emergency preparedness
• Reports on CP performance to the HQ and ensures implementation of agreed plans
• Fosters a positive team spirit, a culture of respect, personal responsibility, transparency and openness; and actively promotes diversity and balance within the team in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, etc
• Ensures that all staff are aware, understand and comply with PIN’s mission, values, and relevant policies, the Code of Conduct and Key Policies, including the PSEA and Safeguarding Policy
• Upholds a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination and ensures that any suspected breaches of PIN’s policies are properly investigated and reported
• Together with the RD, ensures adequate staffing of the CP, including the identification of HR needs and appropriate budget planning
• Together with the HR team, ensures main HR procedures are in place and well-documented; monitors staff satisfaction, employee retention, and turnover, and proposes corrective measures as needed
• Is responsible for the recruitment of key positions at the national level, and participates in HQ-led recruitment process for international staff assigned to the CP; ensures that key staff have relevant technical experience and capacities, and that they are continuously developed
• Ensures that the capacity development of national staff is properly managed and financed, including the efficient use of PIN internal resources (e-learning, webinars, exposure visits, etc.)
• Provides the senior staff under their direct supervision with regular feedback, guidance, and support
• Serves as the legal representative of the organisation in the country
• Builds strategic relationships and formally represents PIN to local authorities, partners, coordination forums/networks, donors, and other relevant stakeholders (especially on strategic matters and new funding opportunities); delegates representation to DCD-P or other senior staff member as relevant
• Maintains strong partnerships with Alliance2015 partners in-country, and contributes to joint cooperation/coordination at both the country and global level, as relevant
• Is responsible for managing PIN’s brand, visibility, and external communication at the country level, including engagement with media
• Actively engages in both formal and informal networking, and develops relationships/partnerships with all relevant organizations/entities in the country, and promotes synergies, joint programming, and advocacy efforts
• Ensures compliance with and roll-out of all applicable policies and standards, safeguarding PIN from reputational risks
• Ensures that all support departments and functions are fully established and operational
• Establishes effective internal communication and coordination mechanisms; and ensures effective information flow and coordination between departments at the CP level, and between the CP and HQ
• Together with the DCD-P and Program Development Manager (PDM), ensures: 1) all programmes are designed and managed in line with PIN/donor/cluster guidelines, quality standards and relevant SOPs, while leveraging existing know-how and PIN technical expertise/resources; 2) regular programmatic reviews are conducted and recommendations for improvement are implemented; 3) high-quality reports/proposals are submitted in a timely manner; 4) MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning)procedures and functions are effectively in place; and 5) protection, accountability and gender considerations are mainstreamed across all programs
• Promotes participation and accountability to beneficiaries, local authorities, partners, and donors
• Approves project proposals, contracts, and payments in accordance with established thresholds
• Oversees the management of key risks and coordinates the implementation of appropriate risk mitigation measures
• Together with the DCD-P, ensures the implementation of PIN Safety and Security Policy and country-specific procedures
• Strives to ensure the highest possible level of safety and security for PIN staff and assets, and promotes awareness of risks and corresponding mitigation strategies
• Maintains a balance between the accepted level of risk and the urgency of program implementation, in line with the Risk Management Policy
• Ensures the application of the Do No Harm approach and prioritizes the protection of PIN’s beneficiaries
• Leads crisis management efforts and chairs the Incident Management Team (IMT)
• Performs any other tasks as required

Preferred Qualifications

Previous experience from Afghanistan and understanding of the Afghan context is an asset

Benefits

• Flexible and challenging working environment with room for personal growth
• Possibility of remote work
• Robust and thorough induction training (2 weeks)
• HEAT training (unless the candidate participated in one recently)
• Salary as per PIN salary scale, between 3,150 – 3,350 EUR gross depending on previous experience, plus 1350 EUR subsistence allowance and 400 EUR hardship allowance
• Reimbursement of flight tickets to the country of residence once every 6 months of work, PIN also provides a 1,200 USD allowance per flight for R&R trips (a total of max two R&R flights per year, as the R&R is intended to be taken between the 6-month flights to the country of residence)
• Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with visa application procedure
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Medical helpdesk and psychological consultation available online
• 25 days of paid leave annually and 12 additional days of R&R leave per year
• Accommodation in the PIN compound