The next Executive Director of the Wycliffe Global Alliance

The Board of Directors of the Wycliffe Global Alliance is pleased to announce the next phase of the search for our next Executive Director. We invite all who receive this to join us in prayer, to freely share the profile with people in your networks who may be able to recommend candidates, and for readers to confidentially recommend candidates or express interest themselves.

Wycliffe Global Alliance organisational profile

The Wycliffe Global Alliance is a worldwide community of more than 100 self-governed organisations united in God’s mission through Bible translation. Bringing together churches, mission organisations, training institutions and other partners, the Alliance fosters collaboration, leadership, prayer and shared learning to strengthen Bible translation movements around the world. Rather than directing the work itself, the Alliance serves as a catalyst to help organisations and communities work together effectively. Our vision is to see individuals, communities and nations engage with Scripture in meaningful ways, so they can be transformed through God’s love and Word expressed in their own languages and cultures.

Purpose

As a com­mu­nity of par­tic­i­pants in God’s mis­sion, the Wycliffe Global Al­liance of­fers lead­er­ship, in­flu­ence and ser­vice within Bible trans­la­tion movements.

Mission

In com­mu­nion with God and within the com­mu­nity of his Church, the Wycliffe Global Al­liance con­tributes to the holis­tic trans­for­ma­tion of lan­guage com­mu­ni­ties world­wide.

Vision

In­di­vid­u­als, com­mu­ni­ties and na­tions trans­formed through God’s love and Word ex­pressed in their lan­guages and cultures.

Kenyan women joyfully holding Bibles
Core Values
  • The Glory of God among the Nations: Living and serving to God’s glory so people of all nations might know and glorify him.
  • Christlikeness: Following Christ’s example in who we are and what we do.
  • The Church as Central in God’s Mission: Believing the Church is created, called and equipped by God to disciple the nations.
  • The Word Translated: Trusting God to transform lives through his Word translated into the languages and cultures of the world’s people.
  • Dependence on God: Depending on God and his sufficiency to equip and sustain us.
  • Community: Serving in community as an expression of the unity of believers and as interdependent participants in holistic ministry that facilitates translation, access and application of God’s Word.
Doctrinal Statement

The Christian beliefs we share as an Alliance. Learn more

Alliance Organisations

The Wycliffe Global Alliance is made up of more than 100 organisations, churches and denominations from all over the world. Learn more

Participation Streams

Wycliffe Global Alliance organisations desire to express both the unity and the diversity of the Body of Christ. Participation Streams recognise this diversity and the many ways in which God has provided for and gifted Alliance organisations in their contexts and cultures. Our seven Participation Streams are Church, Prayer, Funding, People, Bible Translation Programmes, Training in Bible Translation Roles, and Speciality Services. Learn more

2025 Annual Report and Financial Statements

Our most recent reports and financial statements.

Board of Directors and Staff

The leaders of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.

Other Notable Resources

A Missional Leadership History. Free book download for anyone wanting a better understanding of the Alliance’s history and foundational concepts.
Philosophy and Principle Papers. For understanding the Alliance’s various discussions and outcomes.
More Alliance-related articles for further reflection.
Alliance email newsletters, podcasts and gatherings.

Current opportunities and challenges

Following an extensive, global consultation process, the Alliance Board of Directors, together with the Search Committee, has identified opportunities and challenges that the next Executive Director will need to navigate.

Over the last several months, the Executive Director Search Committee has engaged in a significant listening process that involved Alliance board and staff, leaders from Alliance organisations around the world, and leaders from other mission partner organisations. The Alliance Board of Directors requested that the ED Search Committee gather perspectives about the role and impact of the organisation in global Bible translation and language development movements, and what kind of executive leader would best serve our mission.

125 leaders and community members from Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific shared their thoughts and advice through an online survey and interviews with the committee’s search consultant, Mark Stevenson. The Search Committee and Board of Directors were encouraged by the participation of many voices from around the globe as they provided advice about the Alliance, its future and its next Executive Director.  The Search Committee also incorporated information from board and leadership discussions that have been conducted in recent months.  These efforts have revealed clear areas of alignment across a diverse range of voices and perspectives.  These insights have been incorporated throughout this document.

The opportunities before us include:

  • Building upon our trusted missiological foundations and relationships around the world. 
  • Reaffirming and strengthening our prophetic voice, catalysing vision and convening of leadership in the ecosystem of God’s rapidly evolving Bible translation movements.
  • Elevating the voices of movement leaders, church leaders, practitioners and resourcing partners to create the common ground required for mutual understanding, appreciation and partnership.
  • Working as a dynamic, learning organisation that explores, gathers and distributes emerging global, regional and local knowledge and practice through active connection with Alliance organisations, mission-aligned partners and thought leaders.
  • Facilitating the transition of our relational fellowship of like-minded members into catalytic and localised communities of leaders and practitioners who clarify and develop the best relationships and solutions for their unique contexts, needs and affiliations.
  • Establishing or rebuilding relationships with strategic Global South and Global North leaders to position the Alliance as a vital and generous partner, resource and team of servant leaders.
  • Advancing and affirming Bible translation as a ministry of the church.
  • Maximising emerging technological advancements to benefit Alliance organisations and partnerships.

The challenges include:

  • Maintaining a forward-thinking posture and mission that engages and benefits Alliance organisations in a global context of disruption, political unrest and conflict.
  • Developing new solutions and enhanced membership/partnership value to solve the funding, financial sustainability and operational capacity issues that limit our impact.
  • Overcoming past cultural assumptions or attitudes that impede grassroots innovation and collaboration.
  • Balancing localisation autonomy with the need to maintain a unified global identity, shared core values and mutual accountability.
  • Strengthening a diverse Alliance community of organisations so members of different kinds experience relevant and significant value.

These opportunities and challenges represent the context in which the next Executive Director will serve.

The Executive Director position

Based on the opportunities and challenges before us, the Executive Director will:

  • Be a faithful follower of Jesus with an articulate sense of calling to partner with and strengthen the world’s minority language communities with humility, grace and action.
  • Have a generous and humble posture toward diverse cultures and Christian traditions in the church, with a focus on honouring and supporting unity in God’s work.
  • Exhibit spiritual resilience, emotional maturity, transparency and integrity when leading through crisis and uncertainty globally.
  • Engage constituents and partners through asking questions, listening and engaging in interactive dialogue about the obstacles, needs and hopes they have for the Alliance and their place in it.
  • Articulate a clear and compelling vision and future direction for the Alliance that inspires Alliance organisation leaders, support organisations and financial partners to join and advance the work for everyone’s benefit.
  • Build, develop and mobilise a team of gifted leaders who are motivated to work together to serve the Alliance community and the movement.
  • Develop respectful and strategic relationships that help forge new connections, deep trust and motivated partnerships with the Alliance.
  • Elevate global voices that are at the forefront of local, regional and global innovations for everyone’s benefit.

The Executive Director must possess: 

  • A minimum of five years of senior leadership experience in the Alliance; in an Alliance organisation; or in a church, denomination or nonprofit.
  • A master’s degree in a complementary discipline to the Alliance’s work, with a doctoral degree preferred.
  • A current understanding of the biblical, missiological and theological foundations and practices that are at the core of Bible translation and the role of the church around the world.
  • Leadership experience in a multicultural context of staff and strategic partners in a global or regional network context.
  • A background of empowering local church leadership.
  • Significant fund development experience focused on advancing initiatives or priorities with supporting organisations and partners from different cultures.
  • Experience setting or adapting organisational vision and mission focus.
  • Practical implementation of strategies and plans that produce impact and measurable outcomes for others.
  • Service with or under a global or regional board, alliance or council.
  • Understanding the role of emerging technologies (such as AI, digital infrastructure).

Your response

Pray

We invite you to join us in the first and most important step in this process: prayer. Please add the discernment work of the ED Search Committee and the Board of Directors to your regular prayers. You may join the Committee and Board by using the prayer developed for the ED search process here.

Share this opportunity

Please share this profile with leaders in your networks inside and outside of the Alliance whom you believe could assist the search and/or recommend candidates for consideration.

Recommend candidates

After prayerful consideration, please recommend individuals you believe possess the heart, calling, gifts and experience described in this profile. Please share the individual’s full name, current leadership role, contact information, and the reason you believe they could be a strong candidate for consideration. You may suggest as many candidates as you would like. Please submit this information to the Executive Director Search Committee’s confidential form HERE.

Express interest

If, after prayerful consideration, you feel your heart, calling, gifts and experience could be a match to this profile, you may confidentially contact the Executive Director Search Committee at ed_search@wycliffe.net. Please attach a cover letter that describes your interest and potential fit to the role, and include your current CV.

All suggestions of candidates or expressions of interest will be handled with the utmost confidentiality by the Search Committee. 

We request that all candidate recommendations and expressions of interest be received by 30 November, 2026.  

You may direct questions about the search to the Search Committee at ed_search@wycliffe.net. 

Thank you again for joining us and supporting this important process.

A plain text pdf version of this page is available to download and print.

Photos
  • Women and a young girl from the Upper Pokomo community in Kenya joyfully hold New Testament Bibles in their language. (Daisy Kilel/BTL)
  • Participants shared joy and laughter together at the Asia Pacific Global People Conversation consultation in Malaysia. (Siew-wah Ng/WGA)
  • Participants at the European Global People Conversation consultation in Holtzhausen, Germany (Elisabeth Berg/WGA)