Job description

Invitation to Join Board of Directors — Marie Stopes Zambia

Marie Stopes Zambia (MSZ) is a results-driven social enterprise and member of the MSI Reproductive Choices global network. We provide high-quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to underserved Zambians- including family planning, long-acting contraception, and safe abortion care — across clinic, outreach, and the commercial sales of SRH products. MSZ is part of the global network that is MSI Reproductive Choices. MSZ subscribes to the MSI goal and mission, which is to prevent unwanted births and to ensure the individual’s right to Children by Choice not Chance.

We are at a pivotal moment. Shifting donor landscapes, a growing Zambian middle class, and evolving health financing models create both urgency and opportunity. We are strengthening our Board to match that ambition — and we are looking for exceptional individuals who want to make a genuine difference and who uphold MSI core values: mission driven, customer focused, results orientated, pioneering, sustainable and people centered.

The Opportunity

This is a voluntary, non-executive Board Member role based in Zambia (Lusaka preferred but not essential), with hybrid participation. It is not a ceremonial position. We are looking for people who will engage actively, open doors, and bring practical solutions — not just attend quarterly meetings.

Board Members provide strategic oversight and fiduciary accountability, while actively supporting MSZ’s sustainability and growth. You will work alongside a small, dedicated leadership team— bringing your initiative, drive for real results, with high integrity and commitment to personal development to bear on real organisational challenges.

What we need from you

We are seeking individuals who will bring at least one (ideally more) — of the following to the Board:

Strategic Leadership & Governance

Senior experience in business, finance, law, public health, or organisational leadership — with a track record of making things happen.

Resource Mobilisation & Partnerships

Active networks in corporate Zambia, the donor community, Corporate Social Responsibility, impact investment, or the private health sector — and the willingness to use them on our behalf.

Financial Acumen

Experience in financial oversight, investment, fundraising, or sustainability planning — with the ability to scrutinise and strengthen our financial position.

Sector Insight

Knowledge of Zambia’s health landscape, regulatory environment, or private sector health delivery — enabling us to anticipate change and act on it.

Advocacy & Influence

Credibility in policy, media, or community spaces — and comfort representing a pro-choice, rights-based organisation publicly.

ESG & Responsible Business

Experience in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, Corporate, Social Responsibility strategy (CSR), or impact measurement — helping us articulate and demonstrate our value to government, corporate and investor audiences.

Commercial Marketing & Consumer Brands

Experience marketing and selling consumer products — brand strategy, pricing, distribution, or behaviour change. MSZ operates as a social enterprise selling health products and services to real consumers; commercial marketing instincts are directly applicable and highly valued.

Sales, Distribution & Market Development

Hands-on experience growing sales through pharmacies, clinics, community channels, or retail networks in Zambia or the region. We need people who understand how to reach consumers at the last mile — and can help us think and act more commercially.

Your role on the Board

• Provide strategic direction and hold leadership accountable — asking hard questions and contributing solutions, not just oversight
• Champion resource mobilisation: open doors to corporate partners, CSR programmes, impact investors, and donor relationships or others that can support our organisation
• Contribute to financial governance and long-term sustainability planning ensuring accountability, transparency, and ethical leadership
• Strengthen policy development and institutional systems aligned with pro-choice and human-rights-based principles
• Serve as a credible, committed ambassador for MSZ’s mission in your professional and community networks
• Actively participate in quarterly Board meetings, relevant committees, and key strategic or fundraising engagements

Why Join the MSZ Board

MSZ is part of a global network reaching over 100 countries. Your contribution here connects to impact at scale — but with the influence of a country-level role where your ideas and relationships translate directly into outcomes.

• Apply your expertise where it makes a measurable difference to women’s lives and health outcomes in Zambia
• Engage with a professionally managed, mission-driven organisation with rigorous accountability standards
• Build relationships across sectors — health, finance, government, civil society, and the global MSI network
• Contribute to an organisation positioned for growth at a transformative moment in Zambian healthcare

Commitment & Terms

This is a voluntary position. We ask for genuine engagement and an enthusiasm to contribute:

• Quarterly Board meetings (in-person in Lusaka where possible; hybrid available)
• Committee participation aligned to your area of expertise
• Availability for strategic planning sessions and significant organisational events
• Proactive outreach and introductions in support of MSZ’s resource mobilisation goals

Board Members are required to support MSI’s Child Protection Policy, zero tolerance for fraud and bribery, and to uphold MSI Core Values: mission-driven, customer-focused, results-oriented, pioneering, sustainable, and people-centred. 

How to Apply

We welcome applications from senior professionals across all sectors who share our commitment to reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. We particularly encourage applications from individuals with deep roots in Zambian civil society or the private sector.

Please send a short expression of interest (no more than one page) and your CV to jobs@mariestopes.org.zm. Tell us: what you will bring to the Board, and why MSZ’s mission matters to you.