Country Director - South Sudan

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 looking for an experienced and visionary leader to serve as Country Director for South Sudan. This is a high-profile role at the forefront of humanitarian and nexus programming, where you will lead strategic growth, ensure impactful delivery, and represent the organisation at national and international levels. You will be responsible for driving policy influence, safeguarding the wellbeing of girls and vulnerable children, and navigating one of the world’s most complex and challenging operating environments.

As a key member of the Middle East, East and Southern Africa (MEESA) Regional Leadership Team, you will help shape the strategic direction of a €220 million regional portfolio, supporting over 2,800 staff across multiple countries.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of high-quality, timely humanitarian programmes aligned with Plan International’s global strategy.
• Ensure strong funding pipelines and strategic partnerships with UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, and non-traditional funders.
• Represent Plan International in national and international coordination platforms, including UN clusters and humanitarian country teams.
• Drive strategic planning, financial oversight, and risk management to ensure operational excellence and compliance.
• Champion gender equality, safeguarding, and inclusion across all programmes and organisational practices.
• Lead a high-performing, resilient team, fostering a values-based culture and prioritising staff wellbeing.
• Influence public policy and advocate for girls’ rights at national and international levels, including media engagement.

About You:

• Extensive experience leading large-scale humanitarian responses in complex environments, ideally in or similar to South Sudan.
• Deep understanding of humanitarian principles, international law, Sphere standards, and nexus programming.
• Strong grasp of South Sudan’s (or similar context) geopolitical, cultural, and humanitarian context or comparable settings.
• Proven ability to manage complex budgets, donor compliance, and financial accountability in volatile contexts.
• Skilled in disaster preparedness, risk reduction, and sustainable development approaches.
• Demonstrated commitment to child rights, gender equality, and feminist leadership.
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders including government, donors, UN agencies, INGOs, and local NGOs.
• Excellent communication skills in English; Arabic language proficiency is highly desirable.
• Skilled in leading through others, fostering collaboration across functions and geographies.
• Decisive and adaptive in high-pressure, uncertain environments, with strong risk management capabilities.
• Track record of building and motivating high-performing, multicultural teams in resource-constrained settings.
• Strong negotiator and relationship builder, navigating complex political and power dynamics to achieve impact.

Please respond to the requirements of the role in your cover letter.

Only CVs and cover letters in English will be accepted.  

Please follow this link for a full role profile; CD South Sudan ROLE PROFILE_Sept 2025.docx

Location: Juba, South Sudan. This is a global recruitment and support with relocation is available if required. 

Type of Role: Three year fixed term contract. This is a mandatory unaccompanied position. 

Reports to: Director of Sub Region, Middle East, North Africa and the Horn.

Closing Date: Sunday 5th October

 First round interviews are expected to take place w/c 20th October 2025

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.