Country Director

Job Requirements:

You should have strong leadership abilities and interpersonal skills, and be able to deploy strong communications effectively, both internally and externally. You should enjoy developing networks to build partnerships and diversify program resources.

• Graduate degree in a relevant field.

• At least 10 years of dynamically responsible international work experience, including leadership at the Country Director level of multi-site, multi-sectoral operations in a complex operating environment, supervising large teams.

• Experience working in conflict/post-conflict or disaster response situation.

• Professional fluency in written and spoken English.

Strategic Leadership & Representation

• Provide visionary leadership to shape and execute strategies that deliver high-impact, client-centered programs aligned with IRC’s global mission and Uganda’s evolving humanitarian context.

• Serve as IRC’s principal representative in Uganda, articulating the organization’s vision and priorities at national, regional, and global platforms—including donor briefings, inter-agency coordination bodies, and high-level policy forums.

• Lead the development and delivery of a country strategy aligned with IRC’s Strategy100 and Uganda’s evolving context while providing strategic leadership to develop and implement high-quality programs that meet client needs.

• Forge and sustain strategic partnerships with national NGOs, civil society actors, and community-based organizations to enhance program reach, local ownership, and sustainability.

Strategic Direction & Program Quality

• Collaborate with the Regional Vice President (RVP) and senior management team to implement the country program's strategic vision, ensuring high-quality programming tailored to the Uganda context and aligned with IRC’s Strategy 100.

• Drive program innovation and excellence, ensuring interventions are evidence-based, contextually relevant, and client-centered and high program quality is consistent throughout the country program.

• Actively seek out and pursue opportunities to expand humanitarian programming in Uganda to reach underserved and hard-to-reach areas.

Fundraising & Donor Relations

• Lead the design and execution of a diversified funding strategy, proactively engaging donors, cultivating strategic partnerships, and driving proposal development and negotiations to secure a broad range of sustainable funding streams.

• Proactively monitor donor priorities and position IRC for emerging opportunities, and stay updated on issues the program and partners and develop strategies to adapt to changing donor priorities.

• Maintain strong relationships with donors, government bodies, and coordination mechanisms by demonstrating program excellence, operational integrity and strategic alignment with donors and different stakeholders

Operational & Financial Management

• Ensure compliance with IRC’s global policies and standards for finance, supply chain, and operational systems.

• Oversee country program budgets, ensuring financial sustainability through accurate forecasting, funding gap analysis, and cost-effectiveness measures.

• Drive operational excellence for cost-effective and timely program delivery, while strengthening systems for transparency, accountability, and operational agility.

Governance and Compliance

• Champion a proactive risk management agenda that safeguards the organization’s people, assets, reputation, and operational capacity in Uganda’s complex and evolving context.

• Shape and embed a risk-informed strategy that aligns with organizational priorities, donor expectations, and the geopolitical landscape, ensuring resilience and adaptability.

• Integrate risk management into strategic planning and operational culture, fostering shared ownership across all teams .

Safety & Security

• Take primary responsibility for the overall management of safety and security for the country program, including appropriate response to emergencies and crises.

• Maintain a culture of safety and security throughout the country program and keep security, evacuation, and contingency plans current and accessible to country program staff.

• Coordinate closely with the Regional Safety and Security Director on emerging threats and access issues.

People & Culture

• Foster a high-performance, inclusive culture by ensuring a professional, forward-looking People & Culture function that aligns talent management with organizational strategy.

• Champion leadership accountability for creating and sustaining development pathways, ensuring every manager actively nurtures and advances their teams.

• Partner with regional and HQ P&C teams to design and execute innovative talent acquisition, retention, and succession strategies that anticipate future skills needs.