Program Manager

Job Title: Program Manager
Location: HQ – Washington, DC
Manager: COO

About UMR:
United Mission for Relief and Development (UMR) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. We are one of the fastest growing NGOs in the country, with a focus on relief and developmental needs globally and domestically.

We currently have an opening for a full-time Program Manager with a proven track record in project management in humanitarian and complex environments, and a heavy focus on the MENA region.

Who You Are:
The ideal candidate will possess exceptional skills in advancing gender equality and women economic empowerment programs for vulnerable and marginalized women and girls, including refugee women, with the ultimate goal of increasing their entrepreneurial skills. You will also lead the design, implementation and delivery of health and food security projects across the Programs department, with a strong focus in the MENA region. This role will also supervise UMR’s HQ-based Program Officers (both East Africa and South Asia regions) with their project management and proposal development for their respective regions.

We are looking for someone who will facilitate participatory and collaborative approaches to move teams towards results; utilize learn-by-doing, learn-by-peers, and blended learning methodologies; facilitate collaborative development of comprehensive MEAL plans, detailed program implementation plans, and operational plans with the collaboration of the HQ Program Officers; partner with women’s rights organizations; support in organizing action plans for the operationalization of M&E plans and coordinate mentoring of partners to support the development and operationalization of the M&E systems. The Program Manager will support the management of potential donors and prospects, technical assistance providers, individual trainers, coaches, mentors, speakers, nominating partners, visibility partners, and/or other economic development and health partners.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide program management oversight including partner selection, proposal development, and grants management
• Lead in writing proposals, concept papers, weekly/monthly/quarterly reports, etc.
• Ensure the necessary process and programs structure is in place to effectively apply to awards/grants to support UMR’s key projects
• Oversee the recruitment and management of staff and consultants, including the recruitment of staff in the MENA region
• Supervise the HQ Program Officers, providing guidance and coordinating their work across the Programs department
• Work with the senior management team to strategically plan and design
• Support the development and/or documentation of training implementation and tools
• Ensure the proper process is in place for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL), Quality Assurance to ensure that programs are being implemented in line with relevant standards and best practices
• Ensure projects’ record keeping and statistical information is maintained, updated and communicated with the relevant stakeholders
• Participate and coordinate with relevant actors, such as working groups, clusters and relevant government institutions
• Reviews status reports prepared by project personnel and modifies schedules or plans as required
• Other duties may be assigned.

Competencies and Qualifications:

• To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:
• Have a wide range of experience in multi-sectoral relief efforts and long-term development interventions
• Significant experience in Livelihoods, Food Security, women empowerment and/or health sectors is strongly preferred
• Strong experience with proposal development, with track record of winning awards
• Knowledge and experience with girls’ education, women entrepreneurship, and gender approaches and tools
• Exhibit the ability to learn and apply new skills, stay abreast of current developments, require minimal supervision, use resources effectively, and display an understanding of how this position relates to others
• In depth knowledge of program management and development procedures
• Experience in a highly volatile environment desired
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership across a team
• Ability to network with peer organizations and donor agencies
• Ability to lead and manage highly sensitive multicultural challenges by responding appropriately to different situations
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience with delivering capacity building interventions

Requirements:

• Master's degree or equivalent in international development, international relations or equivalent field
• At least 5 years of program management in the INGO sector, preferably in the humanitarian and development field, with at least 3 years being in Women’s Protection and Empowerment, food security, and/or education and health in emergencies context
• Proven record of managing and delivering successful programs from inception to completion
• Proven record of funding projects through grants and other fundraising means
• Strong grant-writing/proposal experience, with a track record of winning awards
• Demonstrate clear understanding of gender, human rights, and refugee issues surrounding violence against women and girls
• Excellent oral and written skills in both English and Arabic required.

Additional Skills Desired:
Use of Technology - Fluency in MS Office, Salesforce and other relevant project management tools; adapts to new technologies; troubleshoots technological problems; uses technology to increase productivity; keeps technical skills up to date.

Business Acumen - Understands business implications of decisions; displays orientation to profitability maximizing efficient use of resources to achieve maximum programmatic impact; demonstrates knowledge of market and competition; aligns work with strategic goals.

Conflict Resolution - Encourages open communications; confronts difficult situations; maintains objectivity; keeps emotions under control; uses negotiation skills to resolve conflicts.

Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures; completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; supports organization's goals and values; benefits organization through outside activities; supports affirmative action and respects diversity.

Language Skills - Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and overall programs’ procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and
the general public.

Reasoning Ability - Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

To be considered for the position, please submit your CV/resume, cover letter, salary history and expectations, and at least three professional references to hr@umrelief.org. Please include “Program Manager” in the email title.

The professional references should include: Supervisors, managed staff, as well as peers references.