Country Director

Vacancy Announcement- Country Director, ActionAid Zimbabwe Qualified Women are highly encouraged to apply

 About ActionAid

ActionAid Zimbabwe (AAZ) is a rights-based organisation committed to advancing gender justice and eradicating poverty. In Zimbabwe, ActionAid works to address the root causes of inequality and exclusion by empowering communities, especially women, girls, youth, and other marginalized groups to claim their rights and drive social change.

ActionAid Zimbabwe believes that gender justice and poverty eradication are achieved through purposeful individual and collective action that creates socio-economic transformation from the household level to local, national, regional, and global platforms. The empowerment of people living in poverty, alongside women’s leadership supported by allies, is essential to achieving equality and sustainable development.

About the role

We are seeking an inspiring, visionary, and results-driven Country Director to lead ActionAid Zimbabwe during a critical period of social and economic transformation. This role requires a highly strategic leader with deep contextual knowledge, proven management capabilities, and a bold commitment to feminist principles, accountability, and sustainability.

The Country Director will provide strategic oversight, political leadership, and overall direction for ActionAid Zimbabwe’s programs, operations, partnerships, and people. They will be a powerful voice in national and global forums and play a key role in shaping the future of the federation in Zimbabwe.

Position Overview 

Duty Station: Harare, Zimbabwe (with frequent national and international travel)

Reports to: Head of Africa, ActionAid International

Direct Reports: Country Management Team, Roving HR Manager, Internal Auditor

Contract Type: Fixed term contract

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Representation

• Provide bold leadership in shaping and delivering ActionAid Zimbabwe’s Country Strategy Paper (CSP) in alignment with the federation’s global vision.
• Serve as the face and voice of ActionAid Zimbabwe with government, donors, networks, media, and civil society actors—advocating for systemic change, gender justice, and civic space.
• Lead strategic planning, transformation, and organizational development, ensuring readiness for external shifts and internal innovation.
• Drive regional and global engagement through active participation in federation-wide campaigns, task forces, and decision-making platforms.

Program Development & Delivery

• Oversee design and implementation of high-quality programs focusing on gender justice, youth engagement, climate justice, humanitarian response and governance.
• Ensure participatory, inclusive, and cost-effective program delivery with strong monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.
• Promote documentation, learning, and dissemination of best practices to strengthen impact and influence policy.
• Lead humanitarian preparedness and contingency planning, liaising with ActionAid’s International Humanitarian Response Team.
• Promote evidence-based learning to strengthen impact and influence national and international policies.

Policy, Advocacy & Research

• Champion feminist leadership and embed safeguarding, child protection, and accountability across all work.
• Drive ActionAid Zimbabwe’s policy and advocacy agenda in collaboration with national and international stakeholders.
• Encourage research and evidence generation to inform programming and influence national and international policy debates.
• Strengthen ActionAid Zimbabwe’s public image through proactive media engagement, digital presence, and external communications, including social media fundraising.

Fundraising & External Engagement

• Develop and implement a robust fundraising strategy that diversifies income and ensures sustainability.
• Strengthen donor relations, ensuring effective communication, grant compliance, and accountability.
• Proactively identify local fundraising opportunities and build ActionAid Zimbabwe’s credibility with donor partners by showcasing impact, especially with women and girls.
• Ensure strict donor compliance, timely reporting, and accountability across grants and sponsorship programs.
• Lead external communication strategies, including media and digital platforms, to strengthen ActionAid Zimbabwe’s profile and advocacy.

People Leadership & Culture

• Lead, develop, and manage the Country Management Team (CMT) to work collectively towards organizational goals.
• Promote ActionAid’s values, feminist leadership principles, and foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and inclusion.
• Ensure gender balance in staffing, invest in staff development, and encourage innovation and team cohesion.
• Encourage a corporate perspective among staff and promote staff exchange, secondment, and development schemes aligned with organizational objectives.

Finance, Operations & Risk Management

• Ensure financial integrity, accountability, and compliance with ActionAid International’s financial framework, donor requirements, and Zimbabwean legal obligations.
• Oversee budget preparation, expenditure control, and resource allocation to ensure cost-effective and impactful program delivery.
• Strengthen risk management systems and internal controls to safeguard assets, resources, and reputation.
• Ensure proper procurement practices, asset management, and financial reporting in line with policy and donor standards.

Governance & Federation Engagement

• Maintain regular communication with the ActionAid International Head of Africa, International Secretariat staff, peer Country Directors, and federation governance structures.
• Contribute to ActionAid International’s global initiatives, campaigns, and task forces.
• Ensure ActionAid Zimbabwe complies with national regulations and maintains positive and cooperative relations with government authorities.
• Drive organizational transformation processes in line with ActionAid’s federation priorities and change management initiatives.

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, International Studies, Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years in a senior leadership role within the development sector, preferably including proven record in program design, fundraising, external engagement and organizational management.
• Demonstrated experience as a Country Director or equivalent leadership role in a comparable organization.
• Deep understanding of Zimbabwe’s socio-economic and political landscape, and how it intersects with development and civic rights.
• Proven record in fundraising and donor engagement, including innovative financing approaches.
• Proven ability to lead complex organisations through change while maintaining programmatic excellence and strategic clarity.
• Strong background in program strategy, partnership building, external relations, and policy advocacy.
• Strong skills in monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure program quality and accountability.
• Proven ability to lead policy advocacy, external communications, and media engagement.
• Experience engaging with feminist movements, youth-led platforms, and other rights-based alliances.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and diplomatic skills; able to influence stakeholders at the highest level.
• Strong commitment to ActionAid’s values, feminist leadership, safeguarding, and human rightsbased approaches.
• Fluency in English is essential.