Country Director, ActionAid Zimbabwe
Ngo & Social Services Jobs
- ActionAid Zimbabwe
- Expires 22 Oct 2025
- Harare
- Full Time
Job Description
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
Duties and Responsibilities
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
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 rights-
based approaches.
• Fluency in English is essential.
How to Apply
How to Apply:
All interested candidates should submit their applications by 22 October 2025 at 1700hours. Use the link
below to view the Job Description https://zimbabwe.actionaid.org/jobs/2025/country-director and to submit
your application and resume: https://actionaidzimbabwe.bamboohr.com/careers/70
NB: Please note that whilst all applicants will be assessed strictly on their individual merits,
qualified women are especially encouraged to apply. This position is open to Zimbabwean nationals
only. While we sincerely appreciate all applications, we can only respond to shortlisted candidates.
