Head of Mission Guinea

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

The Opportunity

• Plan International is seeking an exceptional Head of Mission to provide strategic leadership for our work in Guinea. This is a unique opportunity to lead a high-impact country programme, drive organisational performance, and champion the rights of children and young people—particularly girls—in one of the world's most challenging and rewarding contexts.
• As Head of Mission, you will be the face of Plan International in Guinea, building strong partnerships with government, donors, civil society and key stakeholders to increase our influence, profile and impact. You will lead a talented team to deliver an ambitious country strategy, ensuring programmes and operations achieve sustainable results for the communities we serve.

What you'll be doing

• Providing visionary leadership and direction for Plan International Guinea, ensuring excellence across programmes, operations and people management.
• Representing the organisation at the highest levels, strengthening relationships with government ministries, donors, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society partners.
• Leading the successful delivery of the Country Strategy, ensuring resources, investments and priorities are aligned to deliver maximum impact.
• Driving gender-transformative programming and influencing efforts that advance the rights, equality and empowerment of girls and young women.
• Ensuring strong accountability, governance and performance, with a focus on achieving targets and maintaining compliance with Plan International's global standards.
• Championing advocacy, campaigns and communications initiatives that create lasting positive change for girls and vulnerable children at national level.
• Fostering a high-performing, inclusive and values-driven culture that empowers teams to innovate, collaborate and achieve outstanding results.

About you

You are an experienced and strategic leader with a strong track record of delivering impact in international development or humanitarian action. You have a passion for children's rights and gender equality, exceptional stakeholder management skills, and the ability to lead diverse teams in complex environments.

Most importantly, you are committed to advancing Plan International's mission of creating a just world where all children can learn, lead, decide and thrive.

Required Skills and Experience 

• Strong leadership and people management skills, with experience building and developing high-performing teams.
• Strategic thinker with excellent planning, prioritisation and organisational abilities.
• Sound judgement and strong analytical skills, with the ability to make effective decisions in complex environments.
• Highly resilient, adaptable and able to remain effective under pressure.
• Excellent relationship-building and influencing skills, with experience working across cultures and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Outstanding communication, presentation and advocacy skills.
• Strong understanding of programme and operational management within a complex organisation.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and digital working tools.

Join us and help drive meaningful change for girls and young people across Guinea.

Location: Conakry, Guinea

Reports to: Director of Sub Region, West and Central Africa region

Please note that this role is only open to those who have the right to live and work in Guinea without restrictions.

Closing Date: 24th July 2026

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.