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Country manager - Sri Lanka
Fixed term contract for three years
Salary: £24,467- £27,641 net pa plus benefits
Based: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Internally displaced civilians. Desperate communities. Long-running civil war. Climate change. Fragile livelihoods. You don’t need to be an expert to see that Sri Lanka desperately needs help. But you do need to be an expert to make change happen. Manage our country programme for Sri Lanka in its entirety and make change happen with Christian Aid.


You don’t often get the chance to have an impact on this scale. Whether you’re dealing with the larger country context or individual staff members, you’ll manage every aspect of our work in Sri Lanka within a culture of accountability, clear purpose and unfaltering commitment. You’ll take the lead on a wide range of humanitarian and long-term development programmes including relief assistance and refugee protection, while acting as Christian Aid’s most visible representative for the country.

From shaping strategy and policy to more hands-on tasks like budget management and empowering Christian Aid staff, you will answer the call of communities right the way across Sri Lanka. What’s more, you will know that major change always comes as part of a team, so you’ll enlist the support of sister agencies and regional institutions to make sure every change we make is as permanent as it is perceptive.

With responsibility and pressure to succeed in equal measure, it’s essential you are the sort of person people listen to. A bachelor degree in social development or management studies would help, but it’s not all we want. You’ll need considerable experience in senior leadership, expertise in conflict resolution and knowledge of policy development, along with more general skills such as relationship building and cultural sensitivity. Add experience in emergency humanitarian contexts, plus a background working with an aid organisation in South Asia, and you’ll be absolutely invaluable, not just to Christian Aid, but to the people of Sri Lanka.

The successful candidate will be subject to the rules and regulations governing individuals working within Sri Lanka. Any offer will be subject to the candidate receiving the work permit for Sri Lanka. The contract will be terminable on notice at any time, and it is unlikely that the contract will exceed three years in length.

More than half the world lives in poverty. We aim to put a stop to that. So we campaign against the inequalities that keep people poor and we work with local organisations to give people strength to find their own solutions to the problems they face, irrespective of their religion. If you’re as determined as we are to end poverty and injustice across the world, work with us to make change happen.

At Christian Aid we are committed to ensuring diversity and equal representation within our organisation and strongly welcome applications from candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds and under-represented groups.

We value the input of everyone who works for us. You can expect a wide range of rewards including a generous holiday allowance and the flexibility that helps you enjoy a good work/life balance.

To apply for this post, please download an application form from our website: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/ and email your completed form to: recruitment@christian-aid.org

Please note CVs will not be accepted.

Job reference: 1803/EC
Closing date for applications: 12 noon, Monday 16 March 2009
Interview date: tbc. There will be two rounds of interviews.