Do you possess a strong ability to build relationships, and can you effectively balance both development and management responsibilities? Are you ready to lead a team of dedicated employees in driving meaningful development work together with local partners? If so, Danmission invites you to apply for the position of Regional Director for East Africa, based in Zanzibar.

Danmission is a Danish faith-based organisation that promotes peace, justice, and sustainable development in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Denmark. We have regional offices in Tanzania, Cambodia, and Lebanon. Our headquarters is situated in Copenhagen, Denmark.

About Danmission in East Africa
Danmission has been working in Tanzania for almost 80 years, and in 2023 we established an office in Zanzibar. In the role as Regional Director you will oversee a dedicated team of 7 employees, ensuring effective collaboration with colleagues at our headquarters in Denmark and with other Regional Directors.  

Our core partners are often churches or faith-based organisations (Christian and non-Christian), but also secular community-based- and civil society organisations who are respectful of Christian and other faith practice, allowing for diverse and inclusive approaches to development.  Our work is anchored in two focus areas: Peace & Democracy and Climate & Nature. Our foundation is the role of faith and religion for the individual and in society.

In addition to our work in Tanzania, Danmission is now in the process of starting new pilot projects in Kenya and will prepare a country programme with a view to starting further projects from the beginning of 2026 in Kenya. The projects in Kenya will be supervised by programme staff from the office in Zanzibar.

As the new Regional Director, you will initially spend a period of time at Danmission's headquarters in Copenhagen, where you will be introduced to Danmission's work, approaches, strategies, and culture, as well as receive a thorough handover from our current Regional Director.

In the coming years, a key responsibility will be to consolidate and refine the strategic direction of the East Africa office, ensuring its robust operation and fostering strong cooperation with local partners. This includes focusing on sustaining the partners' ownership and enhancing their capacity to deliver tangible results and meaningful change.
The projects are implemented in collaboration with local partner organisations. The work is financed partly by Danmission's own funds and partly by grants from various donors, including a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Danida (SPA).  Additionally, securing further funding from the EU and other potential donors will be a key priority in the coming years.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Zanzibar office, ensuring efficient operations and strong team collaboration.
• Work closely with local partners to foster ownership and strengthen their capacity to implement impactful change.
• Collaborate with other Regional Directors and report to the headquarters in Denmark
• Ensure alignment with Danmission's strategies, culture, and approach to development.

What You Bring

• Significant experience in leading international development projects, including both technical and financial oversight
• Strong strategic thinking with a focus on long-term goals
• Proven leadership experience, ideally with a background in managing teams in cross-cultural environments
• As Regional Director a deep commitment to Danmission’s Christian foundation is essential
• Experience with Danish development cooperation and Danida is an advantage

Knowledge of Danish (or other Nordic languagues) will be a major advantage, both when it comes to understanding the culture, our constituency and various internal papers, memos etc.

We offer 
A 3-year contract with the possibility of extension. Start date: August 11, 2025. 

Contact and application
If you have questions about the position, you can contact Programme Director Martin Rosenkilde Pedersen, WhatsApp +45 2446 0958 or email mrp@danmission.dk. Upload your motivated application and your CV via the link below no later than 25 March 2025.

Applications sent by e-mail will not be considered.