Response Director, Syria Response

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 33,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Here’s where you come in:

As the Response Director, Syria Response youwill lead and shape World Vision’s humanitarian and recovery response across Syria and Jordan, while maintaining strategic oversight of evolving opportunities in Türkiye. This pivotal role will drive a high-impact, well-resourced, and innovative response in a highly dynamic humanitarian context—ensuring excellence in both program quality and scale.

You will also spearhead the next phase of the whole of Syria approach, strengthening coherence across response areas and progressively aligning capacities and functions into Syria where feasible. As leader of the Syria Response Senior Leadership Team, you will energize and steer delivery of the FY27–28 strategy, fostering strong collaboration, integration, and accountability across all response contexts.

You will oversee a diverse and multi-country portfolio, unlocking efficiencies, leveraging cross-border synergies, and optimizing resources to deliver a unified, agile, and cost-effective response. As a senior representative, you will actively engage and influence key external stakeholders, while upholding the highest standards of risk management, operational integrity, and accountability in line with World Vision’s Disaster Management Standards and Enterprise Risk Management framework.

Requirements include:

• A minimum of 5+ years in leadership roles with International NGOs in emergency relief, rehabilitation and transition programming.

• University degree or qualification in a relevant subject with a focus on team management, project management or other relevant skills.

• Experience in working in a large matrixed organization, combined with a good understanding of how mutual accountability and collaboration work in such environments.

• Demonstrated understanding of humanitarian principles, standards and best practices.

• Excellent communications and relationship management skills, with the ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and persuasively with senior internal and external stakeholders.

• Proven track record of leading multi-cultural teams in complex, culturally and politically sensitive contexts.

• Extensive experience in program management and implementation of multi-sectoral emergency response projects

• Proven track record of growing and managing multi-million-dollar budgets.

• Politically astute and well-developed diplomatic skills (dealing with host governments, donors and staff).

• Experience working in high-pressure, rapid-response environments with multiple risks

• Based in Damascus with 35-40% travel to the field where Syria Response’s programs operate and Jordan.

• The role is demanding and at times highly stressful, requiring the Syria Response Director to lead and manage in situations of high pressure and stress. Hostile Environment Awareness Training is needed for this position.

How to apply

Is this the job for you?

Find the full responsibilities and requirements for this position and apply online by the application deadline of 28 JUNE 2026.

World Vision is dedicated to our team members’ development and their success. We aspire for all employees to be fulfilled through their work and their contributions to an organisation working to provide long-term sustainable solutions to the world’s most vulnerable people.

For more information on World Vision International, please visit our website: www.wvi.org.Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness. Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so.