Cluster Director – South America | Plan International

About Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children's rights and equality for girls. For more than 85 years, Plan International has worked with children, young people, communities, partners and supporters to address the root causes of poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination and is active in more than 80 countries.

The Opportunity

Consultoría Aplicada, recruitment and selection partner of Plan International in Latin America and the Caribbean, is supporting the search for a Cluster Director – South America, based in Ecuador, Paraguay or Peru.

This is a senior organizational leadership role, not primarily a technical programme or project-management position.

The Cluster Director will provide strategic direction across the South America Cluster, lead and support Country Representatives, and ensure strong organizational performance across programmes, humanitarian response, Finance, People and Culture, Business Development, Security, Communications and other operational areas.

The role is accountable for helping Country Representatives succeed in delivering impactful, efficient and gender-transformative programmes, strengthening Plan International's dual development and humanitarian mandate, and ensuring that strategy, resources, people, risk and operating capacity remain aligned across the cluster.

Core Responsibilities

The Cluster Director will:

• Lead and support Country Representatives in the development and execution of ambitious, realistic Country Strategies.
• Hold country leadership accountable for organizational performance, programme impact, financial management and compliance.
• Lead the Cluster Management Team and ensure functional leaders effectively support Country Offices.
• Provide strategic oversight across development and humanitarian programming, including preparedness and emergency response.
• Lead organizational change and strengthen an inclusive, accountable and high-performing culture.
• Oversee cluster-level planning, budgets, resource allocation, support-cost recovery, risk and operational performance.
• Drive business development, resource mobilization and long-term financial sustainability across the cluster.
• Strengthen relationships with institutional and philanthropic donors, governments, UN agencies, National Organisations, peer INGOs and consortia.
• Represent Plan International with senior government officials, donors, civil society, media and regional stakeholders.
• Ensure safeguarding, security, gender equality and inclusion are embedded throughout strategies and operations.
• Facilitate multi-country programming and organizational learning where regional or cross-border approaches add value.

These responsibilities reflect the role's explicit accountability for strategy, Country Representatives, humanitarian scale-up, cluster resources, BD, risk, budgets and senior external representation.

Who We Are Looking For

We are particularly interested in candidates who have already held substantial leadership responsibilities at country, regional or multi-country level within international development, humanitarian action, an INGO, UN agency or a closely comparable international organization.

Strong candidates are likely to have held roles such as:

Country Director | Country Representative | Deputy Country Director / Representative | Regional Director | Multi-Country Director | Humanitarian Director | Regional Programme Director | Regional Operations Director | other senior organizational leadership roles

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Progressive senior leadership experience in international development and/or humanitarian environments.
• Experience providing strategic direction across countries, Country Offices or major organizational portfolios.
• Experience leading senior, multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams.
• Accountability extending beyond a single project, technical programme or functional area.
• Strong knowledge of development programming and humanitarian action.
• Understanding of child rights, gender equality and the promotion of girls' rights.
• Experience with humanitarian coordination, emergency preparedness and complex or crisis-affected environments.
• Strong financial and organizational management capability.
• Experience with institutional donors, compliance, resource mobilization and business development.
• High-level government, donor, UN, civil-society and partner engagement.
• Strong diplomatic, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Spanish.

Important Profile Clarification

Given the scope and seniority of this position, experience limited primarily to individual project management, technical advisory work, sustainability/ESG, consulting, or a single functional specialization without broader organizational accountability is unlikely to meet the requirements of the role.

Essential Conditions

• Candidates must already have legal authorization to work in Ecuador, Paraguay or Peru, depending on the country from which they apply.
• Full professional fluency in English and Spanish is required.
• Approximately 50% regional travel is expected.
• Relevant university degree required.

Values and Safeguarding

Plan International is committed to children's rights, gender equality, safeguarding, inclusion and accountable leadership. The Cluster Director is expected to model values-based leadership underpinned by feminist and anti-racism principles and to ensure that safeguarding and gender equality are embedded across the cluster.

Fluent in English & Spanish