Country Director
Organization: Mercy Ships
Closing date: 30 Sep 2026
Compensation range for this position is $85,000 to $ 90,000. This is a full-time, 1 year - fixed term position that requires domestic and international travel. The range listed is for U.S. hires only. Actual compensation may vary dependent upon location of hire.
Mercy Ships is an international faith-based organization that partners with African nations to strengthen surgical and healthcare systems to improve access to safe, timely and affordable care. Through hospital ships, long-term partnerships, training, health systems strengthening and other programmatic activities, Mercy Ships works alongside governments and healthcare partners to support sustainable impact.
Job Summary and Overview
Mercy Ships is seeking an experienced and highly capable Country Director to provide strategic leadership for its work in Senegal. The Country Director is Mercy Ships’ senior representative in the country and is responsible for government and partner relationships, country strategy, programmatic oversight, leadership of the in-country team, financial stewardship and organizational compliance.
This is a broad leadership role requiring an experienced generalist who can understand the national context, build and maintain strong networks across government, healthcare, diplomatic, development and other sectors, and connect the right people and opportunities to advance Mercy Ships’ work.
The successful candidate will be a strong and credible leader who can represent Mercy Ships at senior government level, lead a diverse team and oversee delivery of the country strategy. The Country Director will also play an important role in preparing the country for future hospital ship visits, supporting the specialist teams responsible for field service preparation and helping them navigate government processes, partner relationships and the national context.
The Country Director will be supported by regional and central specialist teams but will retain overall accountability for country-level decisions, performance, budgets and delivery.
How You Will Contribute
As the Country Director you will:
• Lead the development, implementation and review of Mercy Ships' country strategy, ensuring alignment with national health priorities and Mercy Ships' program strategy.
• Represent Mercy Ships with government ministries, senior officials, diplomatic representatives, healthcare institutions, professional bodies, donors and other strategic partners.
• Lead the in-country team and ensure effective coordination across programmatic, operational, financial and administrative functions.
• Oversee the planning, prioritization and implementation of Mercy Ships' country programs and partnerships as well as with specialized teams, facilitating ship field services.
• Hold accountability for the country budget, financial performance, resource allocation and responsible stewardship of organizational and donor funds.
• Ensure that monitoring, evaluation and learning inform program delivery and country-level decision making.
• Maintain Mercy Ships' legal registration, government agreements, licenses, permissions and other regulatory requirements.
• Maintain strategic relationships and organizational readiness.
• Monitor, manage and report on political, security, health, economic and regulatory developments and risk that may affect Mercy Ships' activities.
• Work with Communications, Marketing and Fundraising teams to support country communications, donor engagement, proposals, reporting and appropriate representation of Mercy Ships’ impact.
• Work with central specialist teams, including Finance, People and Culture, Security, Legal and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, while retaining overall accountability for country delivery.
• Promote the spiritual life, wellbeing and professional development of the in-country team, fostering a healthy, supportive and mission-aligned working environment
Ideal Candidate:
We are looking for a mature, credible and experienced leader who is comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels. The successful candidate will be able to build trust with government and partners, make sound decisions in a complex environment and lead a multicultural and multidisciplinary team.
The candidate should demonstrate:
• Strong senior leadership experience within an international NGO, development, healthcare or nonprofit environment.
• Proven experience managing complex programs, budgets, teams and external relationships.
• The confidence and judgement to represent an international organization at senior government and diplomatic level.
• Strong strategic planning, program management and financial management skills.
• Excellent relationship-building, negotiation, communication and public-speaking abilities.
• A strong understanding of international development and the operating environment of international organizations.
• The ability to understand national context and adapt strategy and programming accordingly.
• Experience leading multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.
• High levels of integrity, resilience, cultural sensitivity, discretion and accountability.
Education and/or Experience;
• Bachelor's or master's degree in international development, public health, business administration, international relations or a related field.
• Minimum 5 to 7 years of progressive leadership experience in an international NGO, development, healthcare or nonprofit environment.
• Proven experience managing complex programs, budgets, multidisciplinary teams and senior government relationships.
• Experience working in Africa and in health or health systems programming is preferred.
• Fluency in English and French is required.
• Willingness to live and work in the assigned country and travel as required.
• Alignment with Mercy Ships' mission, values, Statement of Faith and Code of Conduct.
• A demonstrated commitment to servant leadership and respectful engagement across cultures, organizations and communities.
How to apply
Submit your application via Mercy ships career site link below;
Country Director- SENEGAL | Dayforce Jobs
Apply Here: https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/mercyships/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/697