Senior Program Manager/Education Support East Africa (US)

Senior Program Manager - Supporting a Secondary Education Program in East Africa (US-based)

Are you looking to make an impact in a dynamic environment where you collaborate with smart, motivated people who want to make a difference in the world?

Who We Are

We’re Geneva Global (GGI), a Certified B Corporation and philanthropic consulting company. GGI is part of Global Impact Ventures, a family of mission-driven organizations that serve all of philanthropy for a better world. We work with philanthropists, nongovernmental organizations, corporations, and development agencies worldwide to help them perform better, achieving the biggest positive impact possible. We serve as trusted advisors and thought partners to our clients, working with them to develop customized strategies, launch and implement new initiatives, and improve and assess the impact of their work and their giving. We also implement directly, presently featuring education programs in East Africa.

Operating a new, exciting and high-visibility secondary education and skills program in Ethiopia, we are recruiting a Senior Program Manager to oversee and support this program and other aspects of GGI’s education portfolio with excellence. The new program’s overall aim is to strengthen the relevance and quality of secondary education to yield the successful transition of secondary students to tertiary education or the world of work by equipping them with relevant skills, knowledge and attitude through enhanced implementation of the competency-based curriculum. We are looking for an outstanding candidate who brings substantial knowledge, skill, experience, and energy in the management of education and skills programs to help sustain and grow excellence in our current and future education programming. The candidate will bring dual experience in program management and secondary education/skills programming in addition to rigor to the implementation of funded projects and programs as part of a consortium. The successful candidate will also be an inspirational, thoughtful, collaborative guide and colleague to our country-based and headquarters teams.

The Position and Its Responsibilities

If selected, you will work closely with colleagues at GGI’s headquarters and the outstanding country team in Ethiopia to lead, backstop, and implement this new education program. You will report to the Director of Programs/Education Team Lead in the US and work closely with both HQ and country teams. You will also contribute to business development efforts with the aim of expanding and diversifying GGI’s broader education work in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa and beyond. Other responsibilities will include client reporting and relations, general marketing and communications, and contributing to the internal operations and overall institutional well-being of Geneva Global.

Illustrative of your specific responsibilities will be the following:

Program Support and Management (c. 70% of your time) 

The bulk of your time will be to support implementation of the new secondary education and skills program in Ethiopia. You will also, however, provide support to other programs operating under GGI’s education portfolio in Ethiopia and, occasionally, in Uganda, and potentially other countries.

• Provide continuous support to country teams in the key operational aspects of program implementation. The candidate will work with the country team to support the strategic planning of the project activities in the different regions of intervention. The candidate will also provide budget oversight and financial management, grantmaking activities of the project ensuring adherence to the agreement clauses is essential. The candidate will support and oversee the monitoring and evaluation, program operations, reporting, and partner collaboration, among other tasks of the project.
• Provide, mobilize, manage, and coordinate technical input, guidance, and solutions to the country team for the successful design, planning, implementation, and assessment of the technical elements of the secondary education/skills program and of other programs as needed.
• Consult and coordinate with Global Impact Ventures Human Resources, Accounting, and Operations teams and in-country legal counsel to ensure thorough and effective oversight and support of all country-level and other financial management and operations, including the review of country team financial reports, processing advances and grants, financial reporting to clients, and personnel management, among other tasks.
• Supervise and support HQ-based intern(s) assigned to GGI’s Design and Implementation Team, including in the areas of program management, policy and standard practices, and performance and development reviews, among other tasks.

Donor Support (c. 10% of your time) 

• Support the country team to prepare routine and special reports to the program’s funding organization and consortium partners, pertaining particularly to the program’s implementation, impacts, and other contractual obligations.
• Coordinate with GGI leadership on maintaining strong client relations and commitments.
• And other relevant tasks.

Business Development and Marketing (c. 10% of your time) 

• Contribute to the identification of new potential sources of funding, both for existing country education programs and for new topical and geographic areas of activity.
• Contribute to the preparation of proposals, concept notes, and other documents aimed at mobilizing additional resources for existing and new programs.
• Produce case studies, blogs, articles, and other public-facing collateral on GGI’s work in education and other domains to raise visibility and support the overall organization as well as the project’s and the country teams’ marketing and communications efforts.
• Attend and actively participate in conferences and other professional forums for both business development and institutional visibility purposes.
• And other relevant tasks.

Organizational and Technical Support (c. 10% of your time) 

• Provide technical and administrative support to other business units of GGI and the broader GIV family.
• Contributes to the onboarding of new staff members for both the GGI Education Team and other units, as appropriate.
• May serve on various internal committees concerned by such diverse areas as business development, strategic planning, employee experience team, and company-wide policies, systems, and standards.
• And other relevant tasks.

Qualifications 

You will be eager and able to integrate a Geneva Global team that is devoted to a culture of collaboration around the attainment of high impact, creativity, and fun in the service of our clients, partners, and beneficiaries. You will embrace Geneva Global’s firm and aggressive commitment to human kindness and respect in both our internal operations and outward-facing work. You will continuously evolve professionally and exhibit diligence and rigor in your work. And you will demonstrate solid analytical and problem-solving skills, communicate effectively both orally and in writing, and have a strong interpersonal capacity. More conventional qualifications you will bring to the position include the following:

• At least seven years of experience working in international development program management.
• A strong experience in the secondary education/skills sector.
• Sector specific expertise in international education program design, planning, management, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Budgeting and financial management, with excellent Excel skills.
• Experience working with international donor organizations, ideally including foundations and corporations.
• Personnel management in a cross-cultural context.
• Experience working with or in nongovernmental organizations.
• Grants & project management experience.
• An advanced degree in international education or some other relevant field, or demonstration of significant experience in the sector.
• Sustained experience working in developing country contexts.
• Knowledge of a second language.
• Strong ability with Microsoft Office programs and, ideally, with different publishing, grants management, and/or statistical software programs; and
• You are willing and able to travel internationally up to 25% of time per year.

Working at Geneva Global

At Geneva Global (GGI), we passionately celebrate our culture, values, and community. We are committed to cultivating and nurturing a workplace for all. Geneva Global encourages all interested candidates to apply for this position.

The salary range for this role is $ 93,000 - $103,000 depending on the experience you bring. On top of the competitive salary that we are offering, you’ll receive 16 paid holidays and 25 paid days off. We provide an excellent benefits plan including parental leave, medical, dental, short-term and long-term disability, and a robust 401K program.

This is a full-time position with the potential to be fully remote, or, if you are local to the greater Philadelphia area, a hybrid work model.

A complete application includes a cover letter, resume, and a professional writing sample that demonstrates your ability to present information in a cogent and compelling way. Your application will be incomplete without all these documents, and you will not be considered.

We look forward to hearing from you!