COUNTRY DIRECTOR -ZIMBABWE

Job Description

Lead Transformation. Inspire Change. Deliver Lasting Impact.

CARE Zimbabwe is seeking an exceptional Country Director to lead one of CARE’s most strategically important country programs. This is a unique opportunity for a visionary, entrepreneurial leader to drive innovation, strengthen partnerships, and deliver transformative impact for vulnerable communities—especially women and girls.

As Country Director, you will shape CARE Zimbabwe’s strategic direction, position the organization as a trusted and influential national partner, and lead high-performing teams to deliver sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective solutions in a dynamic and evolving context.

CARE strongly encourages applications from qualified Zimbabwean 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 Seek

CARE is looking for a bold, purpose-driven leader who embodies the following qualities:

• Innovator: Drives change and embraces new approaches, including digital transformation and innovative programming models.
• Dynamic Network Builder: Builds strategic partnerships across government, donors, civil society, communities, and the private sector.
• Manager of Complexity: Leads diverse, high-performing teams with emotional intelligence, clarity, and resilience.
• Impact Driven: Demonstrates a track record of delivering scalable, cost-effective development and humanitarian impact.
• Agile and Adaptive: Navigates complexity with confidence, leading organizational transformation in rapidly changing environments.

About the Role

The Country Director provides overall leadership and strategic oversight of CARE Zimbabwe’s programs, operations, and people, ensuring excellence in program delivery, operational performance, and risk management.

As CARE’s senior representative in Zimbabwe, you will cultivate high-level relationships, mobilize diversified resources, and position CARE as a partner of choice. You will champion community-led innovation, strengthen organizational resilience, and ensure CARE delivers meaningful and sustainable impact aligned with its global mission to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice.

What You Will Do

Strategic Leadership and Execution

• Lead the development and implementation of CARE Zimbabwe’s multi-year strategy aligned with global priorities and national development goals.
• Drive organizational innovation and transformation to ensure agility, competitiveness, and long-term relevance.
• Provide adaptive leadership in response to evolving political, economic, and social dynamics.
• Strengthen strategic foresight, planning, and organizational resilience.

People Leadership and Organizational Development

• Inspire and lead a diverse, talented team, fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, learning, and innovation.
• Build leadership capacity, develop talent pipelines, and ensure succession planning.
• Promote a high-performance environment focused on results, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Resource Mobilization and External Engagement

• Develop and execute ambitious resource mobilization strategies with institutional donors, multilaterals, private sector, and philanthropic partners.
• Strengthen strategic partnerships across government, civil society, and private sector stakeholders.
• Explore innovative financing models, including private sector partnerships and locally generated funding.
• Represent CARE Zimbabwe externally, influencing policy, strengthening visibility, and advancing CARE’s mission.

Operational Excellence and Risk Management

• Ensure efficient, compliant, and accountable operational systems aligned with CARE’s global standards.
• Lead risk management, safeguarding, and security efforts to protect staff, partners, and communities.
• Oversee financial sustainability, cost recovery, and responsible resource stewardship.
• Ensure management structures remain effective and aligned with program scale and strategy.

Program Quality and Impact

• Ensure programs are innovative, evidence-based, and community-centered, delivering transformative and scalable results.
• Strengthen program quality, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems.
• Advance locally led development and strengthen civil society capacity.
• Leverage partnerships to scale innovation and maximize sustainable impact.

Why Join CARE Zimbabwe?

1. Lead a respected global organization with a strong national presence and legacy of impact.
2. Shape innovative solutions addressing some of Zimbabwe’s most critical development challenges.
3. Influence national and regional development agendas.
4. Work alongside passionate, committed teams dedicated to social justice and gender equality.

About the Organization

There are individuals who may use CARE’s name and trademark in emails and on websites in an attempt to solicit fees from interested job-seekers. Some examples of these fees are placement fees or immigration processing fees. CARE does not use recruiting or placement agencies that charge candidates an up-front fee of any kind. Occasionally, CARE does employ recruiting or placement agencies to help us identify candidates for specific employment within CARE. If you’re contacted by a legitimate recruiting or placement agency, there should be no charge to you. If you suspect that you have been a victim of fraud from someone purporting to be CARE, please contact us at legal@care.org. Please do not email legal@care.org to apply for this position. Instead, click "apply now" below in order to submit your interest.

CARE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

Starting salaries are based on internal equity, candidate experience, and the cost of labor where the job is based. Salaries listed only apply to jobs based in the US.