Location: Based in Damascus, Syria (with regular travel to Lebanon)
Level: Senior Leadership – M10
Contract Type: Full-Time
Reports to: Desk Director
Budget Responsibility: ~$15M USD
Travel: Approx. 25%
Relief International (RI) partners with communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disasters to save lives and build lasting resilience. Operating in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, our 4,000+ staff and volunteers deliver programming in Health & Nutrition, WASH, Education, and Livelihoods.
We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Country Director to lead our operations in Syria and Lebanon during a critical moment of transition. Based in Damascus, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape and implement RI’s country strategy, deepen partnerships, and secure sustainable funding amidst complex political and operational environments.
In both countries, the funding outlook is more challenging as a result of the USG funding cuts since January 2025. Focus must be on ensuring relevance with donors and other key external stakeholders to create and respond to new program opportunities to sustain both missions into 2026. Moreover, the post holder must lead Relief International in the process of adapting the Syria country program strategy to the new governance reality of Syria, which includes building management presence in Damascus while moving implementation into newly accessible locations.
A dynamic approach must ensure the ability to lead on both macro/ strategic and micro/ detail-oriented issues simultaneously and have proven strong communication and negotiation skills in order to work effectively with internal actors at all levels of the organization and external factors including but not limited to donors, government institutions, U.N. agencies, partners and other key stakeholders.
As Country Director, you will:
🔹 Lead strategic transformation and manage operational complexity in Syria's evolving context & Lebanon
🔹 Drive resource mobilization to sustain and grow programming across Syria and Lebanon
🔹 Represent RI externally with donors, government stakeholders, and interagency forums
🔹 Ensure quality program delivery, compliance, and operational excellence
🔹 Champion team wellbeing and security, building a strong leadership culture across both countries
Essential:
✔ Deep contextual understanding of Syria and/or Lebanon
✔ Proven success in country leadership in complex humanitarian settings
✔ Track record of donor engagement and fundraising
✔ Experience leading change management processes
✔ Strong project management, negotiation, and people leadership skills
✔ Strategic thinker who can also dive into operational detail
✔ Degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience
✔ Fluent in English (Arabic is a strong asset)
Desirable:
➕ Sector experience in Health, WASH, Livelihoods, or Protection
➕ Experience with USG and ECHO grants
➕ Experience working in early recovery and development
If you are interested, please submit your application via https://ri.bamboohr.com/careers/179?source=aWQ9MTg%3D
As a humanitarian organization, Relief International is committed to the safeguarding of all those we come into contact with through our work. We are committed to the core humanitarian principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief International expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the values and behaviours outlined in the Code of Conduct.
Recruitment to all roles in Relief International include a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checks.
ننصح بقراءة طريقة التقديم بعناية و التقيد بتعليمات التقدم للوظائف و المناقصات.