Location: Nairobi, Geneva or Brussels. Availability: as soon as possible. Contract: 2-year fixed-term, renewable. The role involves frequent travel (about once a month) across the region, including DRC, Rwanda, and Europe or North America.
HD's operations in francophone Africa form a broad programme of prevention, management and resolution of armed, intercommunal and agro-pastoral conflicts in the Sahel, coastal countries, Central Africa and the Great Lakes. HD also mediates humanitarian access for vaccination campaigns in conflict zones. More than 80 staff operate from offices in Bamako, Niamey, Ouagadougou, Dakar, Bangui and N'Djamena, with regional leadership and coordination based in Geneva.
Reporting to the Regional Director, the Head of Mission Great Lakes provides strategic oversight and ensures operational coherence of HD's engagements in the region, including a multi-year contract supporting third-party facilitated peace processes (Track I) and national peace initiatives led by civil society actors (Track II).
Responsibilities:
1. Stakeholder engagement and representation: represent HD with mediators, donors and peace actors in the Great Lakes region and maintain multi-stakeholder professional networks.
2. Strategic leadership and programme management: design, steer and monitor HD's support to conflict resolution, manage multi-million euro budgets and define the regional resource mobilisation strategy.
3. Risk and security management: adapt security rules, obtain the guarantees needed for activities and anticipate context changes through contingency plans.
4. Team leadership and coordination: supervise the project team (1 PA, 1 PO, consultants) and coordinate part-time thematic experts.
Requirements:
- Master's degree or equivalent in social sciences, international law, political science or another field related to conflict management and peacekeeping
- Significant experience as a country or regional director (experience managing European contracts is an asset) and at least 10 years of relevant conflict mediation experience
- In-depth knowledge of the region's political and security dynamics and ability to develop innovative approaches to a complex, evolving peace process
- Strong analytical skills
- Full professional proficiency in English and French (spoken and written)
- Strategic mindset, able to design innovative approaches while identifying risks and mitigation measures
- Natural team spirit and sense of compromise, able to work autonomously and collaboratively
- Strong sense of confidentiality and HD's professional and ethical standards
HD promotes equal employment opportunities.
Applications close: 20 October, 2026
HOW TO APPLY:
Send a complete application (CV maximum 2 pages + cover letter) to HRAfricaFR@hdcentre.org before 20 October 2026, indicating the job title in the subject line of your message. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
https://hdcentre.org/careers/head-of-mission-great-lakes/