Country Director, Burkina Faso
(Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso)

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we ensure every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

We are currently seeking a Country Director (CD) in Burkina Faso to represent Helen Keller, develop new programs, expand our programming and scale, and lead the country office and its programs in a manner that reflects our mission and values and ensures technical excellence in the delivery of all activities.

The CD provides strategic leadership and develops action plans that further Helen Keller’s mission and are locally appropriate in the Burkina Faso context. They have overall responsibility for ensuring technical and operational excellence in the delivery of all activities in the country office portfolio to achieve the objectives established in grants and strategic plans and actively working to expand funding for activities in line with Helen Keller’s mission and local needs.

This is a local recruitment for Burkina Faso nationals only. The position is based in Ouagadougou and requires regular travel to project sites.

Country Program Overview

Helen Keller Intl has been working in Burkina Faso since 1989. Helen Keller Burkina has had a major role in a range of public health and nutrition programs. For example, we are a key partner in vitamin A supplementation, significantly reducing vitamin A deficiency and child mortality. Between 2020 and 2025, Helen Keller supported the government’s biannual mass administration of azithromycin for children aged 1–11 months in three regions. We will now support Burkina Faso in scaling up this program for children aged 1–59 months over three years in six regions.

We are also a key actor in strengthening the regulation of the marketing of complementary foods for infants and young children. We have provided support in the battle against Neglected Tropical Diseases in Burkina Faso and are exploring funding opportunities to continue this support.

We also implement projects that contribute to improving food systems with a goal to increase the availability and accessibility of nutrient-rich foods as well as household incomes. We work with other key stakeholders, including national government ministries, research institutes, NGOs, and communities. Helen Keller Burkina works nationwide with about 50 staff and an annual operating budget of approximately $4.9 million. Our program in Burkina Faso is funded by various donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and GiveWell.

Functional Relationships

The CD reports directly to the Zonal Director for the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) and leads the Country Management Team (CMT). They directly supervise a team of professional-level staff, work closely with colleagues at all levels of Helen Keller’s global management structure, and may be called upon to participate in global working groups or steering committees.

Within the management structure, the CD holds primary accountability for country-level strategy, operations, partnerships, and performance. The role directly supervises a team of professional-level staff across key functions including program delivery, finance, operations, people and culture, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning—ensuring that the Minimum Viable Structure is in place and high-functioning in each country.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Representation

Provide strategic vision and direction for overall program design, implementation, and proposal development ; work closely with the country team to accomplish the strategic goals.

Lead and oversee all aspects of the implementation of country programs and management of the country office.

Represent Helen Keller in meetings with government officials, donors, and partners.

Advocate for enabling policy environments and systemic change in support of Helen Keller’s mission.

Identify and drive opportunities for growth, innovation, and impact.

Lead proposal development and strategic positioning efforts.

Serve as a thought leader and organizational ambassador.

Contribute to cross-country collaboration and peer learning.

Programmatic Development and Management

Oversee program portfolio to ensure quality, accountability, and capacity building.

Provide technical input to partners and advisory groups.

Promote adaptive management through robust MEL systems.

Integrate safeguarding measures at all program levels.

Supervise research activities and support evidence-based policy development.

Maintain communication with national partners and donors.

Operations and Finance Management

Oversee financial management, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance.

Ensure robust procurement, logistics, and administrative systems.

Implement risk management frameworks and internal controls.

Monitor organizational performance through dashboards and KPIs.

Human Resources and Team Leadership

Lead, mentor, and support the Country Management Team.

Ensure fair recruitment and performance management.

Promote an inclusive, high-performing culture rooted in Helen Keller’s core values.

Foster leadership pathways and succession planning.

Security, Risk, and Compliance Management

Maintain awareness of the security and political context.

Ensure risk assessment, contingency planning, and staff safety.

Ensure full compliance with policies, laws, and donor regulations.

Required Qualifications and Competencies

Minimum 10 years of field experience in public health and/or nutrition programs with a Master’s degree or equivalent.

Proven experience in program management, operations, and financial oversight.

Demonstrated success in strategic planning, donor relations, and proposal writing.

Experience working in Burkina Faso with ministries, NGOs, and donors.

Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Proficiency in English and strong computer literacy.

Ability to travel within Burkina Faso and occasionally abroad.

Fairness, Belonging and Zero Tolerance to Abuse

Helen Keller Intl fosters a work environment that welcomes diversity, inclusion, and respect. All employees are expected to promote fairness, prevent abuse or harassment, and uphold the organization’s Code of Conduct and Core Values.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to hki.recruitment@hki.org

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Helen Keller Intl is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fairness, belonging, and equal employment opportunities for all.