ABOUT FONGIH
The Humanitarian International NGO Forum in Burkina Faso – FONGIH – is a member-led coordination platform comprising approximately 60 international non-governmental organizations working to address the humanitarian and protection needs of crisis-affected individuals, families and communities across Burkina Faso.
FONGIH provides its members with a collective platform through which they can:
- identify and analyze strategic and operational issues of common concern;
- coordinate collective positions and action;
- engage consistently and constructively with external stakeholders;
- strengthen the participation and influence of international NGOs within humanitarian decision-making structures;
- share timely information, analysis, experience and good practice; and
- promote principled, accountable, inclusive and effective humanitarian action.
FONGIH is governed by a Charter and related governance statutes. Its governance structure comprises an elected Executive Committee, a plenary membership body and thematic or technical working groups.
Burkina Faso is experiencing a complex and protracted humanitarian crisis characterized by significant humanitarian needs, displacement, insecurity, access constraints, pressure on humanitarian operating space and a rapidly evolving institutional and regulatory environment.
In this context, strong collective NGO coordination and representation are essential. FONGIH must be able to support its members in navigating operational challenges, promoting principled humanitarian action, influencing humanitarian policy and ensuring that NGO perspectives are meaningfully reflected in national, regional and global decision-making processes.
FONGIH is hosted administratively by Action contre la Faim. The hosting arrangement supports the Forum’s administrative and operational functioning while preserving its member-led governance and accountability to the FONGIH Executive Committee and wider membership.
MISSION
The Director provides strategic leadership, coordination, representation and overall management of FONGIH.
The postholder is responsible for ensuring that FONGIH remains a credible, inclusive, responsive and well-managed member-led platform that delivers clear value to its members and contributes to a coherent, principled and effective humanitarian response in Burkina Faso.
The Director serves as the Forum’s principal convenor, facilitator and external representative. The postholder provides strategic and policy advice to the Executive Committee, facilitates collective decision-making among members and ensures effective representation of agreed NGO positions within the Humanitarian Country Team and other senior humanitarian, diplomatic and policy forums.
The Director is also responsible for strengthening FONGIH’s institutional sustainability, visibility and influence; overseeing the Forum’s advocacy, coordination and analytical functions; and maintaining high-quality relationships with government authorities, United Nations agencies, donors, diplomatic missions, national civil society, regional NGO platforms and other relevant stakeholders.
The Director provides strategic oversight of FONGIH’s advocacy and communications functions and directly supervises the Advocacy and Communications Manager. The Director ensures that advocacy, public positioning, media engagement and communications activities are aligned with member-agreed priorities, informed by sound political and operational analysis, and implemented in a manner that protects the credibility, independence and operating space of FONGIH and its members.
PROFILE
Essential qualifications and experience
- Postgraduate degree in humanitarian affairs, international development, international relations, public policy, political science, law or another relevant discipline. Substantial equivalent professional experience may be considered.
- At least ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian, development or fragile-context operations.
- At least four years of experience in a senior leadership, coordination, representation or country-management role.
- Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating an NGO forum, consortium, coalition, network or other multi-agency platform. Direct experience managing a member-led NGO coordination mechanism is strongly preferred.
- Strong knowledge of humanitarian operations, humanitarian principles, international humanitarian coordination architecture and Inter-Agency Standing Committee mechanisms.
- Demonstrated experience representing NGOs in senior coordination and decision-making forums, including engagement with Humanitarian Country Teams, inter-sector or inter-cluster mechanisms, governments, donors, diplomatic actors, United Nations agencies and civil society.
- Proven experience developing and implementing humanitarian advocacy, policy-influencing or strategic-communications initiatives.
- Demonstrated experience supervising advocacy, policy or communications personnel and providing strategic direction to multidisciplinary teams.
- Proven experience developing and overseeing integrated advocacy and communications strategies.
- Experience managing sensitive public communications, reputational risks, media engagement and senior-level external messaging.
- Strong editorial judgment and demonstrated ability to review and improve policy, advocacy and communications products for senior audiences.
- Experience establishing approval, quality-assurance and risk-management processes for public statements and external communications.
- Ability to translate complex humanitarian, political and operational issues into clear, accessible and influential messages for different audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to facilitate consensus and collective action among organizations with different mandates, capacities, priorities and risk appetites.
- Strong experience analyzing complex political, humanitarian, security, regulatory and operational environments.
- Experience developing high-quality policy briefs, advocacy notes, analytical reports and senior-level briefing materials.
- Proven ability to build and maintain strategic relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders.
- Experience in resource mobilization, donor engagement, proposal development, budget oversight and financial management.
- Demonstrated staff-management experience, including supervision, coaching and performance management.
- Excellent written and spoken French.
- Strong professional proficiency in written and spoken English.
- High level of political awareness, diplomacy, discretion and sound judgment.
- Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and deliver results in a complex and rapidly changing environment.
- Strong commitment to humanitarian principles, accountability, inclusion, safeguarding and ethical conduct.
Desirable qualifications and experience
- Previous professional experience in the Sahel or West and Central Africa.
- Established understanding of the political, humanitarian, security and regulatory environment in Burkina Faso.
- Experience supporting humanitarian access negotiations or collective engagement on operational constraints.
- Experience working with regional or global NGO networks.
- Experience engaging with national NGO platforms and advancing localization or equitable-partnership initiatives.
- Experience leading organizational strategy-development or governance-review processes.
- Experience managing a small Secretariat or coordination team.
- Experience engaging with national and international media.
- Familiarity with communications approaches designed to address misinformation, disinformation, reputational threats or negative public narratives concerning humanitarian organizations.
- Experience measuring the reach, influence and outcomes of advocacy and communications initiatives.
- Familiarity with French-speaking government and diplomatic environments.
- Experience managing digital communications, institutional websites, social-media channels or public-information campaigns would be an asset.
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
- Fixed term contract under French legislation: 11 months from 1st august 2026 to 30 june 2027
- Monthly gross salary from 3572 to 4128€ upon experience, including 13th month
- Reimbursement of the pension insurance for non-French citizens: 16% of the gross monthly salary
- Annual salary increase: 6% increase after and each 12 months of continuous contract
- Monthly per diem and living allowance: 563€ net, field paid
- Monthly country allowance: 300€
- Child allowance: 1500€ per year per child present in the country of origin (maximum 6000€/year)
- Transportation : Coverage of transportation costs
- Accommodation : monthly allowance 350 000 FCFA
- Provision : private car
- Medical coverage: ACF covers 100% of the health and repatriation insurance agreement fees, for your medical expenses (as well as your dependents if you have a family post), and up to 1 month after the end of your contract.
- Salary sustainment measures (sickness, paternity, maternity)
- Leaves and RnR: 25 days of paid leaves per year, 20 RnR per year, airfare reimbursement with a ceiling to get to the chosen break destination, and 215 € for each RnR period
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV and cover letter: [email protected]
More Information
- Job City Burkina Faso
