Director, Child Protection & Economic Empowerment

Main Purpose of the Role   

CIFF’s Africa strategy envisages an Africa where girls have the health, education, economic opportunity and agency to contribute to a thriving and self-determining Africa. To do so, the strategy takes an integrated portfolio approach that layers interventions, addresses root causes such as poverty and child marriage that prevent girls from completing school and accessing dignified jobs. The strategy also prioritises sustainability, execution excellence and localization.

The Director will lead the design and delivery of high impact, evidence-based strategies and plans that ensure CIFF Africa’s Girl Capital ambition is realized and delivers transformational and lasting change in Child Protection and Economic Empowerment. In addition, the role-holder will be required to mentor a team of Managers and Analysts, to develop their capacity in effectively managing programmes, deliver quality outputs, and furthering the broader aims and goals of the CIFF Africa strategy and priorities.

Contract Type and Employment Arrangement

This role will be offered on a two-year fixed-term contract. While the position will work closely with and support CIFF’s programmes, employment will be through an Employer of Record (EOR). Compensation and benefits will therefore be administered by the EOR rather than directly by CIFF.

Role’s Responsibilities   

• As a subject-matter expert in child protection/economic empowerment, provide up-to-date, professional advice to the Girl Capital Africa Senior Management Team on related issues, to support the development of strategies, policies and initiatives.
• Provide compelling, consistent and united leadership to ensure that CIFF’s investments in Malawi are strategically anchored, implemented with excellence and embedded withing government systems where possible for long-term sustainability.
• Develop and maintain excellent external relationships within the sector specialism, always acting as a corporate ambassador for CIFF, to help build the organisation’s reputation and profile as a professional, visionary and collaborative philanthropy.

Strategy & Planning  

• Lead CIFF’s strategic direction on the intersection between child protection and Economic Empowerment, with specific accountability for results achieved through the Ending Child Marriage investment.
• Champion the layering model – ensuring the same girls in the same geographies benefit from comprehensive services in SRHR, education, GBV prevention, WASH and nutrition.
• Build a pipeline of innovative, evidence-based and/or evidence-generating investments that further the aims and ambitions of Girl Capital Africa in transforming the design, delivery and support of girls’ agency in Malawi.
• Proactively seek investment opportunities that integrate Girl Capital with other CIFF Africa pillar priorities, in support of shared higher-level outcomes.
• Collaborate with broader CIFF teams to identify intersectional, sustainable approaches to delivering investments including but not limited to gender transformation and DEI.
• Take a leadership role in coordinating the Girl Capital annual business planning process, identifying short-, medium- and long-term ambitions, and distilling these into annual objectives, key results and investment pipelines.

Programme Development, Delivery & Performance  

• Drive quality execution of the ECM programme in Malawi ensuring strategic alignment and timely delivery of key outputs.
• Allocate and monitor achievement of individual and team performance targets including but not limited to, new investment design, programme management (forecasting accuracy and disbursements), investment performance, personal development and progression.
• Conduct regular reviews of programmes in delivery, to monitor compliance with agreed due diligence and risk management protocols, ensuring the interests and reputation of the Foundation are appropriately and proportionately protected.  Intervene to take corrective action where necessary.
• Ensure all programmes are underpinned by appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes and procedures, in accordance with organisation’s frameworks and guidance, to enable the development of rigorous evidence and analysis that supports CIFF’s advocacy, scaling-up and mainstreaming agendas, specifically within the area of Child Marriage.
• As a recognised subject-matter expert, provide casework advice, specialist guidance and mentoring support to colleagues (within and beyond the team) to deepen the skills, capability and professionalism of the organization in child protection and economic empowerment
• Seek out leverage and co-funding to support the scale up of successful programmes in collaboration with the Development Finance team.
• Identify and implement improved ways of working with partners in Malawi that increase operational effectiveness and efficiency.

Sector Knowledge and Profile-Building  

• Actively participate in and contribute to CIFF Africa field building, thought leadership and awareness raising, particularly in child protection and economic empowerment.
• Ensure that Girl Capital Africa’s Ending Child Marriage work is shaped by up-to-date insights and evidence by proactively maintaining extensive external networks with experts and opinion-formers within the sector and continent.
• Undertake or commission sector-relevant research and analysis to inform the effective development, delivery and evaluation of programmes and initiatives related to Child Marriage.

Stakeholder and Partner Management  

• Build and nurture strategic and mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders and partners including governments and line ministries, co-funders such as the World Bank, regional bodies to support the achievement of Africa Girl Capital as well as broader CIFF Africa goals.
• Advise and support more junior colleagues in identifying, negotiating with and managing appropriate programme partners (as required), to enable CIFF to maximise its philanthropic impact through effective collaboration.
• Proactively contribute to growing CIFF Africa’s strategic grantee and partner base with a view to growing the proportion of local grantees within the portfolio related to child protection and economic empowerment.

Leadership of the Team  

• Provide inspiring and motivational leadership that role models CIFF’s values and behaviours and empowers and enables staff to deliver excellence.
• As a member of the CIFF Africa Leadership Team: provide high level programmatic updates; participate in troubleshooting Africa-wide portfolio challenges; contribute to decision making on improved ways of working, staff welfare and boosting and maintaining morale

Skills & Experience 

• Recognised as a subject-matter expert in economic empowerment, livelihoods or child protection (as evidenced via publications and/or previous programme delivery) preferably with an extensive track record working in Malawi.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of the African context
• Detailed understanding of using cost-benefit and ROI methodologies and metrics to inform strategy and business planning
• Excellent leadership skills and proven ability to motivate, develop and hold to account a small- to medium-sized teams of professionals
• Ability to think critically and analytically to draw sound conclusions based on complex data.
• Proven success in building and maintaining strategic relationships and working in partnership; has highly developed influencing and negotiation skills, and effectively collaborates to deliver maximum impact
• Strong management skills with a background of leading, inspiring and empowering others, plus demonstrable experience of supporting workplace diversity.
• Proven track record of building and maintaining strategic relationships and working in partnership.
• Experience of identifying and delivering business process improvements.
• High-level of financial literacy.

Key Working Relationships

• CIFF Board and PIC members
• Other CIFF Africa pillar teams
• CIFF Global sector and support teams, including: SRHR, CEDO, India and Operations and Support teams such as Finance, Legal and HR.
• Global institutional partners/stakeholders, Funders, African Philanthropies
• National governments, regional bodies, and local NGO partners in priority geographies
• Research and academic institutions active within sector specialism

Management Dimensions 

• Responsibility for personal pipeline and delivery targets, in addition to those for direct reports
• Contributes to the effective performance of the sector’s whole portfolio

CIFF operates a hybrid working policy across our locations, meaning employees typically split their time between the office and working from home. Further details will be shared during the recruitment process.

This role offers a competitive salary and benefits package administered through our Employer of Record (EOR), aligned with local market standards.

While employment will be through the EOR, the successful candidate will work closely with CIFF teams and will benefit from a supportive, collaborative and mission-driven environment.

Full details of the compensation and benefits package will be shared with shortlisted candidates during the recruitment process.

Please submit your application on or before Tuesday, 24 March 2026. CIFF reserves the right to close the job advert early should we receive a high number of suitable applications.

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