Deputy Chief Executive Officer

About the organisation

The Fred Hollows Foundation is an internationally recognised, award-winning NGO focused on preventing avoidable blindness and improving Indigenous Australian health. Its work spans more than 25 countries, and it is committed to tackling the fact that around 1.1 billion people are needlessly blind, with a goal of stopping that number from doubling over the next 30 years.

Role overview

This position is a senior enterprise leadership role designed to support the Chief Executive Officer by taking primary responsibility for aligning strategy, financial stewardship and operational delivery across the global organisation. The Deputy CEO will help strengthen organisational effectiveness, oversee enterprise performance and ensure internal execution is tightly connected to the Foundation’s mission and strategic direction.

Working closely with the CEO, the role enables the CEO to focus on external priorities such as strategy, influence, partnerships and growth, while the Deputy CEO leads the internal performance of the Foundation and builds strong accountability across the organisation.

Employment details

This is a full-time executive contract for 5 years. The location is listed as global, with the role associated with Australia in the source information. The application deadline is 31 July 2026.

Leadership profile

• Extensive senior leadership experience within international development or another comparable global setting
• Hands-on background in program delivery environments
• Proven capability to connect strategy, finance and delivery in order to improve enterprise-wide performance
• Strong commercial judgement and financial understanding, including experience working with fundraising, donor engagement and revenue growth teams
• History of developing senior leaders and building high-performing teams
• Consistent success in delivering results in complex, multi-country environments
• A financial qualification is mandatory

Personal attributes

The Foundation is looking for a leader whose style aligns with its values and long-term ambition. The ideal candidate will be approachable, steady and relationship-focused, with the ability to establish trust quickly across different cultures and regions. You should be able to work through complexity, funding pressures and organisational dynamics with maturity, integrity and sound judgement, while keeping accountability and impact front and centre. As a trusted partner to the CEO and senior leadership team, you will help others succeed while maintaining a strong focus on organisational performance.

Application note

Applicants are invited to share a resume and a cover letter that explains their suitability for the role.