Plan International – Cluster Director South America
Duty Station: Ecuador, Paraguay or Peru
Contract: Permanent local contract
Reports to: Regional Director
Travel: Approximately 50%
Languages: Fluent English and Spanish required
Work authorization: Candidates must already have legal authorization to work in the country from which they apply.
The Role
Plan International is seeking a highly experienced international development and humanitarian leader to serve as Cluster Director South America.
The Cluster Director is accountable for cluster performance across Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru and for enabling Country Representatives to deliver impactful, efficient and gender-transformative programmes.
This is a senior organizational leadership position, not primarily a technical programme-management role.
The successful candidate will lead across:
Country strategy | Development and humanitarian programming | People and Culture | Finance | Business Development | Risk | Security | Safeguarding | Communications | Resource Mobilization | External Representation
The Cluster Director will lead the Cluster Management Team, support and hold Country Representatives accountable for strategy and organizational performance, prioritize resources across countries, strengthen the humanitarian-development nexus, ensure financial and operational sustainability and represent Plan International with donors, governments, UN agencies, peer organizations and other senior stakeholders.
Candidate Profile
We are seeking candidates with substantial senior leadership experience at country, regional or multi-country level in international development and/or humanitarian action.
Particularly relevant backgrounds include current or former:
Country Directors, Country Representatives, Deputy Country Directors/Representatives, Regional Directors, Multi-Country Directors, Humanitarian Directors and other senior organizational leaders within INGOs, UN agencies or comparable international development institutions.
Successful candidates should demonstrate:
- Leadership of Country Offices, multiple countries or major organizational operations.
- Management and influence of senior leaders and geographically dispersed teams.
- Organizational accountability across strategy, programmes, people, budgets, risk and operational performance.
- Strong development and humanitarian experience, including emergency preparedness and response.
- Knowledge of child rights, girls' rights and gender-transformative development.
- Institutional donor management, resource mobilization and business-development experience.
- Financial-management and donor-compliance knowledge.
- Experience representing organizations with governments, UN agencies, donors, INGOs and civil society.
- Strong diplomacy, influencing and negotiation skills.
- Ability to lead organizational change in complex environments.
- Fluent English and Spanish.
Applicants whose experience is predominantly limited to technical project management, consulting, ESG/sustainability or a single functional discipline without broader country or organizational accountability are unlikely to meet the seniority requirements of this role.
Eligibility
Applicants must already have legal authorization to work in Ecuador, Paraguay or Peru.
Approximately 50% regional travel is required.
Commitment to Equality and Safeguarding
Plan International advances children's rights and equality for girls and expects the Cluster Director to model inclusive, values-based leadership and ensure safeguarding, gender equality and inclusion are embedded throughout strategy, programming and operations.