Regional Director, MEESA

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 are embarking on an ambitious and exciting change process as part of our global strategy All Girls Standing Strong Creating Global Change (FY23-FY27) to ensure that we are relevant, bold, engaging and effective in a dynamic and fast-changing global context.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Regional Director to lead Plan International’s strategies, programmes and operations in the Middle Eastern, Eastern and Southern Africa region. The region currently includes 15 Country Offices, organised by clusters to ensure balance in complexity and distribution of work to facilitate effective management oversight and support, and a Regional Hub, based in Nairobi, Kenya and has an annual budget of €220m. It is the responsibility of the Country Offices to implement the whole mission of Plan International in their respective countries and the Africa Union Liaison Office. The Regional Director has overall responsibility for the portfolio in the region and plays a significant role in driving changes to this footprint. Line management of the country directors is divided between two sub-regional directors.

The Regional Hub oversees the realisation of Plan International’s country facing programming and influencing activities in the Region and holds business units to account for achieving maximum and timely impact in accordance with our purpose, values and behaviours, global policies, and as directed by the Members Assembly and International Board.

Please follow this link for a full role profile; MEESA Regional Director 2025.docx

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Type of Role: Five year fixed term contract. This is a global search but the role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and therefore support with relocation will be provided if required. 

Closing Date: Sunday 16th March

First round interviews will take place w/c 17th March and second round interviews w/c 24th March. 

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.