International Director – Impact at Cordaid International

The International Director Impact will drive the organization's transition to a decentralized, leaner, and more impactful operational model. By focusing on empowering country and cluster directors, building regional partnerships, and embedding innovation into programs, this role ensures the organization’s dual mandate is fulfilled effectively.

In close collaboration with the CEO, CFO and the International Director Business Development & Innovation, the International Director of Impact will serve as a cornerstone in advancing Cordaid’s locally led development agenda while strengthening its global footprint. This role is key to ensuring that the organization delivers sustainable, impactful programming that meets the evolving needs of communities worldwide.

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement strategies to enhance the organization’s dual mandate through impactful programming that prioritizes locally led development.
• Lead the transition to a leaner, decentralized country setup, ensuring the principles of subsidiarity and regional empowerment are applied. Collaborate with the Interim Transition Director to strategically realign global and regional roles, prioritizing local leadership in programmatic decision-making.
• Ensure alignment and consistency in programmatic approaches across all country offices, establishing one way of working for Cordaid operations.
• Strengthen strategies by working with country directors and empowering "Cluster / Country Directors" roles to lead cluster / country strategy and partnership development.
• Build trust between Country Offices and Global Office – know how to navigate between different goals and interests.

Program and Impact Management

• Monitor and evaluate the impact of humanitarian and development programs, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and global best practices.
• Collaborate with country offices to ensure that programs are contextually relevant, innovative, and sustainable.
• Drive program innovation by integrating evidence-based approaches and technologies into program design and delivery.
• Strengthen and unify the organization's operations and programming to enhance both humanitarian and development outcomes.

Cluster Partnerships and Innovation

• Build and develop cluster partnerships, ensuring strong engagement with local, national, and international stakeholders.
• Act as a champion for locally led development, promoting partnerships that align with the organization's decentralization and sustainability goals.
• Collaborate with the International Director Business Development and Innovation to align programming with fundraising and donor strategies.
• Explore and implement innovative approaches that enhance programmatic efficiency and effectiveness.

People and Leadership Development

• Provide leadership and direction to country and cluster directors, empowering them to take on expanded operational and strategic roles.
• Empower country / cluster directors, ensuring they are equipped to lead their teams and drive impact within their respective contexts.
• Increase the mandate of country directors to reduce operational reliance on the International Director of Impact.
• Build capacity in Cluster and country teams to ensure sustained leadership and program delivery excellence.

Who you are

• Experienced international organizational and people leader, with at least 15 years’ experience in leadership roles.
• Must be positioned in and have extensive experience working within the Global South, previously based in Global South for a minimum of 5 years.
• Proven experience in leading and managing program design, implementation, and impact evaluation in humanitarian and development contexts.
• Expertise in locally led development (LLD) models, regional strategy development, and partnership building.
• Demonstrated ability to manage decentralized teams, including country and cluster directors, in complex operational environments.
• Strong track record of integrating innovation and evidence-based approaches into programmatic strategies.
• Experience collaborating with executive leadership roles such as CEOs, CFOs, and directors of business development and innovation.
• Familiarity with dual mandates of humanitarian and development programming and the associated challenges in diverse geographic contexts.
• A visionary leader capable of shaping and executing a comprehensive impact strategy aligned with organizational goals and local needs.
• Committed to building and empowering strong country-level leadership while ensuring operational excellence.
• A creative thinker who can integrate innovative approaches into programming and foster collaboration across teams.
• Skilled at navigating and building partnerships within diverse cultural and geographic contexts.
• Passionate about maximizing the organization’s humanitarian and development impact while aligning programs with locally led development principles.
• Fluent written and spoken English with good understanding of French.