COUNTRY DIRECTOR IVORY COAST AND GUINEA

Job Description

Lead. Innovate. Transform Lives.

Shape the Future of Development in Cote d’Ivoire & Guinea

ROLE SUMMARY

CARE is seeking an exceptional Country Director to lead and position our Country Office for bold, sustainable impact. This is a high-profile leadership role for a visionary, entrepreneurial, and agile leader who can navigate complexity while delivering measurable results.

As CARE’s most senior representative in-country, the Country Director (CD) provides overall strategic and operational leadership, ensuring alignment with CARE’s global mission to save lives, combat poverty, and promote social justice — with a particular focus on women and girls.

CARE strongly encourages applications from qualified Cote d’Ivoire & Guinea nationals and will prioritize hiring on a local contract for this role. International candidates will only be considered if a suitable local candidate cannot be identified.

The Leader We Are Looking For

We are seeking a leader who is:

Innovative – Drives change and embraces new modalities of impact, including digital transformation and entrepreneurial approaches.

A Dynamic Network Builder – Deeply grounded in the country context and skilled at forging strategic partnerships across government, civil society, donors, and the private sector.

A Manager of Complexity – Leads high-performing, results-focused teams with emotional intelligence and sound judgment in fragile or fast-changing environments.

Impact-Driven – Delivers cost-effective, scalable results with a clear long-term vision for sustainable change.

Agile and Adaptive – Responds decisively to shifting political, economic, and security landscapes while positioning the organization for growth and resilience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy & Execution

• Lead and deliver the Country Office’s multi-year strategy, aligned with global priorities and national development agendas.
• Drive organizational transformation to ensure agility, competitiveness, and relevance.
• Embed strategic foresight, scenario planning, and adaptive leadership across teams.

People Leadership & Culture

• Inspire and lead a diverse team, fostering inclusion, accountability, safety, and continuous learning.
• Build leadership pipelines and strengthen succession planning.
• Create a high-performance culture with clear expectations and measurable results.

Resource Mobilization & Representation

• Develop and implement a diversified resource mobilization strategy, expanding beyond traditional institutional donors.
• Cultivate strong relationships with government, multilateral agencies, philanthropy, civil society, and private sector partners.
• Position CARE as a trusted, influential partner and shape policy and donor agendas.
• Explore innovative financing models, including private sector partnerships and local resource generation.

Operational Excellence & Risk Management

• Ensure strong financial stewardship, compliance, and delivery of programs on time, on budget, and to quality standards.
• Oversee risk management, safeguarding, security, and fraud mitigation systems.
• Maintain fit-for-purpose management structures aligned with income and strategic priorities.

Program Quality & Impact

• Champion evidence-based, community-led programming that advances locally owned solutions.
• Ensure high standards of program quality, monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
• Strengthen civil society partnerships and scale innovative approaches for transformative impact.

Why This Role Matters

This is an opportunity to lead at scale — shaping strategy, mobilizing resources, strengthening systems, and delivering transformative impact for vulnerable communities. The successful candidate will combine visionary leadership with operational discipline, ensuring both immediate results and long-term sustainability.

If you are a bold, purpose-driven leader ready to drive change in complex environments and build a resilient, high-performing Country Office, we encourage you to apply.