East Africa Director

 Job Title:  East Africa Director  

Organisation: Hope Health Action

Duty Station: Moyo, Uganda

Reports to: HHA International CEO; accountable to the HHA East Africa Board for strategy, performance, and appraisal

Direct Reports: Country Directors, Uganda and South Sudan

 

Role scope: Regional strategy, assurance, major international relationships, and transition to more autonomous country leadership

 

Contract: Fixed term

 

About Organisation:

HHA is a Christian charity inspired by the call of Jesus to love others as we wish to be loved. We believe every person has equal dignity and should be able to access the health and disability care they need. We work alongside local communities, national leaders, and partners to overcome injustice and build inclusive, resilient communities without discrimination.

 

Our vision. A world free from injustice, made up of inclusive, resilient communities that value the dignity and health of every person.

Our mission. To empower local communities to provide fair and equal access to life-saving health and disability care for the world’s most vulnerable.

Our values. We share hope. We pursue justice. We work with humility and love. We are passionate. We dare to dream.

 

An opportunity to shape what comes next. HHA is at an important and exciting point in its journey in East Africa. Our work in Uganda and South Sudan is changing lives, and we now want to deepen that impact: strengthening the foundations that make excellent work possible while looking ahead with courage, imagination and ambition. We are seeking a gifted East African leader who will bring people together, help talented national leaders thrive, open new doors, and shape the next chapter of HHA’s mission in the region.

 

 

Job Summary:   The East Africa Director will provide regional strategic leadership across HHA’s Uganda and South Sudan operations and leads the two Country Directors. The Director will coach and hold these leaders accountable; serve as the principal liaison with HHA International, including HHA UK, the Boards and major international donors; and be a trusted regional representative.

 

 

This is a transitional change-leadership role. Initially, the Director will help stabilize our operations that have seen significant growth in recent years. This will include strengthening processes and systems and mentoring and up skilling local leadership, particularly in project management and finance, whilst also providing hands-on support in selected finance, HR and operational matters. As capability grows, Country Directors will work more independently and the Director will step back from operations, focusing on regional strategy, assurance, major international relationships and growth.

 

 

 

Strategic outcomes

• Confident local leadership who progressively lead their country teams, operations, governance and partnerships with greater independence.
• Excellent, resilient country operations with stronger programme quality, MEAL, safeguarding, compliance, people leadership, financial control and management of material risk.
• Trusted relationships with government, donors, churches, UN and NGO partners, representative bodies and disability-led organizations.
• Sustainable growth, including a stronger regional funding pipeline and credible local resource- mobilization opportunities.
• A healthy Christian culture in which hope, justice, humility, love, passion, dignity, and service are visible in how people lead and work together.
• Following a period of strengthening existing operations, a clear, evidence-informed East Africa strategy that identifies where HHA can make its strongest distinctive contribution and pursue future growth.

 

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Regional direction and foresight

• Lead regional strategy and help Country Directors design country strategies aligned with HHA’s global mission; Country Directors own their implementation.
• Scan the regional environment for changing needs, policy shifts, funding trends, partnership possibilities and new approaches in health, rehabilitation, disability inclusion and community-based care.
• Translate insight into choices: where HHA should deepen, adapt, collaborate, scale, pilot or stop, supported by evidence, financial realism and an honest view of organizational capability.
• Build a balanced regional pipeline and ensure growth is purposeful, deliverable, and consistent with mission.
• Create practical forums for cross-country learning, innovation and the spread of effective practice.

 

 

Leadership of the East Africa senior team

• Build a purposeful, collaborative senior team across the Uganda and South Sudan Country Directors, including other senior members who report to Country Directors (Heads of Finance, HR, and Programmes, and Operations), with shared priorities and clear individual accountability.
• Set clear expectations and provide supervision, constructive challenge, coaching and performance review, with focused mentoring in project management and finance during transition.
• Strengthen strategic leadership, delegation, succession planning, organizational design and the performance of country and functional leadership teams.
• Support senior leaders through significant change and sensitive decisions while preserving their authority and accountability for their areas of responsibility.
• Create a culture in which leaders learn together, surface problems early, make courageous decisions and celebrate progress.
• During transition, provide direct support in selected finance, HR, and operational matters where capability, risk or performance requires it, then return ownership promptly.

 

 

Portfolio performance and assurance

• Work alongside the Country Directors to maintain an executive view of delivery, outcomes, grants, people, safeguarding, security, compliance, and financial sustainability.
• Review and assure country-team performance using concise, reliable information, assuring regional excellence against HHA International goals and requiring corrective action where needed.
• Hold the relevant country leaders accountable for sound budgets, forecasts, restricted-fund management, procurement, audit action and programme-finance alignment.
• Hold the Country Directors accountable for programme quality, effective MEAL, delivery standards, operational resilience and timely corrective action.
• Hold the Country Directors accountable for a healthy culture, effective people systems, senior talent, succession, and fair handling of sensitive people matters.
• Provide oversight of major grant start-up, delivery risk and close-out, ensuring donor obligations and quality commitments are met.
• Strengthen common standards and proportionate systems while respecting legitimate country differences and local governance responsibilities.
• Ensure material risks are escalated promptly to HHA International and relevant Boards, with clear ownership and response plans.

 

 

Partnerships and regional representation

• Be the senior regional face of HHA East Africa and cultivate high-trust relationships with regional and international stakeholders.
• Lead relationships with major international donors, HHA International and regional or international partners; Country Directors own government, national and operational country relationships.
• Connect Country Directors with international donors and HHA International, ensuring country priorities and evidence shape external engagement.
• Develop equitable partnerships, including with organizations led by people with disabilities, and ensure HHA contributes constructively to sector dialogue.

 

 

 

 

Income and organizational sustainability

• Work with HHA International’s development and fundraising team and country colleagues to shape a diversified regional income strategy.
• Build and steward donor relationships, improve the strategic quality of bids and ensure proposed programmes are relevant, fundable and operationally realistic.
• Progressively strengthen locally rooted income streams, including institutional funding, foundations, corporate and philanthropic partnerships, church networks and other appropriate sources.
• Ensure resource mobilization remains ethical, mission-aligned and supported by credible evidence, cost recovery, financial controls and delivery capacity.

 

 

Christian identity culture and safeguarding

• Model HHA’s Christian ethos in leadership, relationships and decision-making, and help leaders connect faith, mission and high professional standards.
• Communicate HHA’s Christian identity appropriately and confidently with staff, Boards, churches, partners, donors and public stakeholders.
• Nurture an inclusive culture of service, dignity, compassion and integrity in which people of all backgrounds are respected and able to contribute.
• Champion safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, duty of care, and meaningful participation by people with disabilities.
• Ensure serious concerns are handled promptly, confidentially, and in line with policy and legal requirements.

 

 

 

Role boundaries and delegated leadership

AreaRegional role and boundaryGovernance and complianceProvide regional assurance and Board-level confidence within country governance arrangements. Country Directors own in-country governance, routine compliance and action tracking.Finance and grantsSet expectations and assure sustainability and material financial or grant risk. During transition, provide hands-on support where needed; functional and country leaders progressively own controls, budgets and routine grant management.

 

 

Programmes and MEALSet regional portfolio direction and audit delivery against HHA International goals. Country Directors own country-strategy implementation; functional and country teams own design, delivery and monitoring.People and organizationLead direct-report performance and regional succession and culture. During transition, support selected HR operations; the Head of HR, Country Directors and line managers retain day-to-day people responsibilities.Fundraising and communicationsLead regional donor relationships, local resource mobilization and strategic bid challenge. HHA International and country teams retain proposal production and defined communications activity.Partnerships and external affairsSupport HHA International, major international donor and regional relationships. Country Directors own government, national and operational country relationships.

 

 

Decision making and escalation

The post holder works within country governance arrangements and HHA International policies. The CEO provides day-to-day line management. The HHA East Africa Board, comprising country-board representatives, provides additional accountability for strategy, performance and appraisal. Country Directors own country governance, strategy implementation, teams, budgets, and delivery and in­country partnerships. Functional Heads retain their professional accountabilities. The East Africa Director sets regional direction, assures performance and intervenes when transition needs, cross­country issues or material risk require it.

 

 

Measures of success

• Country strategies align with regional and international goals, with implementation owned by Country Directors.
• Country Directors demonstrate growing independence, including stronger project, financial, people and operational leadership.
• Boards and HHA International receive timely, decision-useful assurance; material risks and underperformance are addressed early.
• Programmes deliver credible health and disability outcomes with strong safeguarding, compliance and financial stewardship.
• HHA’s regional profile and strategic partnerships deepen, with country voices well represented in international relationships.
• The funding pipeline becomes more diversified and includes measurable progress toward locally generated income.

 

 

 

 

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

RequirementEvidence expectedStatus 

Academic

 

qualification

 Degree in any of the following field: International Development, Development Studies, Public Administration, Business Administration, Public Health, Social Sciences, Project  Management, and any other related field. Master’s and Postgraduate in any of the above field is an added advantageEssential

Senior

 

leadership

Typically 8 or more years in NGOs or international development, including substantial leadership as a Country Director, Deputy Country Director, Head of Programmes or Operations, or equivalent. Evidence of leading organizations through change.Essential Scale and complexity Experience overseeing multi-project, donor-funded work of broadly comparable complexity; ideally a portfolio of at least US$1 million annually, multiple restricted grants or donors, and 50 or more staff, or equivalent scope.Essential     Strategic visionDemonstrated ability to interpret external change, form a compelling direction, make disciplined portfolio choices and turn strategy into measurable organizational priorities.Essential Health and disability A genuine commitment to improving health, care, rehabilitation and disability inclusion, grounded in relevant professional, programme, lived or partnership experience.Essential     Programmes and grantsStrong command of project-cycle management, donor compliance, work planning, results, reporting, grant start-up and close-out, and programme-finance integration.Essential 

Financial

 

leadership

 Executive-level financial literacy, including the ability to interrogate budgets, forecasts, restricted funds, variances, procurement and audit matters and to hold leaders accountable.EssentialPeople and organisationA strong coach of senior leaders, with experience of performance management, organizational design, delegation, culture, succession and sensitive people matters.Essential 

External

 

credibility

 Credibility with donors, government, UN or INGO partners and Boards; a persuasive communicator and network-builder who can represent an organization at senior level.Essential

 

 

Income

 

development

Experience contributing to donor cultivation, business development or resource mobilization, with the potential to build locally rooted income streams over time.Essential

Regional

 

context

 Deep East African experience and the judgment to operate effectively across different political, cultural and institutional settings, including fragile or conflict-affected contexts.EssentialChristian ethos and valuesDemonstrable commitment and ability to uphold, model and sustain HHA’s Christian ethos, mission, vision and values, and to nurture an inclusive culture of service, dignity, compassion and integrity.EssentialUganda and South Sudan Strong knowledge and networks in Uganda and experience in, or substantial exposure to, South Sudan.DesirableLocalizationA Ugandan, South Sudan or East African leadership profile, supporting HHA’s commitment to leadership rooted in the region.Desirable

 

 

 

 

Leadership style and personal qualities

• Servant-hearted and purposeful, combining humility with the courage to set direction and make difficult choices.
• Calm and credible under pressure, with sound judgment in complex, ambiguous and fragile settings.
• High integrity, self-awareness and cultural intelligence; listens well and earns trust across differences.
• Adaptable change leader who can coach and provide hands-on support during transition, while building independence and clear accountability.
• Curious and future-facing, with the energy to build relationships, test ideas and turn opportunity into sustainable impact.
• Additional requirements
• Right to live and work in Uganda, or eligibility to secure the necessary permission.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly, including to South Sudan and other locations where security and infrastructure may be challenging, subject to HHA’s security protocols.
• Commitment to HHA’s code of conduct, safeguarding standards, anti-fraud and anti-corruption requirements, and responsible stewardship of resources.
• Appointment will be subject to satisfactory references and all role-appropriate safeguarding and background checks.

 

 

How HHA recruits

HHA seeks to appoint on merit and values the leadership, knowledge and relationships rooted in East Africa. We welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds who can fulfil the requirements of the role. HHA is committed to safeguarding and to reasonable adjustments that enable candidates with disabilities to participate fully in the  recruitment process.

 

 

 

How to Apply:

 

Handwritten applications should be addressed to; East Africa Human Resource Manager, Hope Health Action, New Hope Disability Centre, Health Centre III, Bidi-Bidi Base Camp, Zone 1, Uganda. Or online applications to: Company Email

 

with the requirements as below.

• Application Letter with a clear salary expectation
• A valid National ID or passport
• CV, copies of academic documents.
• Recommendation letter from (professional reference, faith, and a community leader).
• Valid work permit for non-Ugandans.

 

Deadline for receiving applications is on 16th October 2026 at 5:00pm East Africa Time (EAT). Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted