Vice President, Program Development

Job Description

Title: VP, Program Development

Div/Dept: Programs

Location: Washington D.C.

Reporting Relationship: Executive Vice President, Programs

SUMMARY

Responsible for strategic direction, leadership and management of the Program Development Division. Plays major role in developing strategic partnerships and in networking, profiling, and collaborating externally with other agencies and foundations active in international child development. Provides leadership and oversight to the development, implementation and coordination of program models and business/resource development to maximize impact on core outcomes for children. Leads organizational efforts in grant acquisition, policy advocacy, impact reporting, and brand visibility within the international NGO community. Contributes significantly in setting global organizational policy and direction, and in long-term strategic planning and implementation. Acts as liaison to Board of Directors on programmatic matters.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

External Representation and Networking

• Serve as the head of office and chief representative in the DC community
• Build and promote the organizational visibility and brand within the international development community including representation of ChildFund in international development forums.
• Serve as the organizational representative on the Alliance Program Committee
• Identify and provide inputs to inter-agency consortiums and alliances on issues consistent with ChildFund priorities and interests.
• Strengthen ChildFund’s positioning as a thought leader.
• Network, connect, and position ChildFund with US government, intergovernmental agencies/donors, foundations, and philanthropists active in international child development

Program Quality and Assessment:

• Provide leadership and oversight for the development, evolution, and evaluation of programs to achieve core outcomes for children. Promote innovations and ensure effective development and communication of guidance to enable program staff at all levels to adopt them.
• Identify major program quality risks and facilitate a process to address them
• Provide leadership and guidance for Program Development staff to harness sponsorship, Alliance, advancement in technology, networks, local and strategic partnerships and build the required organizational competencies to integrate them in program practice
• Provide leadership for the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation system and promote its use for accountability, institutional learning, documentation, impact demonstration, and capture and dissemination of knowledge internally and externally
• Leads organizational efforts to engage with external centers of excellence and knowledge and facilitate transfer of knowledge and cutting edge practices to strengthen country programs.
• Oversee the policy advocacy effort and ensures its relevance, alignment, and effectiveness. Leads organizational efforts to engage in policy advocacy, including strategies to engage the US government, as well as promoting a consistent Country Office engagement in advocacy to advance core outcomes for Children.
• Mobilize needed technical resources to support effective emergency responses and disaster risk reduction

Business and Resource Development:

• Oversee the development and regular update of strategies and plans and lead continuous efforts to strengthen the overall health of the grants portfolio
• Oversee and engage in the development of strategies to strengthen ChildFund competitiveness to acquire grants from government and private donors
• Oversee the development and execution of annual plans to achieve revenue and other annual grants targets
• Cultivate strategic partnerships/relationships to support grants acquisition and for advancing organizational programmatic priorities.
• Lead continuous development, alignment, and deployment of resources ( technical, financial, and relationships) required for vibrant grants portfolio
• Facilitate effective relationships with Alliance members and access by country offices to their government and private donors.
• Oversee and enable effective mobilization for proposals to governments and Foundations
• Oversee the staffing and well-functioning of the Global Grants Team
• Explore and test innovative ‘blue ocean’ approach for future grants acquisition
• Engage and provide intelligence and cultivate relationships with Foundations and other non-traditional donors

Organizational Culture and Leadership

• Acts as a member of the Executive Team and the Global Operations Leadership Team to ensure effective coordination and implementation of organizational strategic and operational priorities.

• Participates and actively contributes to the agenda of the Program Committee of the Board
• Fosters interdivisional collaboration, especially in areas such as program monitoring, program and sponsorship integration, and resource development
• Promotes Child Safeguarding in all that ChildFund does.

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant child development and protection experience at a leadership level, preferably in an international development organization at a headquarters level.
• Minimum of 5 years living and working in a developing country; fluency in English required; fluency in a second major language of business for ChildFund (French, Spanish, Portuguese) preferred.
• Demonstrated significant knowledge and experience and achievements in strategic partnerships and external visibility; and the theory, concepts and technical practice of child development and protection programs, particularly as they are applied in resource poor environments, including safeguarding children.
• Outstanding oral/written communication, presentation, interpersonal and listening skills - someone who can clearly articulate organization’s message, be an effective spokesperson and inspire and earn the respect of his/her internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in leading and managing in complex multi-cultural work environments with significant numbers of staff and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in change management and large scale capacity building in complex environments with limited resources.
• Demonstrated experience in developing strategic fundraising programs and growth initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience developing, managing and evaluating programs and services to achieve global objectives.
• Proven experience developing and managing partnerships to leverage impact.
• Experience managing programs/operations in an international setting; must enjoy extensive international travel.
• Excellent people management skills and knowledge of talent development strategies.
• Track record in developing and evolving program innovations.

EDUCATION

• Minimum of Master’s degree in a relevant field, PhD preferred.

About the Organization

A world in which children realize their rights and achieve their potential.

HELP deprived, excluded and vulnerable children have the capacity to improve their lives and the opportunity to become young adults, parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change in their communities.

PROMOTE societies whose individuals and institutions participate in valuing, protecting and advancing the worth and rights of children.

ENRICH supporters’ lives through their support of our cause.

All children — including those 570 million — have rights to the support, protection and care they need to grow up healthy and strong. As a child-focused international development organization, ChildFund exists to change underlying factors that prevent children from fully experiencing these rights.