Country Director – Myanmar At Turquoise Mountain

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Background

Turquoise Mountain supports artisan communities to protect and revitalise their heritage. Our work is rooted in the belief that cultural heritage has the power to transform lives. Founded in 2006 by His Majesty King Charles III, we work directly with artisan communities in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,Palestine and Syria. To date, we have supported over 11,500 artisans across 86 craft traditions, restored more than 170 historic buildings, and provided primary healthcare and education for artisans’ families.

Turquoise Mountain has been working in Myanmar since 2014. Since then, we have supported over 1,700 artisans across 20 craft traditions including textiles, goldsmithing and lacquerware. We have also restored 8 heritage buildings in Yangon, including 491-501 Merchant Street in Yangon’s historic downtown, the landmark Tourist Burma Building and a 1920s teak villa which now serves as a cultural centre and houses Turquoise Mountain’s jewellery studio, weaving and textiles atelier, an eco-friendly dye yard and offices.

This is an exciting time for Turquoise Mountain’s project in Myanmar, which has consistently grown year on year since its foundation, and is looking to expand its support to artisans across the country.

We are seeking an ambitious leader with good commercial acumen, ideally with experience in creative industries, a strong background in programme management, and who has significant experience leading teams in challenging environments. Our successful candidate will be able to quickly build trust with andgain the respect of an experienced local team while collaborating seamlessly with colleagues in other TM country offices and global teams.

Department: Myanmar
Team: Senior Management Team
Reports to (Line Manager): CEO

Job Purpose Summary

Manage the existing programmes, operations, commercial activities, and staff of Turquoise Mountain in Myanmar. Lead fundraising and strategic planning for all aspects of TM’s activities in Myanmar andoversee the work of Myanmar Artisans Limited in connecting artisans to higher‑return markets.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Leadership, Collaboration and Line Management

  • With the CEO and wider Senior Management Team (SMT), develop a clear vision of present and future programme goals and strategies and communicate this to team members, incorporating their feedback and the best of their skills into the programme.
  • Manage, recruit, mentor, and motivate a skilled and efficient team, embedding staff development strategies and performance management systems.
  • Provide decisive leadership while fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture.

Programme Design and Management

  • With the CEO and wider SMT, develop and implement Turquoise Mountain’s strategy to support artisan communities in Myanmar to protect and revitalise their heritage across the organisation’s key programmatic areas: livelihoods, heritage, skills & practice, well-being, and connection.
  • Ensure donor projects meet goals and are delivered on-time and on-budget. This includes ensuring reporting (narrative, financial, and so on) is accurate and timely, robust monitoring evaluation accountability and learning (MEAL) systems and resourcing is in place and ensure grant finance management is accurate and supportive of programme delivery.
  • Build a vision for the Cultural Centre as a place that fosters creativity and joy to a wide range of audiences and develop programming in line with this vision. Create awareness of the Centre and ensure its potential as a community and creative hub is fully utilised.
  • Oversee design and delivery of commercial and creative work supporting artisans’ access to markets. Responsibilities include:
  • Define and implement the commercial strategy in collaboration with the Global Commercial Director and Myanmar Artisans Limited.
  • In collaboration with the Global Creative Director and production teams, oversee creative direction and strategy in country.
  • Support high‑profile commercial projects and exhibitions connecting Myanmar artisans with international markets.
  • Ensure delivery of marketing and branding activities in line with global frameworks.

Operations and Financial Management

  • Oversee infrastructure and systems including finance, operations, production systems, and donor relations, ensuring transparency and compliance with TM and donor policies.
  • Manage strategic budgeting across internal programmes and sub‑grantees/sub‑contractors.
  • Develop and maintain safety and security systems aligned with TM standards and Myanmar field realities in line with global policies.
  • Ensure the Myanmar country team is adequately resourced.

Commercial Management

  • Oversee and guide the work of Myanmar Artisans Limited, supporting its aim to connect artisans to higher‑return markets.
  • Lead commercial planning to increase sales of Myanmar artisanal products, including market research, product development, pricing, production management, client liaison, and sales.
  • Maximise artisan income and overall profitability of commercial activities.
  • Oversee the day-to-day operations of the TM textile and jewellery production, supporting the team to ensure that international orders are made to the required standard and lead time, and work with the Global Commercial Director to develop and implement a strategy for future development and growth.
  • Leverage the use of the Cultural Centre to increase income generation through showroom sales and venue hire.

Coordination, Representation and External Relations

  • Represent TM in Myanmar with all relevant stakeholder groups including:
    • local communities
    • project staff and beneficiary groups
    • commercial partners
    • international community
    • government representatives
    • national and international media
    • donors and partners
  • Represent TM internationally where appropriate, including working on collaborative projects, fundraising, and engagement with global stakeholders.
  • Cultivate strong internal and external relationships to advance programme effectiveness.

Strategic Development and Fundraising

  • Lead country strategic planning and report annually to the CEO and Board.
  • Explore, propose, and implement new programming aligned with TM’s mission.
  • Identify and pursue a broad range of funding opportunities, working with the COO and global fundraising teams.
  • Lead on project design and proposal writing.
  • Lead commercial, creative, and operational planning with support from global directors.

Cross-working (global collaboration)

  • Active engagement with TM’s global teams is essential, including:
  • Commercial
  • Creative (design development, exhibitions, training)
  • Finance
  • Operations (HR, MEAL, IT, etc.)

This list is not exhaustive, and other duties may be required as determined by the needs of the organisation.

Person Profile

Job Title: Country Director – Myanmar

Professional approach
A genuine collaborator in approach, with natural leadership qualities and an ability to build teams, whether directly under their management or within the wider organisation. Ability to coach and mentor senior managers, empowering others and helping them to take ownership in their areas of expertise. Experience of managing risk in a frequently changing landscape, bringing a flexible approach. Ability to take in information and distil salient points and priorities. Ability to synthesize different information and apply creativity and vision to programme design and country office leadership.

Personal attributes

  • A proactive and engaged leader, comfortable taking initiative.
  • A creative thinker, who can identify and create opportunities and overcome challenges.
  • A team worker and great communicator.
  • Someone with appreciation and respect for Myanmar culture, heritage and communities.
  • Someone with a commitment to inclusivity.
  • Someone with commercial acumen and a curious mindset.
  • Someone with the ability to work on own initiative, manage and organise own workload and meet deadlines.
  • Someone who is dependable and credible, with the ability to establish good working relationships at all levels and work across dispersed teams.
  • Someone who is outcome and impact focussed.
  • Someone comfortable with dynamic risk management in complex, changeable environments.

Qualifications:

We welcome applicants from a range of educational and professional backgrounds.

Formal qualifications that may be advantageous include regional or thematically relevant subjects such as architecture, design, engineering, art history, area studies, anthropology, international development, business management – but this list is by no means exhaustive and Turquoise Mountain has had many successful Country Directors from a range of backgrounds which speaks to the breadth of the role of Country Director. Open-mindedness, creativity, willingness to learn and ability to learn quickly are considered more important.

Candidates with private sector experience/background are also encouraged to apply.

Specific work experience

Essential

  • Extensive experience in a Programmes or Operational leadership role within an INGO or social enterprise or other equivalent organisation working in regions experiencing high levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and/or ambiguity.
  • Significant experience in a leadership role.
  • Experience of leading and mentoring a diverse team working across programmes and operations.
  • Successful track record of managing complex budgets including restricted funds.
  • Experience of working with donor reporting requirements and programme budgets.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build relationships at all levels with colleagues both locally and across international departments, and with external stakeholders.
  • Experience of working in a matrix-management or delegated responsibility environment.

Desirable

  • Experience working with artisan communities.
  • An understanding of, or interest in, cultural heritage would be advantageous.
  • Previous experience of working in Myanmar or the wider region

Skills and abilities

Essential

  • Fluent use of all Microsoft 365 applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Teams).
  • Excellent organisational and time‑management skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure.
  • Excellent written and spoken English to an international standard.
  • Excellent writing skills across reports, proposals, presentations, etc.
  • Ability to communicate effectively and build trust with all internal and external stakeholders.
  • Must have exceptional communication skills and the ability to navigate complex situations with poise.

Desirable

  • Knowledge of the Myanmar language would be advantageous though not essential.

This role is based full-time in Myanmar, working primarily from the Cultural Centre in Yangon.

Remuneration is from $7,900 per month, depending on experience.

Candidates not currently residing in Yangon may be assisted with housing costs, this will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

How to apply

Candidates should submit a covering letter and C.V. to: vacancy@turquoisemountain.org. In the subject line of the e-mail, please mention – ‘Country Director – Myanmar’ and your last name.

Kindly combine covering letter and C.V. as one pdf document.

Please submit your application as soon as possible, but by no later than 21st February 2026. We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward in case of a large volume of applications.