Director of Programme Development

Salary: (UK) £64,226 plus benefits (Our pay philosophy ensures consistency across locations and salaries. The starting salary for this opportunity plus benefits depends on location of the candidate). 

The role:  

We are recruiting for a values-driven leader to join Mary’s Meals International (MMI), as Director of Programme Development. Reporting to our Chief Programmes Officer, you will lead the evolution of Mary’s Meals programmes globally, ensuring they are evidence-led, impactful and aligned with our strategic priorities.  

Working closely with colleagues across Programme Management, Programme Operations and country programmes, you will drive programme quality, innovation, learning and growth. You’ll oversee programme design, research, policy, impact measurement and organisational learning, turning insight into action across our global movement.  

As a key leader within Programmes, you'll help shape organisational strategy and support our ambition to reach more children with the life-changing promise of a daily meal in their place of education. 

You will:  

• Lead the strategic development of Mary’s Meals programmes, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and global growth ambitions.  

• Drive programme quality, innovation and learning across the global movement, using evidence and insight to maximise impact.  

• Oversee programme frameworks, policies and country-level strategies, ensuring they translate into effective practice and support sustainable growth.  

• Champion research, impact measurement and organisational learning, embedding evidence-based decision-making across programmes.  

• Lead the development of innovation approaches, including piloting and gathering evidence to inform future direction. 

• Represent Mary’s Meals with governments, partners and external stakeholders, strengthening relationships and promoting thought leadership within the international development sector. 

About you:  

You are a strategic and influential leader with significant experience in international development and a proven track record of shaping organisational strategy, driving programme excellence and delivering change at scale. You have led programme development, design, quality improvement, learning and research functions in complex international contexts, using evidence, insight and impact data to inform decision-making and maximise organisational impact. 

You bring substantial experience developing programme strategies, frameworks, policies and approaches, alongside oversight of research, learning, monitoring, evaluation and impact measurement. An accomplished people leader, you have successfully built and developed high-performing, multicultural teams and are skilled at leading through influence across diverse functions, cultures and geographies. 

With excellent communication, stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, you are confident engaging with senior leaders, partners, donors and external stakeholders to drive collaboration and achieve shared goals. You also bring a strong understanding of safeguarding within international development programmes, together with a genuine commitment to the vision, mission and values of Mary's Meals. 

About us:  

Mary's Meals is a global movement supported by people from all walks of life and from all faiths and none. We are focused on one goal: that every child receives a nutritious daily meal in a place of education. Today, more than 3 million children receive Mary's Meals in some of the world's poorest communities. 

We are a values-driven organisation that believes in the innate goodness of people, respects the dignity of every human being and family life, and values good stewardship of the resources entrusted to us. In line with our values, we are fully committed to a culture of safeguarding. 

Mary's Meals is committed to preventing any form of unwanted behaviour at work, and we expect all members of the Mary's Meals family to share this commitment and act in the best interests of the communities we serve. Our safer recruitment practices ensure that only those committed to our high standards join our movement. 

We are happy for you to work remotely and flexibly, in a way that best supports your work-life balance. We have an office in Glasgow for those who would like to work from here occasionally or on a regular basis.  

We believe in the innate goodness and dignity of every person. In line with this, Mary's Meals is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment. All applicants will be considered fairly and on merit, without discrimination of any kind. 

Additional Information:  

This role will undertake travel to countries where our programmes operate and will involve regulated work with children. You will be required to register with the Protected Vulnerable Group Scheme or local equivalent before undertaking your role.  

Our Benefits:

• 34 days annual leave (pro-rated for part time working patterns) including bank holidays, increasing by 1 day each completed calendar year, to a maximum of 39 days (+ option to buy another week)

• Flexible working

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Life assurance

• Medical insurance for candidates located in Kenya, Liberia, Malawi and Zambia

• Pension - depending on the location of the candidate. For international candidates - any pension contribution paid as part of salary will be subject to normal statutory deductions/ taxation 

To apply:

If you are inspired to join our movement and our vision, mission and values resonate with you, we would love to hear from you. To apply, please click below to send your CV and a short covering note (no more than 1 page) telling us why you are a great fit for this role and why you would like to work for Mary’s Meals International.

Closing date for applications is Sunday 25th October 2026.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible

Director of Programme Development JD

Director of Programme Development - Recruitment Pack

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