Recruitment & Volunteering

Head of Middle East and North Africa

 Front Line Defenders are recruiting a Head of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to join our team. This is a permanent role based in the region reporting to the Director of Global Protection.

Overview

The Regional Team leads Front Line Defenders’ work in the Region, with responsibility for defining priorities, directing organisational protection responses, and ensuring that resources are deployed where they have the greatest impact for human rights defenders (HRDs). Grounded in sustained engagement with HRDs and regional ecosystems, the team determines where the organisation acts, who and how it supports, and how it responds to evolving risks. The Regional Team plays a central role in shaping organisational direction by ensuring that strategies, approaches and interventions are driven by regional priorities, while contributing directly to global strategy and positioning.

The Head of Region leads the Regional Protection Team and is responsible for setting the strategic direction, priorities, and protection responses of Front Line Defenders within the region. The role ensures that the organisation’s work is grounded in the realities, needs, and priorities of human rights defenders, with resources directed where they can make the greatest impact. They play a crucial role in aligning regional priorities with organisational strategy by translating contextual insights into organisational priorities and actively shaping global strategy and positioning. Working closely with various Heads of Programmes, the Head of Region/Protection ensures that all organisational programmes are aligned with and responsive to regional priorities. The role also assumes overall management and operational responsibility for the regional team, ensuring the coordinated, effective, and secure delivery of work across various contexts. This includes oversight of implementation of workplans, risk management, operations, cross-team coordination, and leadership of a geographically dispersed team.

Background

Front Line Defenders is an international organisation based in Ireland that works exclusively for the protection of human rights defenders at risk. Human rights defenders are people who are persecuted because of their peaceful work for the rights of others. Front Line Defenders provides practical help through protection grants, physical and digital protection training, lobbying, advocacy and campaigning.

Role responsibilities

Key duties include:

• Nurture an inclusive, values-driven, supportive team culture with a focus on delivering impact for human rights defenders in line with the organisation’s vision, values and mission.
• Lead the regional team to develop, monitor, and implement work plans to ensure the delivery of regional strategies. The Head of Region will provide spaces for learning, analysis and strategic planing, as well as convene and chair regular meetings for team coordination and collaboration in the implementation of work plans.
• Work with the regional team across the different areas of response to HRDs, sustaining core workflows while leading initiatives to optimize underperforming processes.
• Support Protection Coordinators’ to spearhead the identification of emerging trends and regional strategic prioritisation, amplifying their voice to inform organisational strategy, and set priorities for coordination with programmes (Resilience and Well being, Protection Grants, Advocacy, Development, Comms&Events, ME).
• In cooperation with the Operations team, contribute to organisational operations systems, procedures and policies to support the efficient functioning of the organisation in their region.
• In close cooperation with respective team members, assess key financial, legal, operational and reputation issues and risks involving the staff and FLD work in the region, and feed into organisation risk management systems.
• Foster healthy behaviour at work, ensuring regular check-ins with staff, spotting early warning signs of stress and burnout, making supportive adjustments at work, and nurturing positive relationships.
• Contributing to active risk management to identify, analyse and mitigate against risks that may impact staff and the delivery of programmes.
• Supporting FLD to be a learning organisation, which continually measures, evaluates, reviews and learns in order to improve and enhance our delivery and responsiveness to HRD’s by anticipating, identifying and solving problems and that we share learning to ensure continuous improvements across teams.
• Plan, manage and monitor the regional annual budget, ensuring strong financial stewardship and effective delivery within agreed parameters.
• Maintain and develop relationships with key partners, supporters, funders, and potential funders. 

For further information, please view:

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/sites/default/files/head_of_mena_jd_fd.pdf 

Salary & Benefits

• €73,327 - €91,382 per annum
• 26 annual leave days
• Pension
• Paid Health Insurance
• Income Protection & Life Assurance
• Employee Assistance Scheme (EAP)
• Monthly Well-Being Provisions

Requirements

Interested applicants must have:

• Considerable knowledge and understanding of international human rights work, including the role and holistic protection needs of human rights defenders.
• Strong understanding of the political and human rights contexts across the MENA region.
• Excellent political judgment, including the ability to make strategic choices based on sound analysis of potential costs and benefits.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify and resolve potential issues before they arise.
• Sound decision making, particularly in high-pressure and high-risk situations.
• High level of competence in English and Arabic,.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills, including the ability to clearly and concisely communicate ideas.
• Strong drafting, editing, and proofreading skills with the ability to produce clear and accurate documents efficiently.
• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with colleagues across the organisation, as well as with HRDs, NGOs, and government / institution officials.
• Ability to supervise, mentor, and provide guidance to a diverse team, while contributing effectively within multi-level team environments.
• Lead by example to motivate staff and ensure the values and culture of the organisation are maintained.
• Demonstrates personal leadership, initiative and pro-activity.
• Capacity to plan, prioritise and manage multiple, sometimes competing demands efficiently in a challenging, fast-paced environment.
• Strong organisational skills including an ability to prioritise initiatives across several countries in multiple time zones.
• Basic skills for budgeting management.
• At least 10 years’ experience working at a senior level in a human rights organisation, or equivalent experience in a similar organisation in a leadership role.
• Experience of working in an international context in the protection of human rights and/or human rights defenders, ideally within an international or regional human rights organisation.
• Significant management experience in a relevant field, people management, staff well-being, strategic planning, and evaluation.
• Experience of building and working effectively with teams of people from diverse professional and/or cultural backgrounds, including managing remote staff and working across multiple time zones.
• Experience of managing budgets and delivering organisational objectives, including fundraising experience.
• Experience of driving innovation and developing programming in a relevant field.
• Documented experience working with human rights defenders and/or human rights organisations.

Closing Date

Applicants must submit their applications (CV & cover letter) by 5pm (local Irish time) on Monday, 3rd August 2026 via the ‘Apply Now’ button as per FLD vacancies page: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/recruitment-volunteering 

Head of Strategy

Front Line Defenders are recruiting a Head of Strategy to join our team. This is a permanent role based in Dublin reporting to the Deputy CEO.

Overview
The purpose of Strategy, Programme Support and Quality team is to ensure the organisation’s strategies, approaches and interventions are coherent, impactful and effective. The team will lead the development, and oversee the implementation of our organisational Strategic Plan, while also supporting the development and alignment of regional and programmatic strategies. The team will work across the organisation to strengthen the quality, coherence and effectiveness of holistic protection programming through quality assurance, learning and innovation, and staff development. It also leads the organisation's research function with the development of reports and other relevant publications.

The Head of Strategy is responsible for leading the development, implementation and oversight of the organisation's Strategic Plan, ensuring that strategic priorities are translated into organisational action and that strategic progress is tracked and that the plan is revised when required. It also supports the development and alignment of regional and programmatic strategies. The Head of Strategy leads the Strategy, Programme Quality and Support Team, providing strategic direction, line management and support to the Senior Programme Quality and Support Leads and the HRD Researcher, ensuring the team has the capacity, coordination and resources required to deliver its objectives. The role also promotes collaboration across teams to strengthen organisational coherence, programme quality, learning and innovation.

Background
Front Line Defenders is an international organisation based in Ireland that works exclusively for the protection of human rights defenders at risk. Human rights defenders are people who are persecuted because of their peaceful work for the rights of others. Front Line Defenders provides practical help through protection grants, physical and digital protection training, lobbying, advocacy and campaigning.

Role responsibilities
Key duties include:

• Nurture an inclusive, values-driven, supportive team culture with a focus on delivering impact for human rights defenders in line with the organisation’s vision, values and mission.
• Lead the Strategy, Programme Quality and Support team to develop, monitor, and implement the teams work plans and ensure the delivery of the teams objectives.
• Lead the development and oversight of the organisational Strategic Plan, including the vision, mission, short and long term goals, and organisational theory of change.
• Ensure relevant stakeholders in the Strategic Plan (HRDs, Board, staff, ELT etc.) are appropriately engaged in the design, delivery and review.
• Monitor and support the implementation of the Strategic Plan, through contributing to regular reflection/evaluations/reviews, and the development and updating of an organisational scorecard for ELT.
• Lead the development of organisational process maps to ensure the delivery of the various organisation programmes and initiatives, and clarify workflows and roles, responsibilities, and accountability.
• Lead the development and implementation of the organisation’s strategic research agenda, ensuring research priorities reflect emerging protection trends, regional priorities and organisational strategic objectives.
• Identify opportunities for global and thematic pieces together with Global protection.
• Direct the production and continued development of the annual Global Analysis, quarterly briefings and other reports with the aim of establishing FLD as the key source for up to date information on trends and responses relating to HRDs at risk.
• Coordinate closely with the MERL team in the design, review and delivery of monitoring and evaluation structures, processes and frameworks, and ensure all Strategy is coherent and aligned to the organisation MERL agenda.

For further information, please view:
https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/sites/default/files/head_of_strategy_v5_july_2026.pdf 

Salary & Benefits

• €73,327 - €91,382 per annum
• 26 annual leave days
• Pension
• Paid Health Insurance
• Income Protection & Life Assurance
• Employee Assistance Scheme (EAP)
• Monthly Well-Being Provisions

Requirements
Interested applicants must have:

• Considerable knowledge and understanding of international human rights work, including the role and holistic protection needs of human rights defenders.
• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of the political and human rights contexts across their specific geographic region.
• Excellent political judgment, including the ability to make strategic choices based on sound analysis of potential costs and benefits.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify and resolve potential issues before they arise.
• High level of competence in English, along with a second language.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills, including the ability to clearly and concisely communicate ideas.
• Strong drafting, editing, and proofreading skills with the ability to produce clear and accurate documents efficiently.
• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with colleagues across the organisation, as well as with HRDs, NGOs, and government / institution officials.
• Ability to supervise, mentor, and provide guidance to a diverse team, while contributing effectively within multi-level team environments.
• Capacity to plan, prioritise and manage multiple, sometimes competing demands efficiently in a challenging, fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility in time, scheduling, travel and supporting other staff, both from the same team and on other teams.
• Basic skills for budgeting management.
• At least 10 years’ experience working at a senior level in the protection of human rights defenders, or equivalent experience in a human-rights based organisation in a leadership role.
• Experience of developing organisation strategy, including Strategic Planning.
• Experience of managing and delivering research projects.
• Experience of building and working effectively with teams of people from diverse professional and/or cultural backgrounds, including managing remote staff and working across multiple time zones.
• Experience of driving innovation and developing programming in a relevant field.
• Documented experience working with human rights defenders and/or human rights organisations.

Closing Date
Applicants must submit their applications (CV & cover letter) by 4pm (local Irish time) on Thursday, 23rd July 2026 via the ‘Apply Now’ button as per FLD vacancies page: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/recruitment-volunteering. It is anticipated first round interviews will be held on 7th August 2026.