Country Director, Syria

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Country Director to join our Country Office in Syria.

• Job Title: Country Director, Syria
• Reports To: Regional Director, MENAEE
• Work Pattern: On-site
• Location: Damascus, Syria
• Contract Length: Permanent
• Grade: Executive
• Language Requirements: English essential, Arabic desirable
• People Management: manager of multiple teams; 9 SMT direct reports
• Budget Responsibility: $35 million
• Remit: Country Office, National

Team Purpose

Save the Children currently operates a significant portfolio of programmes across 14 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe (MENAEE) region. A number of these consist of responses to large humanitarian emergencies and recovery programmes (Yemen, Ukraine, Türkiye, Occupied Palestinian Territories and Syria). We also work in countries facing other humanitarian and development challenges (Lebanon, Iraq, Kosovo and others).

Save the Children International’s (SCI) Syria Country Office (SCO) is delivering an integrated, child-centred humanitarian and recovery response that prioritizes life-saving assistance while supporting early recovery and longer-term resilience. The response reaches children and families across key locations in northeastern Syria, Aleppo, Idlib, and areas affected by cross-border movements. Our strategy focuses on multi-sectoral interventions across child protection, MHPSS, education, health and nutrition, WASH, and food security and livelihoods. The response prioritizes the most vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied and separated children, children in camps and collective shelters, female-headed households, and people with disabilities. Support for returnees is a key priority not least those displaced from Lebanon. We work closely with Sector Coordination groups led by respective line Ministries and UN agencies to ensure there are no overlaps and duplication, leveraging our already established strong local and national partnerships to deliver a timely and needs-based response.

Role Purpose

The Country Director, Syria provides strategic leadership, management, and representation for Save the Children’s operations in Syria, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, impactful programmes that protect and advance the rights of children in one of the world’s most complex humanitarian and early recovery contexts. The role is accountable for setting the overall direction of the country programme, driving the implementation of the country strategy, and ensuring programmes are responsive to evolving needs arising from conflict, displacement, and economic hardship.

The post-holder leads a diverse and high-performing team, ensuring strong organizational culture, effective systems, and full compliance with internal policies and external regulatory requirements. They are responsible for the sound financial stewardship of the Country Office, proactive risk management, and maintaining robust safety and security frameworks to enable principled humanitarian access. As the senior representative in Syria, the Country Director builds and maintains strategic relationships with authorities, donors, UN agencies, and partners, positioning Save the Children as a leading voice for children. The role also plays a critical part in securing sustainable funding, influencing policy and practice, and contributing to regional and global priorities to achieve lasting change for children and their families.

Principal Accountabilities

Strategic Leadership

• Provide vision and direction for the Syria country programme
• Effectively lead a high-performing SMT to deliver against strategy and to model behaviours and values expected of staff
• Take responsibility for the leadership and management of staff and programmes in Syria
• Ensure ongoing, current analysis of the national socio-economic, humanitarian, security, and political situation in the country
• Support the development of the Country Strategy and ensure ongoing review of progress against key country and organizational level objectives, indicators, and targets
• Ensure that the focus of the organization remains on the rights and needs of children
• Contribute to regional and global knowledge and learning

People and Organization

• Ensure that Save the Children attracts and retains high-calibre staff
• Proactively develop and coach staff to optimise their potential in pursuit of Save the Children’s objectives
• Ensure effective implementation of HR policies and procedures at country level, in line with HR policies, procedures and guidelines, and local labour law
• Ensure consistent implementation of strong performance management systems throughout the country team
• Foster a collegial, supportive and respectful culture within the Syria team
• Support and build a high-performing Senior Management Team and ensure strong collaboration
• Promote a harmonious team culture, and manage challenges constructively and positively
• Drive internal work on inclusivity and acceptance (e.g. related to gender) and apply a zero-tolerance policy toward bullying and harassment.

Programme Development and Management

• Lead the Country Office team in improving KPI performance and achieving organizational targets (e.g. “70% green”)
• Ensure programme interventions are aligned with technical best practices, humanitarian standards, and emerging national and local policies, as well as country and global strategic priorities
• Ensure that effective monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) systems are implemented in line with organizational policies and guidelines
• Ensure that programme learning is effectively captured, documented, and shared
• Prepare for and implement rapid, effective responses to emergencies affecting children, including building relationships with key humanitarian and development stakeholders and partners in-country
• Lead operational and programmatic adjustments in response to the evolving humanitarian, economic, and security context in Syria, including displacement dynamics and access constraints
• Inspire and promote innovation across the Country Office

Representation, Communications and Advocacy

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Members and their donors
• Represent Save the Children’s interests in Syria with government counterparts (as appropriate), UN agencies, donor delegations, and international and national NGOs
• Play an active role in relevant coordination platforms (e.g. NGO fora, cluster system, and inter-agency mechanisms)
• Ensure the timely provision of internal and external communications materials as required
• Develop and adapt media, advocacy, and campaign strategies that address key child rights issues in Syria and contribute to global advocacy objectives

Financial and Administrative Management

• Ensure effective financial budgeting, management systems, processes, and controls are in place and compliant with organisational standards and local legal requirements
• Ensure effective, compliant procurement and asset management systems are established and maintained
• Ensure that partner organisations are assessed against financial management and governance standards and are supported to address capacity gaps

Audit and Corporate Governance Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all host authority requirements in relation to registration, taxation, labour law, auditing, fraud prevention, and related areas
• Ensure internal and external audits are conducted in a timely and efficient manner in line with organisational policies and donor requirements
• Ensure follow-up on audit recommendations and implementation of corrective actions where necessary
• Support the advancement of risk management and compliance priorities as identified through internal reviews and global assurance processes

Fundraising

• Lead the team in responding to new funding opportunities; ensure development of high-quality concept notes and proposals aligned with the humanitarian response and country strategy
• Ensure effective collaboration with Members to position the Country Office for upcoming funding opportunities
• Ensure regular donor landscape analysis and, in coordination with Members, develop and implement donor engagement strategies
• Ensure full compliance with donor and Member requirements for all secured awards
• Actively network and lead senior-level engagement with donors, Members, and peer organizations
• Represent Save the Children at donor meetings and events

Safety and Security Management

• Develop, establish, and manage Syria programme safety and security plans and procedures in line with organizational policies
• Maintain, document, and communicate up-to-date analyses of the evolving security context, including access and operational risks
• Ensure all staff are provided with appropriate security information, training, and support to manage risks and safeguard their wellbeing

Other

• Any other duties as assigned by the Regional Director

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Substantial experience of building, leading and developing a diverse team of senior staff to deliver on both development and humanitarian programs
2. Experience working with large, complex donors to secure and/or manage new large-scale and/or competitive funding
3. Experience of managing a humanitarian crisis situation requiring quick changes to priorities and rapid action to respond
4. Excellent understanding and experience of risk, programme, financial and operational management processes
5. Experience of successfully leading change in an organisation
6. Experience of building effective personal networks at a senior level
7. Experience of managing security in a complex and rapidly changing environment
8. Experience of solving complex issues
9. Good understanding of key trends in international and humanitarian development
10. Commitment to Save the Children values
11. Fluency in English

Desirable

• Experience of Syria with sound knowledge of the country context and key government and civil society stakeholders
• Fluency in Arabic

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Master’s degree level qualification or equivalent length of experience in the sector

Values in Practice

Accountability:

• Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

Working at Save the Children International

Save 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 Opportunities

DEI 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 Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. 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 2-3 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
• Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage
• If 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.