Country Director, Afghanistan

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Country Director, Afghanistan to join our team.Since 1972, Save the Children has been a pivotal force in Afghanistan, supporting vulnerable populations - particularly children and communities affected by conflict. Our comprehensive programming spans Child Protection, Education, Health & Nutrition, and Food Security & Livelihoods, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and home-based economies.Following the 2021 regime change, we significantly scaled up our response to meet urgent humanitarian needs across 10 provinces through direct implementation, and an additional 12 provinces via local partners. We are currently delivering lifesaving and resilience-focused assistance to hundreds of thousands of children and their families, while also supporting longer-term recovery and access to basic services.As the Country Director for Afghanistan, you will lead one of Save the Children’s most complex and high-profile country programs. You will be responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of high-quality programs and strategic advocacy, aligned with our vision and commitment to children's rights. In the event of a major humanitarian crisis, you will be expected to adapt and work beyond regular hours to lead the response.You will oversee an annual portfolio of approximately USD 70 million and manage a team of nearly 1,500 staff and incentive workers. Working closely with Save the Children Member offices and the Asia offices, you will drive improvements in program quality, operational excellence, and growth—ensuring we deliver lasting change and achieve breakthroughs for children in Afghanistan.Job Title: Country Director, AfghanistanReports To: Regional Director, AsiaWork Pattern: On-siteContract Length: Permanent/Open-endedGrade: Executive, M5Location: Kabul, AfghanistanTime Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): Afghanistan (UTC +4:30)Language Requirements: EnglishTravel Requirements: up to 30% (mainly in-country)Budget Responsibility: $70 million approx.People Management Responsibility: Manager of multiple teams; 9 direct reports; approx. 700 indirect reports + 800 incentive/volunteer staffPrincipal AccountabilitiesAs a member of the Regional Senior Leadership Team, contribute to strategic development and delivery of international programming, in both humanitarian and development contexts, in line with the Save the Children mandate, strategy and theory of change.Strategic Leadership:Provide vision and direction for the Afghanistan Country Programme.Lead a high-performing Senior Management Team (SMT) to deliver against the country strategic plan and model organisational values and behaviours.Be accountable for the leadership and management of staff, resources, and programmes in Afghanistan.Lead the implementation of the Country Strategic Plan and ensure regular review against strategic objectives, indicators, and performance targets.Foster shared ownership and collaboration among staff, partners, and stakeholders.Engage proactively with national and local authorities through principled and constructive dialogue to secure and sustain humanitarian access to vulnerable children and communities.Represent Save the Children in key humanitarian coordination mechanisms such as ACBAR, the Inter-Cluster Coordination Team (ICCT), cluster working groups, and other relevant forums to ensure strong sectoral leadership, coordination, and advocacy.Advocate for humanitarian principles, the protection of civilians, and the rights of children with donors, peers, and de facto authorities, maintaining Save the Children’s neutrality, impartiality, and independence.Maintain collaborative and principled relations with national and sub-national authorities, civil society organisations, and donor representatives.Strengthen the funding base of the programme and lead engagement with bilateral and multilateral donors.Ensure a sustained focus on the rights, survival, development, and protection of children.Contribute to regional and global organisational learning, strategy, and innovation.Human Resource Management Attract and retain high-calibre staff with appropriate gender and ethnic diversity. Proactively develop and coach staff to optimise their potential in pursuit of Save the Children’s objectives. Implement HR policies and procedures at the country level, in line with organisational guidelines and local labour laws. Ensure consistent implementation of strong performance management systems throughout the country team. Create an environment of continuous learning, encouraging staff to grow, develop, and be accountable for their commitments. Serve as a role model and lead the way on new values and ways of working. Foster a collegial, supportive, and respectful culture within the team. Programme Development and Management Ensure programme interventions align with technical best practices, SC common approaches, and emerging national policies. Develop and maintain efficient operating systems, ensuring compliance with all Save the Children International standards and procedures. Drive efforts to grow the country programme to become the leading INGO addressing children’s issues in Afghanistan. Develop strong programme designs and operational plans that address significant issues facing children, aligned with Save the Children’s strategy and theory of change. Implement effective monitoring and evaluation systems in line with policies and guidelines. Prepare for and implement rapid, effective responses to major emergencies affecting children, building relationships with key humanitarian and development partners. Deliver programmes and advocacy in line with the country strategy, operational plans, budgets, and Member requirements, resulting in significant impact for children. Security and Risks managementImprove identification, management, and communication of key organisational and operational risks and mitigations, in line with the Save the Children risk management framework. Maintain effective safety and security management systems, ensuring compliance with global/regional standards. Ensure compliance with global policies and standards, including Safety and Security, and Child Safeguarding. Maintain, document, and communicate up-to-date analyses of the changing security context. Ensure all staff adhere to security, fraud, compliance and safeguarding guidelines. Financial and Admin Management Ensure effective financial budgeting and management systems, processes, and controls are in place and compliant with operating standards and local legal requirements. Ensure Save the Children and donor-compliant procurement and asset management systems, processes, and controls are in place. Assess partner organisations in relation to financial management and governance standards, supporting them to address capacity weaknesses. Ensure compliance with all host government requirements regarding registration, taxation, labour law, auditing, and fraud. Follow up on recommendations from audits of operations and take appropriate actions where necessary. EssentialExperience and SkillsAccomplished senior leader with significant experience in complex, high-risk, and politically sensitive environments, preferably within large international humanitarian or development organisations.Proven experience managing humanitarian operations and security in conflict-affected settings, with strong crisis management skills.Deep understanding of humanitarian principles, access negotiations, and the operational realities of delivering aid in restricted and volatile contexts.Demonstrated ability to build and maintain principled, constructive relationships with de facto authorities, national and sub-national government actors, and humanitarian coordination bodies.Strong track record of representing organisations in high-level forums such as INGO Forums, clusters, donor coordination groups, and HCT platforms.Successful history of mobilising large-scale, multi-donor funding, including from institutional donors such as World Bank EU, ECHO, FCDO, and Corporate agencies.Demonstrated leadership in managing large, diverse teams and building national leadership, with a focus on gender balance, localisation, and staff safety and wellbeing.Experience in leading complex organisational change processes and driving adaptive programming in dynamic operational contexts.Highly developed problem-solving, negotiation, and decision-making skills, with the ability to maintain strategic focus and operational excellence under pressure.Strong financial, operational, and programmatic oversight capabilities in large-scale, multi-sector programs.Knowledge of the political, cultural, and humanitarian landscape in Afghanistan (highly preferred) or comparable contexts in South Asia or the Middle East.Commitment to Save the Children’s vision, mission, values, and code of conduct, with a passion for achieving lasting impact for children.EssentialEducation and Qualifications Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience in relevant fields Working at Save the Children InternationalSave the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal OpportunitiesDEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.Application InformationPlease attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found below. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 3 weeks of the advert deadline.Our Recruitment Process:Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter Three-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team including SCI Senior LeadershipIf successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.Job Identification 14657 Job Category Programme Operations Posting Date 11/17/2025, 09:39 AM Apply Before 12/08/2025, 11:59 PM Job Schedule Full time Locations CO - Kabul