Location: Chiangmai, Thailand
Compassion International is seeking a mature, strategic, and relationally competent leader to serve as the Director of Thailand Graduation. This role provides executive and spiritual leadership during the final years of the Compassion Thailand Graduation Structure process.
This position is specifically designed to lead a concluding phase of ministry operations. The primary focus is on ensuring the disciplined implementation of the approved Graduation Strategy, maintaining organizational stability, strengthening church partnerships, and supporting staff and partners through a significant organizational transition. The Director of Graduation will guide the office in “finishing well,” honoring decades of ministry in Thailand, and preparing Frontline Church Partners for sustainable and locally led impact n the country.
What You Will Do
1. Lead the Office Through a Season of Transition
Ensure smooth implementation of the approved Graduation plans (no new program initiatives required).
Bring stability, clarity, and unity to the team during the final 2 years of operations.
Maintain a healthy, safe, and encouraging environment for staff navigating change.
2. Strengthen Churches During Their Graduation
Walk alongside pastors and church leaders as they transition from sponsorship programming.
Encourage sustainability pathways and continued ministry impact.
Foster relationships that can continue even after Compassion exits.
3. Shepherd and Support the Staff Team
Build strong relationships across the Graduation Leadership Team.
Create a sense of psychological safety, cohesion, and shared purpose.
Lead with humility, emotional intelligence, and deep crosscultural understanding.
4. Represent Compassion with Grace and Integrity
Build strategic alliances that support churches during and after Graduation.
Uphold Compassion’s child safeguarding commitments to the very end.
5. Provide Strategic Thinking for the Future
While the primary task is implementing existing plans, you will also help envision a movement model for churches beyond 2028.
Encourage churches to collaborate, mobilize local resources, and sustain ministry impact long-term.
Qualifications
Spiritual & Character
Mature Evangelical Christian with integrity, humility, and a strong record of spiritual leadership.
Demonstrates servant leadership, emotional intelligence, and the ability to create psychological safety.
Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
10+ years of leadership experience in nonprofit, faith-based, community development, or church partnership settings.
Proven experience in leading organizations or teams through transition, change management, or closure.
Experience working in cross-cultural and multi-denominational environments; familiarity with the Thai context preferred.
Leadership & Technical Skills
Strong ability to stabilize and unify teams during periods of significant change.
Excellent relationship-building skills with pastors, church leaders, networks, and external stakeholders.
Skilled in stakeholder engagement, communication (Thai + English preferred), and conflict management.
Ability to execute existing strategies with discipline and maintain program and safeguarding standards.
Understanding of Compassion’s program principles and church partnership model.
Unique to a Graduating Office
Commitment to finishing well, honoring the ministry’s legacy, and supporting staff through a sensitive closure process.
Ability to encourage churches toward sustainability and movement-building beyond Compassion’s presence.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred
- 10+ years of leadership experience in nonprofit, faith-based, community development, or church partnership settings
- Proven experience in leading organizations or teams through transition, change management, or closure
- Experience working in cross-cultural and multi-denominational environments; familiarity with the Thai context preferred
- Strong ability to stabilize and unify teams during periods of significant change
- Excellent relationship-building skills with pastors, church leaders, networks, and external stakeholders
- Skilled in stakeholder engagement, communication (Thai + English preferred), and conflict management
- Ability to execute existing strategies with discipline and maintain program and safeguarding standards
What We Do
Compassion International is a Christian child development ministry aimed at releasing children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty in Jesus’ name. We are church-based: Compassion believes the Church is God’s chosen instrument to bring hope to a hurting world. We believe the strategic placement of local churches makes them best suited to address the holistic needs of the children in their communities. And only they can effectively deliver the Jesus-based teaching and whole-life care that children in poverty deserve. Compassion partners with 8,000+ churches in 25 countries around the world to deliver our holistic child development program. We are child-focused: Compassion’s ministry is focused on the individual child and his/her development. We offer this assistance irrespective of caste, creed, class or religion. At Compassion, we believe entire communities will feel the positive impact of our presence because what happens in the life of a child ripples throughout his or her environment. We are Christ-centered: Jesus is the core of our ministry and his life and teachings shape our programs. They reflect the spiritual commitments of our staff. And they guide how we love people, respect communities and cooperate with nations. We are committed to integrity: We hold ourselves to the highest professional and biblical principles in all aspects of our ministry and maintain the highest industry standards for our allocation of funds. Compassion and Compassion International are registered trademarks of the United States government
