ACBAR

Turquoise Mountain is a non-profit, non-governmental organization specializing in urban regeneration, business development, and education in traditional arts and architecture. We seek to provide education, skills and livelihoods to Afghan men and women. Since 2006 Turquoise Mountain has cleared 36,000 cubic meters of rubbish from the streets, restored or built 170 historic and community buildings, created a primary school and a clinic, and installed water, electricity, and sanitation through the historic traditional craft neighborhood of Murad Khani in the old city of Kabul. It has created the internationally accredited Institute for Afghan Arts & Architecture, training the next generation of craftsmen and women in woodwork, jewelry and gem cutting, calligraphy and miniature painting, and ceramics. Finally, it has sold over US$15,000,000 of Afghan artisan products internationally.

Job Summary

This is a core position in the Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan country office that will drive forward its programmatic strategy. The successful candidate will oversee the office’s areas of programming – Artisan Development, Built Heritage, Health, and Education – across its geographic locations of Kabul, Balkh, Jawzjan, and Bamiyan. The Head of Programs will work closely with the Country Director, in-country team, and key central team members to ensure technical excellence, program quality, and effective management of the office’s programming. A core focus of the role will be to drive forward the organisation’s commercial vision, particularly in the carpet sector.

Reporting directly to the Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan Country Director, the postholder will play an essential role in instilling the organisation’s workplace culture and values. The Head of Programs will supervise a diverse team of sector professionals and facilitate meaningful ways to strengthen program integration and cross-sector collaboration. The successful candidate will cultivate strong working relationships with all heads of department and function leads to foster positive and unified program and commercial operations within the country office.

The Head of Programs will support the Country Director in strategy development, program design, and fundraising initiatives, and contribute to external engagements with a range of stakeholders, including the authorities, donors, and partners.

The successful candidate will be a resourceful, proactive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented leader who can build strong working relationships with a variety of stakeholders, both internal and external. The position will be based in Kabul, Afghanistan, with travel to Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan’s field sites.

This position is expected to start 1 April 2026 and is contingent on funding. The offer made will be conditional, subject to the approval of donor funding.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Management and Team Building

• Oversee all programmatic functions of Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan, providing strategic direction and leadership to the project teams.
• Be an active member of the Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan Senior Management Team and make positive contributions to the strategic development of the country office.
• Serve as a country office champion and leader for promoting and instilling Turquoise Mountain’s workplace culture, behaviour, and values, promoting inter- and intra-departmental cohesion.
• Actively promote and implement mechanisms that progress equality and inclusion in the workplace, both for Turquoise Mountain staff and its beneficiaries.
• Line manage Program Delivery Leads. These include: Senior SME Development Manager, Carpet Production & Client Liaison Manager, Carpet Production Technical Manager, Shipping & Production Coordinator, Quality Control & Merchanidising Senior Officer, Design Centre Manager, Engineering Project Manager, Clinic Supervisor, and Charity Course Project Supervisor. Facilitate one-on-one support, strategic guidance, and program coordination meetings. Oversee and support the wider Program team including technical staff, engineers, medical staff, and trainers.
• Ensure effective collaboration with key country office functions including: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL), Finance, Operations.
• Liaise and build strong working relationships with core central team functions including: Commercial, Creative, Communications, MEAL.

Program Management

Program Delivery

• Oversee Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan program sectors: Artisan Development, Built Heritage, Education, and Health.
• Provide strategic direction over the management of Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan projects, from design to implementation and reporting.
• Ensure activities are delivered to schedule and to budget, coordinating with in-country and central team members to course correct in real time.
• Ensure fiscal responsibility of all programmatic processes, resources, and activities, including budget development and management of program costs. Delegate budget holder responsibility accordingly and support project teams with budgeting and project financial management.
• Drive forward the production of country-level communications content, working with the in-country and central communications team to generate internal and external materials.

Commercial Management

• Working closely with the TM Global Commercial Director and central commercial and sales team, support and track the production of high-quality Afghan hand-woven carpets that are made for international clients, helping the team to ensure that they are made to the required quality and in the quoted lead time. 
• Work with TM’s supported carpet businesses to improve and develop their production management capacity so they are better able to service international markets and grow their business.
• Assist the country and the global commercial and creative teams with the development of new artisanal product ranges.
• Work closely with the commercial and finance teams in the UK to create analytical and monitoring tools to allow us to better understand production and financial performance.
• Work with the UK commercial and finance teams to ensure accurate costing and pricing for products.

Award & Sub-Award Management

• Ensure projects are implemented in compliance with Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan’s donors.
• Oversee the development of high-quality technical and financial reports for submission to Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan donors for country office awards.
• Coordinate with the Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan MEAL team to monitor progress against programmatic and commercial targets relating to the country program’s donor awards.
• Liaise with Turquoise Mountain’s fair trade implementing partner, Label STEP, for the quality delivery, monitoring, and reporting of their activities under Turquoise Mountain’s donor-funded carpet program in Afghanistan, ensuring internal and external compliance throughout.

Strategic Development and Fundraising

• Explore, propose, and implement new programming and commercial development ideas in line with the mission of Turquoise Mountain, in coordination with the Country Director, MEAL Manager, and delivery teams.
• Assist the Country Director with fundraising activities for all aspects of Turquoise Mountain’s programming in Afghanistan. Consider and propose to the Country Director future opportunities for Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan in line with its mission and strategic aims.
• Lead high-quality, participatory project design processes with innovative approaches that incorporate project management standards and evidence-based MEAL methods.
• Contribute to the development and execution of a country office strategy, in close coordination with the Country Director and in-country colleagues.

Coordination, Representation, and External Relations

• Represent Turquoise Mountain Afghanistan and serve as an ambassador for the organisation in external engagements, including with the Afghanistan authorities, donors, and partners.
• Actively cultivate productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and participate in in-country working groups, networking events, and coordination meetings.
• Support the facilitation of local sales events and exhibitions.

This list is not exhaustive, and other duties may be required as determined by the needs of the organisation.

Key working relationships / cross-working

Internal: In-country Programs, Operations, and Finance departments, central team Commercial, Creative, and Communications departments

External: Donors, partners, Afghanistan authorities

Professional approach:

A genuine collaborator in approach, with natural leadership qualities and an ability to build teams. Ability to coach and mentor team members, empowering others and helping them to be accountable for their areas of expertise. Experience of managing large teams in a frequently changing landscape, bringing a flexible approach while delivering results. Ability to synthesize different information and apply creativity and pragmatism to contribute to solutions. Ability to manage and drive forward programmatic and commercial needs.

Experience:

Experience working in a position of program leadership and management in the international development sector with an international non-governmental organisation and/or private sector company.

Experience managing large teams with diverse skillsets, including a proven track record of leading and developing teams, promoting individuals’ professional development, and fostering a positive and collaborative working environment.

Experience in project design, proposal development, and grant writing.

Experience managing international development programs in complex settings. Professional experience in Afghanistan is considered an asset.

Experience with institutional and private donors in terms of project management, reporting, and compliance, as well as communications, liaison, and coordination.

Experience liaising with local authorities and government officials.

Commercial experience is considered an asset.

Personal Attributes & Skills:

Collaborative approach with demonstrable experience of building strong and positive relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders

Detail orientated and experienced problem solver

Proven project management and organisational skills

Proven experience in strategy design and delivery

Excellent verbal and written communications skills

Ability to liaise effectively with external stakeholders

Ability to give and receive feedback

Good listener and responsive to needs of wider team

Ability to communicate vision and drive team forward

Willingness to live and work in Afghanistan

Digital skills and experience:

Experienced in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint)

Language skills:

Fluency in international standard spoken and written English (essential), Dari (desirable), Pashto (desirable)

Candidates are requested to apply through the provided link (https://forms.office.com/e/x0NRudPrFd ) no later than 22nd Feb 2026

Kindly submit your CV and Cover Letter as a single PDF document and refrain from attaching certificates or large files.

https://forms.office.com/e/x0NRudPrFd