Associate to the Regional Director (ARD) – East Africa Region

• Place: Addis-Abeba/Ethiopia, Kampala/Ouganda, Nairobi/Kenya (for the candidates already having a work permit in Kenya only)
  
• Starting date: 1st September 2026
• Duration of contract: 24 months

Humanity & Inclusion is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. The organisation works alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.

Since its creation in 1982, HI has run development & humanitarian projects in more than 55 countries and responded to numerous emergencies. Today, we have a budget of approximately 200 million euros, with 4,000 employees worldwide

At Handicap International-Humanity & Inclusion, we truly believe in the importance of inclusion and diversity within our organisation. This is why we are engaged to a disability policy to encourage the inclusion and integration of people with disabilities.

Please indicate if you require any special accommodation, even at the first interview.

JOB CONTEXT:

Regional context – East Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia/Somaliland, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan) and later early 2027, 3 new countries will join the region: DRC, Mozambique and Madagascar

East Africa region faces multiple challenges: armed conflicts and insecurity, population displacement (refugees and internally displaced persons), epidemics and public health issues, food insecurity and famine, and various protection incidents. These factors exacerbate the vulnerabilities of people with disabilities and marginalized groups.

East Africa is home to approximately 3.8 million refugees, representing 10% of the world’s refugees but faces growing challenges in terms of resources and integration.

Ongoing crises in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia are exacerbating displacements of populations with the entire region.

In this context, Humanity & Inclusion (HI) implements humanitarian and development actions aimed at improving access to essential services, strengthening community resilience, and promoting inclusion. HI’s interventions focus on several areas: physical and functional rehabilitation, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), inclusive education (and EI in emergencies), protection, food security and humanitarian mine action (including clearance, victim assistance and risk education). HI’s approach is based on community participation, promoting a “do no harm” policy, and seeking to achieve a lasting impact that promotes human dignity and inclusion in humanitarian action.

HI has around 350-400 employees in this region, with a budget of €20-25 million.

As part of its commitment to continuous improvement, HI has embarked on a process of regionalization and decentralization of its operational governance, with the aim of bringing decision-making closer to local realities. This change is accompanied by greater pooling of resources, harmonization of practices, and increased efforts to ensure programmatic consistency across its various areas of intervention. By early 2026, the program teams will work closely and in an integrated manner within a strengthened regional space to maximize the impact, responsiveness, and relevance of actions carried out as close as possible to the populations concerned.

The security situation in the region varies from country to country, with some areas affected by tensions or travel restrictions, particularly in Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Appropriate risk management mechanisms are in place to ensure the safety of teams.

YOUR MISSION:

Under the responsibility of the Regional Director, the ARD contributes to the implementation of Humanity & Inclusion’s mandate and strategy. He/she is the driving force behind the programmatic development of social missions within his/her technical scope, and ensures that the quality and impact of the projects implemented in the region are optimized, in line with the priorities defined in the Technical Strategies.

The ARD is the focal point of the region for operations and emergencies and will work closely with the RD and the SMT.

He/she actively participates in the progressive structuring of the East Africa Division in accordance with HI’s organizational principles, prioritizing the development of skills within the business line.

Responsibility 1: Control tower: Monitor the implementation of HI strategies and policies

• Ensure that internal checklists are designed and used by each department for regular internal control / spot checks during visits to countries, in coordination with the Regional Managers and the relevant HQ referents.
• Monitor the implementation of HI global policies (PSEAH, child protection, fraud and bribery, mandatory cross-cutting approaches, etc.)
• Propose and organise “change management” & contribute to organizational transformation, in particular through changes in managerial practices, continuous improvement and the enhancement of work processes
• Alert the RD or other relevant services in case of problems and contribute to problem identification and recommend actions to be taken
• Coordinate and support the implementation of internal investigations on specific PSEAH, fraud, or HR abuse cases, when required by the RD.
• Make sure ARCIs are done according to organigramme and facilitate its update
• Formalize the monitoring by feeding relevant dashboards
• Support the RD in controlling and producing adequate and reliable reporting

Responsibility 2: Capacity builder: Contribute to capacity improvement

• Ensures the development of skills in the Field Project Management professional channel (Project Managers, Area/ Operations/ Country Managers):
• In coordination with Country Managers, establishes consolidated training needs for the program
• Organizes relevant training courses in conjunction with the professional channel Authority (3I)
• Facilitates program communities of practice and encourages participation in global communities of practice
• Contribute to trainings on prioritized operational topics (provide inputs on training components, contribute to facilitation of trainings…)
• Can be a mentor for senior operational staff (Area Managers, Operations Managers, CMs, etc.)
• Can be a coach for new regional positions of HI, working methodology, stakes, global strategies, etc.
• Contribute to recruitment of senior operational staff and annual assessment of these positions.
• Promote organisational culture together

Responsibility 3: Emergency preparedness and response

• Lead the definition and the implementation of the regional REACT action plan at regional level, in close coordination with the concerned Regional Managers
• Contribute to improving practices and frameworks on emergency response and partnerships
• Maintain a humanitarian alert system at regional level to support regional and national preparedness.
• Support the Country Managers in the definition and implementation of country’s REACT action plan and emergency responses in their country
• Ensure the required coordination and information-sharing with all concerned HQ departments during emergency responses
• Responsible for MPMs follow up at regional level
• Acts as Emergency Operations Manager, temporary support to Country Manager, or other senior management role during the initial stages of an emergency, in support to the CM and the country team (as per specific delegation by the CM)

Responsibility 4: Management

• Replaces a Country Manager (CM) during his/her absence (when no other resource is available at country level) or ensures gap filling (as per standard CM Job Description)
• On an ad-hoc basis, acts on behalf of the Regional Director (RD) on certain subjects in his absence, if decided upon with the RD.
• Supports the RD in the organization of regular coordination meetings and of the annual workshop for the region.

Responsibility 5: Operation strategy and steering

Operation Monitoring

• In collaboration with the Technical Unit (THOP), he/she ensures consistency and alignment between funding strategies, technical strategies and partnership strategies – particularly multi-country initiatives – whilst adhering to HI’s priority objectives (localization, diversification of funding sources, etc.).
• Provides support to the Regional Director and the Country Directors/Managers in the region to explore and develop new value propositions, strategic alliances, major contracts, etc.
• He/she leads the development and subsequent monitoring of the future Operational Strategy for the Region, across its programme areas.
• Ensures collective construction and capitalization of regional knowledge (factsheets, infographics, videos, positioning, HI experiences) in collaboration with the SMT and MEAL department
• Acts as the operational focal point for the region and is responsible for monitoring projects (implementation, reporting, amendments, project reviews, connection with finance & technical team, etc.) in the countries, working closely with Country Managers and Project Managers.
• Ensures the sizing and planning of the resources needed for operational implementation
• Ensures compliance with donor rules and monitoring of contractual commitments from signature to closure, through one or more Grants Officers and in collaboration with Operations/Country Managers.

Partnership strategy and process

• Monitor the implementation of HI’s global partnership guidelines and of the regional StratOp partnership objectives
• Lead the regular adaptation and monitor the implementation of the partnership process
• Lead the organization of strategic exchanges and lessons sharing partnerships across the different countries
• Support the Country Managers and the Specialists in the definition of the partnership approaches for their country’s sectorial strategies.
• Revise and approve partnership agreements with high financial value, in accordance with the partnership process

Requirements

Benefits