Job Vacancy at VisionFund International (West Africa) - August 2026
Administrative/Secretarial JobsRegional People & Culture Director Job at VisionFund International – West Africa
VisionFund International, World Vision's microfinance provider, is inviting applications from experienced Human Resources and organizational-development professionals for the position of Regional People & Culture Director – West Africa.
The senior leadership role will provide strategic direction for People & Culture activities across a cluster of West African countries, specifically Senegal, Mali and Ghana.
The successful candidate will work with regional leadership, Microfinance Institution (MFI) management teams, People & Culture Managers and VisionFund's global leadership to strengthen talent management, organizational development, employee engagement, leadership capability and overall organizational performance.
Job Overview
Organization: VisionFund International / World Vision International
Position: Regional People & Culture Director – West Africa
Region: West Africa
Countries Covered: Senegal, Mali and Ghana
Job Category: Human Resources / People & Culture
Experience Required: 8–10 years
Languages: English and French
Travel Requirement: Up to 30%
Applicant Type: Local Applicants Only
The successful candidate must demonstrate proficiency in both English and French, although applications are required to be submitted in English.
About VisionFund International
VisionFund International is World Vision's microfinance provider, supporting vulnerable families through financial services including loans, savings and insurance.
Its work focuses on helping families strengthen their livelihoods and build more secure futures for their children, particularly in underserved and rural communities.
VisionFund's broader mission centres on using financial inclusion to help communities develop sustainable livelihoods and break cycles of intergenerational poverty. Its official network includes operations in countries across Africa and other regions.
About the Regional People & Culture Director Role
The Regional People & Culture Director will provide strategic leadership in Human Resources, People & Culture and Organizational Development across the assigned West Africa region.
The position will help ensure VisionFund makes effective use of its people, develops strong leaders and maintains an organizational culture aligned with its strategy and mission.
The Director will report to the Global Director of People & Culture, with a matrix reporting relationship to the Regional Director.
The role also provides leadership to People & Culture Managers within the assigned Microfinance Institutions and serves as an adviser to regional leaders and MFI Boards on important people-related matters.
Key Responsibilities
People & Culture Leadership and Strategy
The successful candidate will provide overall leadership to the People & Culture function across the assigned countries.
Responsibilities include:
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Providing strategic direction to regional People & Culture teams.
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Helping create an empowering organizational culture aligned with VisionFund's strategy.
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Contributing to regional strategy development.
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Ensuring People & Culture priorities are incorporated into broader business decisions.
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Developing and implementing regional P&C strategies and business plans.
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Improving the quality and efficiency of Human Resources services.
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Strengthening recruitment and talent-acquisition processes.
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Supporting leadership and talent development.
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Improving Total Rewards and employee-management systems.
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Advising regional leaders and Boards on People & Culture issues.
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Ensuring compliance with applicable employment laws and VisionFund policies.
Talent Acquisition and Workforce Planning
The Regional Director will provide guidance across major HR areas, including:
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Staffing strategy.
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Talent acquisition.
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Workforce planning.
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Organizational development.
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Change management.
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Employee relations.
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Total Rewards.
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Performance management.
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Staff care and wellbeing.
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Talent development.
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Employee retention.
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Succession planning.
The successful candidate will work with regional and local teams to ensure appropriate People & Culture systems, standards and policies are understood and implemented consistently.
Leadership Development and Capacity Building
Developing strong local People & Culture teams will be an important part of this role.
The Director will:
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Lead training and professional-development initiatives for P&C teams.
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Strengthen local teams' ability to develop and implement HR strategies.
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Encourage knowledge-sharing between VisionFund Microfinance Institutions.
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Create opportunities for teams to exchange lessons and best practices.
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Support communities of practice.
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Promote appropriate internal and external learning resources.
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Lead implementation of regional and partnership-wide People & Culture initiatives.
Organizational Risk and HR Compliance
The position will also provide leadership in managing People & Culture-related risks.
Responsibilities include:
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Ensuring compliance with VisionFund and World Vision standards.
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Identifying weaknesses in HR practices and recommending corrective action.
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Supporting management of employee-relations risks.
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Ensuring compliance with local labour and employment legislation.
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Strengthening safeguarding practices.
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Supporting incident-management processes.
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Monitoring implementation of actions arising from HR or safeguarding incidents.
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Advising regional leadership and Boards on performance, compliance and People & Culture risks.
Safeguarding
The successful candidate will work closely with safeguarding specialists to ensure appropriate standards and practices are implemented across the region.
The role requires someone capable of creating an organizational environment where employees understand safeguarding responsibilities and where potential risks are identified and addressed appropriately.
The position also involves supporting faith-based programmes in collaboration with relevant World Vision and VisionFund teams.
Stakeholder Engagement
The Regional People & Culture Director will maintain relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
These may include:
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Regional VisionFund leadership.
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Global People & Culture teams.
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Microfinance Institution CEOs.
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MFI senior management teams.
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Boards of Directors.
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Regional and local People & Culture teams.
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Financial-inclusion networks.
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NGOs and development organizations.
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HR and organizational-development consulting firms.
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External professional networks.
These relationships will support collaboration, benchmarking, talent development and employer-branding initiatives.
Team Leadership and Coaching
The successful candidate will also provide coaching and guidance to leaders and People & Culture professionals across the region.
Responsibilities include:
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Developing organizational leadership capability.
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Encouraging a strong service-oriented culture.
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Supporting professional development.
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Providing coaching and feedback.
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Strengthening team performance.
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Helping employees reach their professional potential.
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Promoting organizational culture aligned with VisionFund and World Vision values.
Required Qualifications
Applicants should possess a university degree, preferably with a strong Human Resources focus.
Relevant professional certifications such as:
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CIPD
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SHRM
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Equivalent HR professional qualification
will be considered an advantage.
Required Experience
Candidates should have approximately 8–10 years of professional experience in:
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Senior Human Resources management.
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People & Culture leadership.
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Organizational development.
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Related senior HR roles.
The experience should preferably have been gained within a complex international organization.
Experience working within an international financial-inclusion network, multinational organization, microfinance institution or financial-services environment will be particularly valuable.
Regional Experience
Applicants should have at least one to two years of experience working in at least two countries within the assigned region.
The successful candidate should also have experience contributing to senior leadership teams within multinational organizations and working with senior executives.
Experience collaborating with Boards of Directors will be useful for this position.
Required Skills and Competencies
Applicants should demonstrate:
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Strong Human Resources leadership.
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Organizational-development expertise.
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Talent-management skills.
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Workforce-planning capabilities.
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Strong business understanding.
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Ability to interpret financial metrics and connect them to HR strategy.
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Strategic thinking.
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Analytical abilities.
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Change-management experience.
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Strong stakeholder-management skills.
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Ability to work with senior executives.
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Experience influencing organizational direction.
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Strong coaching and leadership-development capabilities.
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Ability to build partnerships across different countries and cultures.
English and French Language Requirement
This is a bilingual position.
Applicants must demonstrate strong proficiency in both French and English.
The advert specifically seeks either:
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A native French speaker with excellent English, or
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A native English speaker with excellent French.
Applications must nevertheless be submitted in English.
Travel Requirement
The position requires regional travel of up to:
30%
Candidates should therefore be comfortable travelling between VisionFund operations and other locations as required.
Local Applicant Requirement
The vacancy is listed as:
Local Applicants Only.
Applicants should therefore carefully review the eligibility and work-authorization requirements on the official application portal before submitting an application.
For AfroJobs readers in Tanzania, this is particularly important because this should not be treated as a normal Tanzania-based vacancy.
Christian Identity and Organizational Values
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization, and VisionFund operates within the World Vision partnership.
The vacancy states that, to the extent legally permitted in the host location, the successful candidate will be expected to work consistently with World Vision's Christian mission, core documents and professional ethical standards.
Participation in relevant team and office devotional activities may also form part of the organizational environment.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit their applications through the official World Vision International recruitment platform.
Applicants should prepare their application in English and ensure their CV clearly demonstrates:
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Regional HR leadership experience.
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Organizational-development experience.
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Experience working across multiple countries.
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French and English proficiency.
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Microfinance or financial-services experience where applicable.
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Leadership of senior HR teams.
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Experience working with senior executives and Boards.
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Talent-management and succession-planning experience.
Application Deadline
The vacancy text supplied for this article does not specify an application deadline.
Applicants should therefore open the official World Vision recruitment page and confirm the vacancy's current status before applying.
Do not rely on deadlines from older versions of similar VisionFund vacancies found elsewhere online.
Important Notice for AfroJobs Readers
This opportunity is associated with VisionFund International's West Africa operations, particularly Senegal, Mali and Ghana. It should therefore be classified as a regional/international vacancy rather than a Tanzania job.
Candidates should confirm that they meet the local-applicant and work-authorization requirements before investing time in an application.
Conclusion
The Regional People & Culture Director – West Africa position at VisionFund International is a senior HR leadership opportunity for professionals with substantial experience in People & Culture, Human Resources management and organizational development.
Candidates should have approximately 8–10 years of senior HR experience, strong regional leadership skills, excellent English and French, and preferably experience in microfinance, financial inclusion or multinational organizations.
The role covers Senegal, Mali and Ghana, requires travel of up to 30%, and is specifically listed for local applicants. Qualified candidates should review the official World Vision application page carefully before applying.
