PLAY International is looking for its future Country Representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The start date is expected as soon as possible.
Duty Station: Kinshasa, DRC.
PLAY International
PLAY International is a French NGO founded in 1999 on the belief that sport is a source of solutions to our societal challenges. PLAY International’s main mission is to design and implement education and inclusion projects for children and young people in vulnerable situations, using sports as an educational tool. The NGO works in particular on issues such as access to and retention in school, gender equality, community reconciliation, health prevention, changing perceptions of disability, etc. Since its creation, PLAY International has implemented educational and humanitarian projects in France and internationally in more than 25 countries, benefiting nearly 1 million children. Today, the association has 7 country offices in Burundi, Rwanda, France, Kosovo, the Comoros, Senegal, and the DRC. PLAY International is a member of the SOS Group.
SOS Group
Groupe SOS is a non-profit group, a leader in social entrepreneurship in Europe. A shareholder-free, non-profit organization, Groupe SOS operates in France and more than 40 countries worldwide.
Responsibilities and missions
The Country Representative is directly responsible for strategic planning, finance, human resources, program design and implementation, program support operations, administration, safety and security, monitoring and evaluation, expansion/development, and NGO representation required for the successful delivery of PLAY operations in the country. The Country Representative plays a leading role through high-level strategic leadership and effective advocacy. He/she is ultimately responsible for all aspects of country projects and ensures that the organizational structure is appropriate to the operational context.
The position is part of an office opening that took place in February 2025 for the implementation of a 2-year project, 100% financed by Expertise France and taking place in Kinshasa. The position involves the direct management of 2 employees (1 international, 1 local) and indirect management of 1 additional local employee. The institutional and legal anchoring of PLAY in the DRC as well as the visibility of the association in the ecosystem will be a major challenge of the position.
The Country Representative reports to the NGO’s Director of Operations, based in Paris, the organization’s headquarters. The PR’s responsibilities include:
Mission Strategy and Development
- Program development
- Analyze the context and development needs in the DRC, and propose new programs and partnerships, consistent with the national and global strategy.
- Identify calls for proposals, seek funding opportunities, and manage the mission’s responses to these opportunities.
- Identify potential relevant local and/or international partners (private sector, national and international NGOs, think tanks, academics, etc.) and ensure that each partnership is based on the results of a complementarity and added value survey, so that it contributes to achieving PLAY’s global, regional and national strategy.
- Public representation and management of institutional and strategic partnerships
- Ensure the external representation and strategic positioning of PLAY with local and international contacts (institutional players in Sport and Education, Donors, NGOs, etc.);
- Contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organization vis-à-vis internal and external stakeholders.
- Define the partnership elements with educational and sports institutions (Ministries of National Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, NOC, etc.) and follow-up of the signatures of conventional documents;
- Participate in sectoral and institutional meetings on the themes of education, sport, protection, etc.
- Contribute to the overall visibility of the associative network linked to sport and development, through the organization of meetings, seminars, and the sharing of resources
- Support teams in organizing and leading steering committees with institutional partners and donors.
- Ensure relations with the media.
Operations
- Finances
- Ensure that administrative, accounting and financial procedures are respected and in accordance with the PLAY procedures manual and donor requirements.
- Monitor and validate monthly accounting, cash flow, and budget planning.
- Identify financial risks and propose prevention and mitigation measures; while implementing them in close collaboration with PLAY’s Finance function.
- Administration
- Oversee compliance with contracts, tax, and other authorizations required for human resources employed by the NGO or on ad hoc assignments
- Initiate and monitor licensing processes in the country and ensure the legality of PLAY’s operations in the country.
- Programs and impact
- Oversee the implementation of the project and its activities, in accordance with commitments to donors.
- Ensure the inclusion of PLAY’s technical expertise in the implementation of activities, by facilitating technical coordination between the Educational Coordinators of the country office and the Technical Referents at headquarters;
- Support the capitalization and integration of monitoring and evaluation measures into the country’s strategies, frameworks, policies and plans.
- Partnership management
- Supervise and monitor the work of local implementing partners, ensuring that technical quality, deadlines, and standards are taken into account and respected during project implementation while ensuring harmonious collaboration;
- Ensure compliance with partners’ commitments to partnership agreements and the requirements of donors and lenders.
- Human Resources Management
- Supervise the mission team, their evaluation and capacity building.
- Ensure the recruitment of 3 new staff in local law in accordance with the law in the DRC.
- Facilitate internal coordination and communication within the country team offices and with other PLAY offices internationally and at headquarters.
- Participate in global community life.
- Safety and security
- Carry out constant monitoring of risks and security levels and document information relating to local security (social and political context, external actors, economy, etc.), and communicate it to the headquarters operations management.
- Develop and annually update a national security plan and security guidelines for employees.
- Ensure all staff receive a security briefing and ensure country security guidelines are adhered to by all staff
Required skills
- Excellent communication, diplomacy and negotiation skills with institutions and donors
- Excellent writing skills
- Good financial and administrative management skills
- Strong organizational and planning skills
- Interest in developing new projects, identifying new opportunities and contributing to the development of PLAY’s mission in the region
- Leadership, taste for working in a multicultural team
- Interest in development issues, including child protection and education, and sport as an educational tool.
- Stress and Priority Management
- Adaptability, flexibility
- Fluency in French is required. Fluency in English is an asset. Fluency in local languages (e.g., Lingala) is also an asset.
Training
- Master II in International Relations, Project Management, Political Science, or equivalent.
Experiences
- At least 5 years of experience in the International Cooperation, Humanitarian and/or Development sector.
- Previous experience as Country Director or in a position of equivalent responsibility in an NGO/cooperation
- Proven experience in fundraising, drafting projects in response to donor opportunities in accordance with their requirements. Knowledge of public and international donors such as the AFD or the EU is an asset.
- Experience in financial management is an asset
- Experience in partnership management is an asset
- Proven experience in managing national and international teams
- Knowledge of the DRC is an asset
Terms
- Contract + duration: 12-month fixed-term contract (renewable)
- Salary: according to the PLAY salary scale
- Benefits: per diem, return flight, health insurance and repatriation.
- Location: Kinshasa, DRC
- Start date: as soon as possible
How to apply
Send a CV and cover letter to operation@play-international.org
Specify “CDM RP” (in the email title).
Application deadline: September 30, 2025 – applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. PLAY reserves the right to close the offer before the closing date. Applicants are therefore encouraged to submit their applications before the closing date.