Global Humanitarian Director at Plan International

The Opportunity

• Plan International is seeking an exceptional humanitarian leader to shape and drive our global humanitarian ambition.
• The Global Humanitarian Director provides strategic leadership for Plan International’s global humanitarian strategy, influence and operations. Reporting to the Chief Impact Officer, the role will lead our continued evolution as a stronger dual-mandate organisation, ensuring that high-quality humanitarian programming reaches those most in need at scale while strengthening the integration of humanitarian action, resilience building, systems strengthening and long-term development.
• Working across the organisation, the Global Humanitarian Director will bring together Global Hub teams, Regions, Country Offices, National Organisations and partners behind a shared humanitarian vision.
• The role is responsible for strengthening organisational readiness, capability and crisis response, while ensuring excellence in programme quality, effectiveness and impact.
• As Plan International’s senior humanitarian leader, the postholder will position the organisation as a leading voice on humanitarian action, localisation, resilience and the humanitarian-development nexus, building strategic partnerships with governments, donors, multilateral institutions, UN agencies, INGOs and civil society organisations to increase our influence and impact.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Organisational Transformation:

• Lead the development and delivery of Plan International’s global humanitarian strategy and agenda.
• Drive the organisation’s evolution as a dual-mandate organisation, integrating humanitarian action, resilience, systems strengthening and policy influence.
• Ensure humanitarian priorities are embedded in organisational strategy, operating models, investments and performance frameworks.
• Champion innovation, learning and thought leadership to strengthen humanitarian impact and effectiveness.
• Strengthen Plan International’s visibility, influence and reputation across humanitarian forums, partnerships and policy dialogues.
• Promote evidence-based approaches that advance the rights and wellbeing of children and girls affected by crisis.

Global Humanitarian Capability and Readiness:

• Strengthen regional and country-level capability to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from crises.
• Build the humanitarian leadership capacity of Country Office leadership teams.
• Oversee the development of systems and tools that support effective humanitarian programming and performance monitoring.

Programme Effectiveness, Performance and Risk Management:

• Oversee humanitarian programme quality, impact and effectiveness, driving continuous improvement and learning.
• Lead global humanitarian risk analysis and forecasting to inform prevention, preparedness and response priorities.
• Ensure strong governance, safeguarding, security, compliance and risk management across humanitarian operations.
• Embed accountability to affected populations and adherence to recognised humanitarian standards.
• Lead the ongoing review and strengthening of emergency procedures and crisis activation protocols.

Strategic Partnerships and Localisation:

• Build strategic partnerships and coalitions that strengthen humanitarian impact, resilience and local capacity.
• Increase Plan International’s influence through engagement in humanitarian networks and interagency fora.
• Advance locally led humanitarian action and strengthen the role of local and national actors in humanitarian response.

Humanitarian Financing and Growth:

• Work with Global Affairs and Finance teams to strengthen humanitarian financing and support response at scale.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with donors, multilateral agencies, foundations and private-sector partners.
• Advise leadership on investment priorities that strengthen capability, innovation and impact.
• Promote funding approaches that enable locally led and sustainable humanitarian action.

Leadership and People Management:

• Lead and develop a high-performing global humanitarian team.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative and values-driven culture aligned with Plan International’s purpose and values.

About You

• You are a highly credible humanitarian leader with significant senior leadership experience within complex international humanitarian and development organisations.

You bring:

• Relevant qualifications and experience with a proven track record of leading large-scale humanitarian programmes across multiple countries and regions.
• Experience shaping humanitarian strategy and leading organisational transformation.
• Strong expertise in humanitarian financing, donor engagement and partnership development.
• Experience building organisational capability, preparedness and response systems.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Experience representing organisations with donors, governments, UN agencies, multilateral institutions and strategic partners.
• Strong people leadership skills and experience leading diverse, internationally dispersed teams.
• A deep commitment to children’s rights, equality for girls and locally led humanitarian action.