In 1961, Oxfam appointed its first Field Director, based in southern Africa and tasked with overseeing and developing the programme there. Other such appointments followed in Asia and elsewhere. Field Secretaries in Oxford were points of contact for the Field Directors. This administration grew to form 'Desks' based on geographical regions, including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

A process of decentralisation in the 1990s, referred to as 'regionalisation', resulted in management responsibilities being transferred from the Oxford Desks to regional offices in the countries in which Oxfam worked. The Regional Management Centre for Russia, Eastern Europe, the Former Soviet Union and the Middle East was established in Oxford.