Head of Mission, Venezuela

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 responding to the humanitarian situation in Venezuela through a principled, partner-led model. The organisation works with vetted national and international partners and local consultants, supported by the Regional Office for the Americas and global technical functions.

Following the June 2026 earthquakes, the response has expanded rapidly from existing protection, education, health, MHPSS and WASH partnerships into a multi-sector humanitarian operation. Current priorities include shelter and non-food items, food assistance, WASH, Child Protection in Emergencies, Education in Emergencies, and health/MHPSS referral pathways. Delivery is localised and partner-led, with Plan providing strategic direction, technical oversight, safeguarding, compliance, MEAL and accountability, coordination, resource mobilisation and donor reporting.

The role will guide the transition from emergency scale-up toward a sustainable, compliant and locally anchored country presence.

Role Purpose

The Head of Mission will provide strategic, organisational and external leadership for Plan International’s work in Venezuela. The postholder will be accountable for the quality, relevance, sustainability and integrity of the country portfolio and will lead the establishment of the operating model, governance arrangements, organisational capabilities and partnerships required for Plan to deliver lasting impact for children and adolescents, especially girls.

During the initial phase, the Head of Mission will lead a partner-led humanitarian response in which Plan’s role centres on technical and operational accompaniment, quality assurance, partner capacity strengthening, safeguarding, compliance, humanitarian coordination, resource mobilisation, MEAL/AAP and donor-grade reporting. Dimensions of the role

• Senior organisational representative for Venezuela, responsible for institutional positioning, credibility and relationships with authorities, UN agencies, donors, diplomatic actors, civil society, partners and peer organisations.
• Executive accountability for the Venezuela country strategy and humanitarian response, including a phased multi-sector portfolio delivered primarily through local and national partners.
• Leadership of an evolving country structure spanning programmes, humanitarian response, operations, finance, people and culture, security, safeguarding, MEAL, business development, communications and partnerships.
• Accountability for organisational risk, legal and regulatory compliance, , partner assurance, financial stewardship, safeguarding and staff/consultant duty of care.

Essential Requirements

• Previous Country Director, Head of Mission, Response Director or equivalent experience.
• Substantial senior leadership experience in an international humanitarian, development or rights-based organisation, including accountability for a country programme, major response, complex portfolio or comparable business unit.
• Demonstrated success leading humanitarian response and recovery programming in fragile, politically sensitive or access-constrained contexts.
• Strong understanding of child-centred humanitarian programming, protection, gender equality and inclusion, safeguarding, accountability to affected populations and localisation.
• strengthening, performance management, compliance, and equitable decision-making.
• Experience establishing or transforming country operations, organisational systems, legal/registration arrangements or complex remote/hybrid operating models.
• Strong financial and business management capability, including portfolio budgeting, forecasting, grants management, donor compliance, risk management, and cost recovery.
• Proven resource-mobilisation and external representation experience with institutional donors, UN agencies, diplomatic actors, government counterparts, civil society and peer organisations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop diverse, multidisciplinary and geographically distributed teams in high-pressure environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation and influencing skills in Spanish and English.

Location: The role is expected to be based primarily in Caracas. The role requires extensive travel to programme areas, partner offices, collective sites and coordination meetings, including locations with disrupted infrastructure and elevated security or environmental risks. All travel and field activity are subject to Plan’s security management and clearance procedures.

Type of Role: Initial six month unaccompanied contract, possible extension. This is a global search and relocation support is available.

Reports to: Regional Director, Region of the Americas

Closing Date: Sunday 9th August. Please note that applications will be reviewed throughout the advertising period and we reserve the right to close the advert early.

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.