Senior Program Manager, Strategy, Performance, and Learning (SPL), Arlington, VA

Job Description

The Senior Program Manager is a key member of the SPL management team, providing supervision and support to an assigned sub-set of SI staff. He/she performs critical personnel management business development and service delivery functions. He/she supports the Program Directors by providing direct oversight of select projects and staff, and participates in key decisions affecting the service area team including bid and staffing decisions. The Senior Program Manager has experience managing complex projects, is a skilled team leader, has an established track record in all aspects of people management, and is able to support a variety of organizational management functions such as planning, budgeting, and resource planning. He/she also supports business development/revenue generation functions.

Responsibilities:

Personnel Management

The Senior Program Manager plays a key role in division personnel management by overseeing an assigned set of approximately 4-5 service area staff, including Program Managers, Program Associates, and Program Assistants:

• Provides direct supervision of assigned staff.
• Oversees work assignments.
• Assesses workloads, identifies personnel resource needs through forecasting, and makes recommendations to implement re source leveling, bid assignments or hiring decisions.
• Aligns staff interests and expertise with projects and organizational needs.
• Serves as a coach and mentor to assigned staff, overseeing the professional development of direct reports.
• Carries out ongoing and end-of-year performance appraisals for assigned staff, seeking input from other managers and staff who have worked with the staff member. Recommends staff for promotions based on their performance during the end- of-year appraisal process.
• Participates in the recruitment and hiring of new service area staff.

Service Delivery

The Senior Program Manager is expected to be billable for approximately 70% of his/her time:

• Provides quality, financial, contractual, and overall risk management support on large, complex, and/or high visibility projects.
• Serves in a technical capacity as a team leader/deputy team leader, senior team member/technical advisor, or project director on monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) assignments; and as an IQC Manager on umbrella contracts.
• When serving as a senior technical advisor or project director on MEL assignments, provides technical advice and quality assurance services to the team implementing the contract.
• Establishes strong relationships with clients, chiefs of party, and other stakeholders.
• Serves in other senior technical roles as required by specific projects, including as a trainer on MEL training contracts where appropriate.

Business Development/Revenue Generation

The Senior Program Manager is expected to spend time supporting revenue generation activities. This mainly includes support for proposal development related to new bids. The Senior Program Manager may be called upon to identify new opportunities, write or lead technical sections for proposals, review draft proposals, identify staff to be included in proposals, and work with the Finance Department to develop and review budgets.

Other Management Functions

The Senior Program Manager may also be asked to support other service area management functions from time to time.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in international development or other related social sciences.
• Illustrative working experience of 5 to 15 years will include a minimum of 5 years’ experience working in MEL, such as: developing activity monitoring and evaluation plans, results frameworks and log frames, performance management plans, conducting evaluations/assessments, designing and implementing data collection/analysis tools, or training/conference facilitation.
• Demonstrated experience training others in monitoring, evaluation, collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA) techniques preferred.
• Experience working with USAID, Department of State and/or other donor agencies and foundations to produce useful and accurate products.
• Demonstrated experience managing large and/or complex donor contracts, with positive results.
• Demonstrated experience managing personnel, providing mentorship, and/or conducting resource planning.
• Proficiency in a foreign language, such as Spanish, French, or Arabic is a plus.
• Technical expertise in one or more sectors (e.g. health, environment, education, economic growth, democracy and governance) a strong plus.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, entrepreneurial, management, and writing skills required.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, growing business environment.
• Willingness to travel on assignment approximately 20%-25% of the time.

Come join our energetic and innovative team! We offer you the opportunity to play a leading role in the growth of our company, work as part of a creative and committed team, and make a difference in the well-being of our world.

To learn more about Social Impact, please visit our website: http://www.socialimpact.com .

SI is an EEO/AA/ADA Veterans Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Please, no phone calls.

About the Organization

Social Impact (SI) is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits.