Director of Programme Operations

Summary

Join Mary's Meals International as the Director of Programme Operations, providing strategic leadership to global program delivery and logistics. Lead the development of resilient operational systems and processes, ensuring effective and efficient school feeding program implementation. Oversee the refinement and implementation of the school feeding delivery model, global standards, and SOPs. Drive operational excellence through innovation and cost-effectiveness. Provide leadership and capacity building to operations teams. Represent Mary's Meals externally as a key member of the programs team. This role requires extensive senior-level experience in international program operations and logistics, a proven record of delivering large-scale operational transformation, and strong analytical and communication skills.

Requirements

• An experienced operations leader with extensive senior-level experience in international programme operations and logistics
• A proven record of delivering large-scale operational transformation, designing and improving delivery models, and leading diverse teams
• Strong analytical skills and a data-driven approach
• Make sound decisions in complex environments and manage change effectively
• A skilled communicator and collaborator who excels in building capacity, strengthening systems, and aligning cross-functional teams
• This role will undertake travel to countries where our programmes operate and will involve regulated work with children
• You will be required to register with the Protected Vulnerable Group Scheme or local equivalent before undertaking your role

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver our global programme operations strategy, ensuring alignment with Mary’s Meals’ overall vision
• Lead transformational operational projects across diverse programme contexts, demonstrating a strong solutions focus with an agile approach to managing challenges in complex contexts
• Oversee the refinement and implementation of our school feeding delivery model, global standards, and SOPs
• Drive operational excellence through innovation, quality improvement, and cost-effectiveness
• Oversee global programme delivery functions including food procurement, logistics, fleet, and kitchen construction
• Build operational resilience to ensure continuity of daily meals in challenging contexts
• Provide leadership, coaching, and capacity building to our operations teams, fostering accountability and empowerment
• Represent Mary’s Meals externally, as a key member of the programmes team and the wider Mary’s Meals network

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of school feeding, humanitarian logistics, or similar sectors, and experience managing operations in emergency or fragile settings

Benefits

Salary: (UK) £62,355 plus benefits