PLAY International is looking for its future Country Representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The appointment is scheduled to take effect in October 2026.
Duty station: Kinshasa, DRC.
PLAY International
PLAY International is a French NGO founded in 1999 on a core belief: sport is a source of solutions to address our societal challenges. PLAY International’s primary mission is to design and implement educational and inclusion projects for vulnerable children and young people, using sports as a pedagogical tool. The NGO works on issues such as access to and retention in school, gender equality, community reconciliation, health prevention, and changing perceptions of disability. Since its inception, PLAY International has implemented educational and humanitarian projects in France and internationally, in more than 25 countries, benefiting nearly one million children. Today, the organization operates seven country offices in Burundi, Rwanda, France, Kosovo, Comoros, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. PLAY International is a member of Groupe SOS.
SOS Group
Groupe SOS is a non-profit organization, a leader in social entrepreneurship in Europe. Without shareholders, Groupe SOS operates in France and in more than 40 countries worldwide.
Responsibilities and tasks
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 representation of the NGO required for the smooth running of PLAY’s operations in the country. The Country Representative plays a leading role through high-level strategic leadership and effective advocacy. They are ultimately responsible for all aspects of national projects and ensure that the organizational structure is adapted to the operational context.
This position is part of an office opening in February 2025 to implement a two-year project, fully funded by Expertise France, in Kinshasa. The role involves the direct management of two employees (one international, one local) and the indirect management of one additional local employee. Strengthening PLAY’s institutional and legal presence in the DRC, as well as increasing the organization’s visibility within the ecosystem, will be a key aspect of this position.
The Country Representative reports to the Deputy Director of the NGO, based in Paris, the organization’s headquarters. The Country Representative’s responsibilities are as follows:
1. 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, search for funding opportunities, and manage the mission’s responses to these opportunities.
- Identify relevant potential 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 external representation and strategic positioning of PLAY with local and international stakeholders (institutional actors in Sport and Education, Donors, NGOs, etc.);
- To contribute to the creation of a positive image and the overall credibility of the organization with respect to internal and external stakeholders.
- Define the partnership elements with educational and sporting institutions (Ministries of National Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, CNO, etc.) and follow up on the signing of contractual documents;
- Participate in sectoral and institutional meetings on the topics of education, sport, protection, etc.
- To contribute to the overall visibility of the network of associations related to sport and development, through the organization of meetings, seminars, and the sharing of resources
- Supporting teams in the organization and facilitation of steering committees with institutional partners and donors.
- Maintaining relationships with the media.
2. Operations
- Finances
- Ensure that administrative, accounting and financial procedures are respected and comply with PLAY’s 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 regulations, and other necessary authorizations for human resources employed by the NGO or on temporary assignments.
- Initiate and monitor the authorization processes to operate in the country and ensure the legality of PLAY’s operations in the country.
- Programs and impact
- Supervise 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 Country Office Pedagogical Coordinators and the Headquarters Technical Referents;
- 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;
- To ensure that partners respect their commitments to partnership agreements and the requirements of donors and funders.
3. Human Resources Management
- Supervise the mission team, their evaluation and capacity building.
- Ensure the recruitment of 3 new staff under 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 overall community life.
4. Safety and security
- Conduct 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 operations management at headquarters.
- Develop and update annually a national security plan as well as security guidelines for employees.
- Ensure that all staff members receive a security briefing and that the country’s security guidelines are followed 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, a taste for working in a multicultural team
- Interest in development issues, including child protection and education, and in 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.
Formation
- Master II in International Relations, Project Management, Political Science, or equivalent.
Experiences
- At least 5 years of experience in the field of International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and/or Development.
- Previous experience as a Country Director or in an equivalent management position in an NGO/cooperation organization
- Proven experience in fundraising and drafting project proposals 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
Conditions
- Contract + duration: 6-month fixed-term contract (renewable)
- Salary: according to PLAY’s 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 “RP DRC” (in the subject line of the email).
Closing date for applications: August 23, 2026.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. PLAY reserves the right to close the application process before the closing date. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to submit their applications before the closing date.