47 Executive Director jobs in South Africa

School/Organization: Cairn Christian School (Ontario)

Employment Type: full-time

Compensation Range:

Date Posted: 28 May 2025

Closing Date:

Cairn Christian School is seeking our next Executive Director , effective August 1, 2026, with the possibility of an earlier start date. Cairn Christian School is an interdenominational Christian school system operating elementary school campuses in Smithville and Stoney Creek. The school’s mission is to inspire students to love, learn, and lead together in God’s world, and their bold vision is to be the leaders in education by inspiring a diverse and unified student body to love, learn, and lead with God’s grace, bringing Christ’s love to the world.

Cairn Christian School operates under a Policy Governance Model with the Executive Director as the Board’s sole official connection to the operation of the school. The Senior Leadership Team comprises two principals and the Executive Director. This unique structure presents an exciting opportunity for collaboration.

The Executive Director being sought will be responsible for ensuring the organization’s mission, vision, and goals are achieved. The successful candidate will possess a compelling blend of vision, leadership, interpersonal skills, business acumen, and experience in development and education, for the flourishing of our entire organization.

More information about the position can be found in the Opportunity Profile posted at – News and Information. Nominations for the position should address the candidate’s suitability. Applications for the position are to include a letter of interest, a philosophy of Christian School leadership, a personal statement of faith, and a curriculum vitae.

Kindly direct questions or submit nominations and applications in confidence to:

Mr. Phil Schilstra
Executive Director Search Committee
Cairn Christian School
6470 Townline Rd
Smithville ON L0R 2A0

• The Homestead Project for Street Children
  
  

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• Role Description: The successful incumbents must provide independent oversight on the integrity of the annual financial statements and the effectiveness of the Organisation's overall strategy. The incumbents will be responsible for bringing board and governance skills and relevant experience to the Organisation.
• Membership: The Homestead is registered in South Africa as a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO 003-217) and as a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO ) and all Homestead projects are legally registered and compliant with the Department of Social Development Western Cape regulations and aligned to the South African Children’s Act 38 of 2005.
• Board membership is voluntary and as such, members do not receive compensation for their services. The Board may in their sole discretion admit members who actively support The Homestead, whether by making regular financial contributions or otherwise.
• Our Governing Board is made up of 4 – 7 members (this includes a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary). There is the potential to co-opt if additional suitable persons with necessary skills are found. There needs to be continuity between terms of office and the retention of institutional memory.
  
  

• Attend quarterly Board meetings
• The Board shall meet at least five times a year, including the Annual General Meeting
• The Annual General Meeting of The Homestead shall be held no later than the end of September in each year.
• Board meeting may be conducted face-to-face or electronically which allow Board members to be present and participate through electronic means.
• We aim to have a minimum of three in-person meetings a year.
• The Homestead’s financial year is from 1 April to 31 March. The Board shall approve the annual budget before the start of every financial year.
• A Finance Sub-Committee comprised of three Board members appointed for this purpose shall approve staff salaries and benefits for the forthcoming year for inclusion in the annual budget.
  

• In addition to a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Treasurer, we require additional Board members with strong strategic, finance, fundraising, HR and business skills and experience to assist us in the following areas:
• local and global fundraising,
• Compliance with the Department of Social Development
• Compliance with the South African Children’s Act,
• Business Strategy Operations and Project Management,
• Monitoring and Evaluation,
• Financial accounting and management.
• We are looking for individuals who wish to serve their community by giving of their leadership expertise, skills and time to support the professional team on the ground.
• Individuals who are passionate about our vision and mission and are committed to the care of neglected and abused children and youth.
  

• Public relations and marketing
• Legal issues Corporate governance, knowledge and experience in negotiating with a Union Ability to analyse and interpret financial data
• Experience in formulating policy and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures
  
  

• Date posted:
  
  

J-PAL Africa seeks an outstanding professional to be based in Cape Town to lead the organization as Executive Director,providing strategic leadership and day-to-day management of all office operations and finances to advance its mission ofreducing poverty through evidence-informed-policy on the continent. This senior position will be based at the Southern AfricaLabor and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) in the University of Cape Town, School of Economics, which is the host for theAfrica regional office of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).

J-PAL is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. J-PALaffiliated researchers and offices conduct randomised impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.We collaborate with NGO, government, and private sector partners to translate research into action, informing scale-ups ofprograms and policies that have reached more than 800 million people since 2003.

This role provides an unparalleled opportunity to lead and manage the day-to-day operations of J-PAL Africa, one of the mostinfluential organizations in the evidence-to-policy space on the continent. As a member of J-PAL’s worldwide Board of Directorsand Senior Leadership Team, the Executive Director also provides critical inputs into J-PAL’s worldwide strategy andmanagement.

Responsibilities include (please review the full job description for full details of responsibilities):

The main responsibility of this senior executive position is to lead J-PAL Africa by ensuring its work across Africa is delivered tothe highest international standards. This involves overseeing the Research, Policy, Education & Training, Finance & Operationsfunctions. The role includes working with J-PAL’s global network of researchers and offices and contributing to internationalthinking about evidence-informed policymaking.

Some specific responsibilities include:

• Work closely with all stakeholders, especially the Scientific Directors of J-PAL Africa who provide close guidance andoversight on the Africa strategy of the office; the Global Executive Director who supervises and coordinates with allregional Executive Directors on the strategy and operations of J-PAL worldwide; and with the Senior Management Teamof the Africa office to manage the day-to-day operations of the office to ensure the strategy is implemented effectively,timely and with fidelity.
• In collaboration with the Associate Director of HR, Finance and Operations, support the day-to-day and operationsmanagement of the office. Dive deep into finances of the center and its different verticals, create robust internal andexternal financial reporting and management structures. Proactively identify and resolve problems to help the teamachieve its goals.
• Support the Associate Director of Research, manage high level contact and coordination with Principal Investigators(PIs) to contribute to the design and planning of prospective research projects and in the implementation of J-PALAfrica’s research projects in South Africa and beyond to ensure high quality randomised evaluations are conducted inthe field
• In collaboration with the Associate Director of Education & Training, identify opportunities to conduct training courses orconduct other forms of capacity building that support the research and policy goals of J-PAL Africa.
• In collaboration with the Associate Director of Policy, support and actively participate in J-PAL Africa’s policy outreachand funding activities across numerous countries in Sub Saharan Africa, including developing strong partnerships withglobal policymakers, practitioners and funders at the highest level to initiate and deliver new projects.
• Help recruit, manage, and retain outstanding and highly motivated and committed team members at all levels, includingJ-PAL Africa’s Senior Management Team.
• Ensure J-PAL Africa is in a sound financial position through proactive fundraising by building and cultivating relationshipswith diverse and increasing numbers of donors, foundations and other development organizations, and strong planningand management of grants and finances.
• Represent J-PAL Africa at high level external events and in meetings with senior members of various governments,NGOs, and other development organizations; and at donor convenings, academic conferences, policymakerengagements and training courses.
• Build relationships with the other seven J-PAL regional offices and , especially in MENA (Cairo) and Europe (Paris),global network of top researchers from universities around the world, and with colleagues at SALDRU and UCT.

Requirements for the position:

• A Masters (or higher) in Public Policy, Economics, or another similar social science including graduate-level (Honoursand up) courses in econometrics/ statistics, microeconomics, or development economics
• Interest in and understanding of Development Economics, particularly randomised evaluations of social policies/programs
• 10 years of relevant work experience with at least 5 years of relevant experience in research management, operations,policy outreach, or a combination of these. At least some of this experience should have been gained in sub-SaharanAfrica.
• Proven track record of managing day-to-day operations of a large organization, and supporting teams across differentwork streams in achieving results, especially in detailed oversight of operations, HR, and financial management andreporting.
• Experience writing and managing budgets, fundraising, and managing grants and donor relationships
• Demonstrated ability to understand and communicate findings from rigorous quantitative research in external events,and training courses run by J-PAL.
• Experience in managing policy outreach, including strategically identifying and mobilizing appropriate policymakers anddeveloping and maintaining these relationships
• Self-motivated and able to take direction, formulate a plan of action, and mobilize teams to execute while maintaininghigh-quality work
• Advanced writing and oral presentation skills in English.
• Position is based at UCT in Cape Town and is not eligible for fully remote work in a another city

The following will be advantageous:

• Ability to speak fluently in French

The annual cost of employment for 2025, including benefits, is between R 1,329, 295 and R 1,563,876.

To apply, please visit the UCT Jobs site to create a candidate profile and to submit your application. Please complete/attach thefollowing to your profile before submitting your application:

• Motivation/cover letter that speaks to the specific requirements of the position.
• Transcripts of qualifications indication required graduate-level courses
• The names of three referees, which must include their title and name, position details, relationship to you, their e-mailaddress and telephone number.

Please ensure the title and reference number are indicated in the subject line.

An application that does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to undergo competency assessments, and references may be requested by UCT at anystage of the selection process.

Any inquiries for the position should be addressed to Mr. Ian Petersen at or .

Application Closing date: 15 August 2025

UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targetsin accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will begiven to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is availableat .