Celine Lefebvre

. Led country operations across Gaza and the West Bank during war and a highly volatile humanitarian context, ensuring operational continuity, humanitarian access, security management, and duty of care. . Directed integrated emergency, resilience, and protection programming in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, Gender-Based Violence prevention, and emergency assistance in partnership with civil society organizations. . Strengthened localization and partnership approaches through the development of a strategic partnership framework and joint learning initiatives with partners. . Contributed to humanitarian diplomacy, advocacy, and external representation efforts related to International Humanitarian Law, human rights, humanitarian access, and access to healthcare. . Led organizational development, NGO re-registration coordination, and shift towards a potential One MdM approach. . Managed and mentored a multidisciplinary senior leadership team across programme, finance, HR, and field operations functions. . Led donor engagement, fundraising, and strategic positioning efforts with institutional donors including SDC, OCHA HF, BMZ, ECHO, Swiss Solidarity, and Swiss foundations.

. Established and led the Resilience and Recovery Unit, supporting the organization’s nexus programming in Ukraine. . Translated the Nexus strategic roadmap into operational programming focused on youth empowerment, economic and green recovery, community resilience, and long-term recovery approaches. . Served as NGO co-lead of the inter-agency Community Planning for Durable Solutions and Recovery (CPDSR) working group, contributing to strategic coordination and recovery dialogue across humanitarian and development actors. . Led external representation, strategic partnerships, and engagement with donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and recovery stakeholders. . Facilitated strategic workshops, consortium discussions, and internal transformation processes to strengthen integrated programming and organizational positioning. . Initiated youth-led participatory research, multi-stakeholder forums, and innovative recovery initiatives focused on community resilience, psychosocial support, veterans’ recovery, Small and Medium Enterprises’ support, and governance approaches. . Contributed to organizational growth, business development, and donor engagement efforts with partners

. Developed the mission’s Nexus, Recovery, and Reconstruction strategic framework and multi-year roadmap, aligning resilience and recovery programming with the country strategy and long-term operational vision. . Designed institutional frameworks, theories of change, monitoring guidance, and operational tools to support the integration and institutionalization of nexus programming across the country mission. . Directed strategic assessments and framework development on self-reliance, economic recovery, protection, social cohesion, youth empowerment, veterans’ reintegration, social services, and green recovery. . Elected by NGOs as co-lead of the inter-agency UN/NGO working group on durable solutions, community planning, and recovery, contributing to coordination and inclusive recovery processes. . Led high-level engagement with authorities, ministries, UN agencies, donors, civil society, academic institutions, and private-sector stakeholders to strengthen locally led recovery approaches. . Established an internal community of practice on recovery, promoting cross-sectoral learning, strategic alignment, and knowledge sharing across teams. . Strengthened the organization’s external positioning through engagement with NGO forums, OCHA coordination mechanisms, clusters, and national recovery stakeholders. . Co-organized strategic dialogues and events on Ukraine’s recovery process, including workshops on conflict sensitivity and inclusive recovery approaches. . Developed strategic recovery partnerships and contributed to business development and grants acquisition efforts.

. Directed international and Swiss programmes of 10 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Switzerland, ensuring strategic coherence, program quality, organizational alignment, and institutional representation. . Led child rights and protection programming focused on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Global Citizenship Education, participation, and locally led partnership approaches. . Developed international and Swiss programmatic strategies and designed a transversal global ESD framework integrating programmatic, pedagogical, and communication dimensions, including a global advocacy campaign linked to World Environment Day. . Oversaw strategic programme implementation and partnership engagement in India while supporting multi-country coordination across diverse operational contexts. . Initiated and facilitated an internal community of practice to strengthen organizational learning, knowledge sharing, and cross-sectoral collaboration. . Led joint programming frameworks and strategic partnerships in Latin America, including Colombia and Brazil, in collaboration with alliance partners. . Managed multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams across programme, MEAL, protection, and coordination functions. . Contributed to organizational development and transformation processes through resource optimization, HR structure revision, safeguarding, security, and risk management support. . Led institutional reporting, donor communication processes, and contributed to governance, strategic decision-making, and organizational coordination.

. Directed a multidisciplinary programme department of more than 100 national and international staff and a €9M multi-sector portfolio across emergency, early recovery, and development programming in Ukraine. . Played a key leadership role in emergency preparedness and operational planning ahead of the escalation of the conflict, coordinating readiness and response efforts across teams and sectors. . Led the development of emergency funding proposals and rapid response programming with institutional donors and partners, while providing interim leadership support for MEAL and grants/reporting functions during a critical operational transition period. . Developed a 15-month strategic programme roadmap to strengthen integrated programming, strategic coherence, and long-term operational vision across the country programme. . Led the development of a five-year governance consortium proposal with national partners for Global Affairs Canada (GAC), representing a first-of-its-kind initiative for the organization in Ukraine and globally. . Strengthened donor engagement, partnership positioning, and funding diversification efforts through strategic donor mapping and partnership development. . Contributed to the development of innovative approaches on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), environmental sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and social change within programming strategies. . Led protection mainstreaming efforts and developed the country-level Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) rolling plan, a first for the Ukraine mission. . Strengthened internal coordination, organizational learning, and cross-departmental collaboration across programme teams.

. Led programme strategy, operations, and office management for DRC Burundi while supporting regional programming across Burundi and Tanzania in displacement, durable solutions, resilience, and peacebuilding. . Oversaw integrated programming for refugees, returnees, IDPs, and host communities across livelihoods, climate-resilient agriculture, protection, GBV, child protection, House, Land and Property, financial inclusion, and community-based peacebuilding. . Managed the start-up and operationalization of the Burundi office, ensuring program quality, organizational coordination, and operational continuity in a complex displacement context. . Developed integrated protection-livelihoods strategies and launched innovative pilot initiatives supporting resilience, recovery, and socioeconomic inclusion. . Successfully launched a UNHCR-funded GBV and Child Protection programme supporting Burundian refugee returnees and reception processes. . Led fundraising, donor engagement, and grants acquisition efforts strengthening the organization’s positioning and growth in Burundi. . Contributed to regional and global strategic discussions on localization, durable solutions, cross-border programming, and protection information management (PIM). . Negotiated operational frameworks and institutional coordination mechanisms with national authorities, including the development of a first Memorandum of Understanding

. Directed regional operations and strategic oversight across 7 countries and 5 delegations, managing a multicultural workforce of over 300 national and international staff and supervising senior country leadership teams. . Led regional financial steering, operational performance, fundraising, and portfolio growth, increasing the regional budget from CHF 12M to CHF 20M through strategic expansion and strengthened donor engagement. . Oversaw the implementation and regional coordination of core programmes in migration, access to justice, child protection in emergencies, and maternal and child health across complex humanitarian and development contexts. . Led regional analyses and strategic positioning on humanitarian access, displacement, nexus approaches, geopolitical dynamics, and crisis evolution, while supporting security and crisis management at regional and country levels. . Designed and implemented a three-year regional strategy and accountability framework, strengthening organizational coherence, strategic planning, and performance management across the region. . Developed regional communication and partnership strategies later scaled globally, contributing to institutional learning and organizational transformation. . Strengthened high-level partnerships and humanitarian diplomacy efforts with governmental authorities, donors, UN agencies, and regional stakeholders, including support to strategic engagement initiatives in Iran and Iraq. . Led strategic transition and expansion processes, including the integration of Iraq programming into the regional portfolio and preparation for significant portfolio growth. . Initiated and facilitated regional and global discussions on child labour, case management, MHPSS, resilience, nexus programming, and partnership approaches. . Led the organization’s first regional change management process and managed the merger of two country missions, strengthening operational alignment and organizational effectiveness

. Led country operations and strategic programming in Jordan and Syria within the context of the Syrian crisis, managing multicultural teams and overseeing community-based child protection and resilience programming for vulnerable children and communities. . Expanded the country portfolio from €1.5M to €3.5M through strategic fundraising, donor engagement, and the development of integrated emergency and early recovery programmes. . Directed programmes focused on child protection, child labour, psychosocial support, non-formal education, social cohesion, case management, juvenile justice, and community resilience approaches. . Led the strategic transition from emergency response toward recovery and resilience programming in Jordan, strengthening longer-term and community-based approaches. . Contributed to the development of innovative programming on customary justice and engagement with faith-based actors within protection and social cohesion initiatives. . Designed a child labour intervention model later scaled globally, strengthening the organization’s technical positioning, visibility, partnerships, and funding in this area. . Initiated and led the organization’s first resilience-based Theory of Change and contributed to the development of broader global programmatic frameworks.

. Led community-based child protection, education, health, social cohesion, peacebuilding, and civil society programming in Abkhazia, managing a €1.6M portfolio and a national team of 15 staff. . Launched a large-scale Education in Emergencies programme in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (Dohuk), overseeing proposal development, operational setup, recruitment, procurement, and programme implementation. . Conducted exploratory and assessment missions in Ukraine to identify opportunities for cross-border engagement and future programming expansion. . Engaged with donors, authorities, UN agencies, clusters, and local partners while facilitating strategic workshops, capacity assessments, and operational recommendations for leadership. . Led multi-sector recovery and reconstruction needs assessments in Ukraine focused on child protection, livelihoods, economic recovery, and peacebuilding

. Led a rapid emergency deployment during the onset of the South Sudan crisis, supporting the re-opening of operations and the launch of emergency protection activities for internally displaced populations. . Coordinated emergency operational setup, humanitarian access, logistics, staffing, security, and inter-agency coordination in a highly volatile environment

Gaza/West Bank/Jerusalem: Country Director – Recovery/Development - occupied Palestinian Territory (Jerusalem, Gaza Strip and West Bank) Led a mission having an annual budget of 1.2 million EUR and composed of +- 25 national staff. The mandate of the mission was to support persons with disability (with a focus on women and children) in a post-conflict/development context. The programming focused on small arms and light weapons (SALW) (the 1st of its kind for HI in Palestine), health, protection and Human rights and civic inclusion.

Country Director – Recovery/Development - South Sudan (Juba, Bor and Yei counties) Led a mission having an annual budget of 1.5 million EUR and composed of +- 40 national staff and 6 international staff. The mandate of the mission was to support the most vulnerable with a focus on persons with disability in a Humanitarian/Rehabilitation/post-conflict context. The programming was related to mine action, health, protection and Human rights and civic inclusion/social cohesion. Elected Co-lead of the Mine Action sub-cluster and actively contributed technically to the protection and child protection clusters. Led the transition work from emergency to early recovery and led the integration of an emergency unit within the mission when the context evolution required it. Identified new opportunities related to emergency and led field assessments. Actively developed a macro proposal on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR)

Darfur/Sudan/South Sudan (Zalingi, Geneina, Nyala, Wau, Juba, Khartoum) Led a mission having an annual budget of 5 million $ and composed of 145 staff (135 nationals and 10 internationals). Oversaw emergency and early recovery projects related to Food Security/livelihood, Water Sanitation/ Hygiene, and Basic Infrastructure for vulnerable people in rural areas and for IDPs and Refugees in camps. Acted as Country Director for the full period and did a constant rotation among the bases. Acted as Head of Base in Wau for 2 months.

Strategy, leadership and change management