Position: Country Representative Benin
Location: Cotonou, Benin – with travels in-country and in the West Africa region
Reporting to: Head of Regional Unit North & West Africa
Starting date: ASAP
Application deadline: 31/12/2025
Family Duty Station: YES
R&R: NO

 

Working Context

WeWorld has been active in Benin since 2008 (officially registered in 2011) and operates through local partners in the departments of Zou, Collines, Ouémé and Plateau, supporting 14 municipalities, 48 villages and 25 schools. WeWorld promotes children’s rights, access to quality education and protection, women’s socio-economic empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, and resilience of vulnerable households. The organisation also plays a leading role in addressing irregular migration, migrant protection, combating trafficking and human smuggling, and strengthening safe migration pathways across West Africa and the Sahel.

In this context, WeWorld is implementing the EU-funded OUESTAF regional migration project, active in Benin and four other countries, focused on research, protection, awareness, prevention of irregular migration, and multi-country coordination.

Given the current strategic reorganization of the mission, WeWorld is looking for a Senior Country Representative who will also serve as Project Lead of the OUESTAF migration program, ensuring continuity of leadership, high-level representation, program quality, and accountability.

 

Purpose of the Role

Under the supervision of the Head of Regional Unit for North & West Africa, the Country Representative provides the overall leadership, strategic direction, oversight, and representation of WeWorld in Benin, while ensuring high-quality implementation, coordination and visibility of the OUESTAF regional migration project.

The role combines responsibilities for:

• strategic development and leadership of the mission
• representation and external relations
• programme oversight and quality
• human resources, security and operations management
• direct leadership and supervision of the OUESTAF project, ensuring coherence with regional programming

The Country Representative ensures compliance with WeWorld’s values, ethical standards, safeguarding, and donor requirements, while maintaining an enabling work environment and driving organisational growth in Benin.

 

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Country Representation & Strategic Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership for WeWorld’s operations in Benin, ensuring alignment with the Country Strategy and the NWA Regional Strategic Plan.
• Maintain and strengthen the organisation’s legal status, visibility and reputation in the country.
• Lead strategic planning and prioritisation processes, identifying opportunities for programmatic expansion and innovation.
• Ensure continuous risk analysis, context monitoring, and adjustment of programmatic approaches.
• Ensure strong adherence to WeWorld policies, safeguarding, ethical standards, accountability frameworks and donor requirements.
• Promote WeWorld’s identity and mandate to all stakeholders.

 

Programme Oversight, Development & Quality Assurance

• Oversee the entire project portfolio in Benin, ensuring high-quality design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation in line with WeWorld standards.
• Supervise Project Managers and ensure timely delivery of programmatic outputs, compliance with donor regulations, and quality results.
• Lead the identification and submission of new funding opportunities, coordinating proposal writing and donor negotiations.
• Ensure programmatic coherence among education, protection, migration, gender, livelihoods and humanitarian components.
• Work closely with MEAL to ensure evidence-based approaches, harmonised tools, and continuous learning.
• Ensure rigorous financial and logistical sustainability of programmes, including budget management, procurement, and asset oversight.

 

Representation, External Relations & Advocacy

• Represent WeWorld in national and regional coordination mechanisms, institutional meetings, clusters, working groups, and donor forums.
• Lead the organisation’s advocacy agenda in Benin, particularly on children’s rights, women’s rights, safe migration and protection issues.
• Develop strategic partnerships with local authorities, ministries, civil society, technical agencies and donors.
• Ensure regular communication with HQ, the Regional Unit, and international partners.

 

Human Resources Management

• Identify staffing needs and ensure recruitment, onboarding, management and capacity-building of national and international staff.
• Develop and maintain an inclusive, respectful, accountable and safe working environment.
• Ensure staff performance evaluation, skills development plans and team cohesion.
• Guarantee full compliance with national labour laws, WeWorld HR policies and donor rules.

 

Security Management

• Develop, update and implement the mission’s security plan, aligned with global procedures.
• Ensure risk analysis, early warning systems, staff safety protocols and incident reporting.
• Provide leadership during crises, ensuring business continuity, safeguarding and duty of care.
• Liaise with HQ and Regional Unit to ensure alignment with organisational security standards.

 

Lead of the Regional Migration Project – OUESTAF

As Project Lead, the CR is responsible for the overall leadership, coordination and strategic implementation of the OUESTAF project in Benin and its multi-country components.

• Supervise all Benin-based OUESTAF project activities, ensuring timely implementation, quality, and compliance with EU/ICMPD standards.
• Guarantee coordination and harmonisation with other implementing countries and regional partners.
• Oversee the research agenda and ensure methodological coherence with regional requirements.
• Lead evidence-based advocacy actions at national level.
• Ensure visibility, communication and strategic positioning of WeWorld in the migration sector.

• Maintain strong institutional relations with EU, ICMPD, government bodies, civil society and technical partners.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues, capacity-building programmes and policy-oriented workshops.
• Ensure synergies between OUESTAF and WeWorld Benin’s broader programmatic portfolio.

• Ensure rigorous monitoring and evaluation systems for OUESTAF, in close collaboration with MEAL.
• Supervise preparation of high-quality narrative and financial reports.
• Facilitate capitalization, learning and cross-country exchange.

 

Job Specifications

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications & Knowledge

• Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Development Studies, Human Rights, Migration Studies or related fields.
• Proven knowledge of international cooperation, migration programming and major institutional donors (EU, ICMPD, AICS, UN agencies, etc.)
• Solid understanding of Project Cycle Management and MEAL systems.
• Excellent command of French (written and spoken).
• Working proficiency in English.

 

Professional Experience

• Minimum 7–10 years of relevant professional experience, with at least 5 years in senior management roles with INGOs.
• Demonstrated experience as Country Representative, Head of Mission, or equivalent senior leadership roles.
• Strong track record in managing complex donor-funded programmes, including EU-funded migration projects.
• Experience in multi-country/regional projects and coordination.
• Experience in security management in sensitive or changing contexts.

 

Skills and Abilities

• Strong leadership, diplomacy, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent organisational, problem-solving and team management skills.
• Capacity to work under pressure and manage competing priorities.
• Strong negotiation skills with institutional partners, government and donors.
• Ability to promote positive work environments and manage sensitive HR issues with discretion.
• Commitment to WeWorld values.

 

Desirable Requirements

• Experience in West Africa.
• Expertise in protection, migration, education or gender programming.
• Previous experience in organisational transition or mission restructuring.

 

WHAT WE OFFER

Type of contract: a first 6 (six) month collaboration contract subject to verification of the achievement of specific objectives (these objectives will be agreed together with the Line Manager upon arrival on assignment); a second collaboration contract of 6 (six) months renewable, following the positive evaluation of the first months of contract

Economic conditions: to be defined according to WeWorld Expatriates Compensation Policy: Base Salary (seniority/role held) + Contributions (role complex, housing and hardship based on place of work)

Annual leave: 2,5 days/month (working days)

Flight ticket: one return flight

Health insurance: covered

Family duty Station: YES

R&R: NO

 

HOW TO APPLY

Please, send your CV and Cover Letter at the following address: https://weworld.intervieweb.it/jobs/country-representative-benin-672215/en/

 

The recruitment process may be closed early if a suitable candidate is found. Due to the large number of applications, we apologise in advance and will only respond to those profiles deemed suitable for the role.