Program Operations Lead // Project Management Lead, Programs Team

About the Job

We’re Echidna Giving, a vibrant, international team united in our mission to transform girls' education worldwide. We are seeking a Project Management Lead to support the Program Director and strengthen the effectiveness, coordination, and execution of our growing programs team, which includes colleagues in the U.S. and East Africa—and will expand further.

This role is ideal for project managers, operations managers, program managers, or business/product/general ops professionals who enjoy building systems, coordinating work, tracking performance, and enabling teams and leaders to succeed. Candidates may come from nonprofit/foundation settings seeking a portfolio-level coordination and performance-focused role, or from for-profit backgrounds and want to shift to mission-driven work.

Are you energized by building systems, improving processes, and enabling teams to execute with clarity and momentum? Do you enjoy balancing strategic thinking with detailed project management? Are you motivated by the opportunity to help scale impact for girls’ education globally? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

About Us

At Echidna Giving, our mission is clear: getting more girls into better schools to create brighter futures. We believe investing in girls' education transforms lives and communities, making the world more equitable. As a leading private funder in international education, we're in a phase of exciting growth, expanding our annual grant budget from $50M to $200M over the next 5-7 years. (Learn more at www.echidnagiving.org)

Join our dynamic team of thirteen, and help us shape the future of girls' education. We take pride in our principles, teamwork, relationships, and ability to move quickly.

Responsibilities

Program and Project Management (~50%)

Drive the planning, coordination, and execution of program team workflows to ensure clarity, efficiency, and alignment with strategic goals.

• Collaborate with the Program Director and program team to establish efficient processes, coordinate work plans, and manage cross-team projects.
• Develop, maintain, and monitor detailed project plans, schedules, and budgets for assigned programs or initiatives.
• Support the annual planning process for team goals, travel, and budget. Help develop process and facilitate regular follow-up to track progress, identify risks, and propose corrective actions as needed.
• Facilitate regular program team check-ins; coordinate agendas, meeting schedules, and follow-up.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities to ensure operational alignment with organizational strategy.
• Coordinate planning for all-grantee gatherings (virtual and in-person, including webinars and meetings at CIES).
• Maintain shared resources and systems to ensure consistent team communication and documentation.
• Document project outcomes, decisions, and lessons learned to strengthen institutional memory.
• Develop timelines for board-related deliverables; support timely preparation and submission of materials.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and improve tools, templates, and operational processes.
• Implement enhancements to tracking and reporting systems to support better program oversight and learning.
• Contribute to broader program management initiatives as needed, including special projects or pilots.

Research, Data Analysis, & Reporting (~30%)

Strengthen evidence-informed program decision-making by managing and/or informing key data processes, producing analysis, and generating insights that guide strategy.

• Track grant budget progress throughout the year and flag issues for review.
• Oversee generation, interpretation, and synthesis of high-level grant data to inform strategy.
• Develop dashboards, metrics, and performance indicators to track grantmaking outcomes and impact.
• Support team in posting blogs and updating the resource library on the website.
• Support in compiling ideas and supporting content for grantee newsletter
• Coordinate program team contributions for monthly All Staff meetings.
• Lead research and exploratory analyses on potential new areas of work, including interviews with peer funders.
• Support analysis and interpretation of important data pulls (e.g. grantee survey results; annual grant data)
• Manage special research or analytical projects as assigned.
• Support Grants Management team to identify, coordinate, and implement improvements to Echidna’s grants management system; compile user feedback and track enhancements.
• Support Grants Management in the annual grant data review process.
• Ensure timely and accurate entry of programmatic materials in grants management system.

Administrative & Logistical Support (~20%)

Provide targeted administrative and logistical support to ensure the Program Director and program team operate smoothly and efficiently.

• Schedule meetings and coordinate calendars for the Program Director.
• Manage travel arrangements (flights, hotels, itineraries) for the Program Director.
• Support in meeting logistics and arrangements for Program Team

What we’re looking for

• 5+ Years Work Experience: Ideally you've had at least 5 years of work experience, including experience in operations, project management, or a similar role that combines workflow design, execution, and coordination across multiple stakeholders.
• Project Management Prowess: You are able to manage complex projects from planning through execution, including building timelines, tracking milestones, and ensuring follow-through. You have exceptional organizational skills with a proven ability to forecast needs, build efficient systems, streamline processes, and maintain accurate documentation. You bring experience supporting senior leaders and coordinating diverse, cross-functional teams.
• Data Detective: You have strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret data, identify patterns, and generate insights to inform decision-making. You are proficient with productivity and data tools (e.g., Google Suite, project management tools, CRM or grants management systems, dashboards).
• Clear Communicator: You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to distill information clearly for diverse audiences.
• Global Team Player: You work seamlessly across time zones, balancing flexibility with the ability to create alignment across remote teams.
• Organizational Wizard: You juggle multiple priorities effortlessly, managing projects, calendars, and initiatives with meticulous attention to detail.
• Flexible & Fun: You bring maturity, humor, and adaptability to every challenge, while supporting a vibrant and evolving team environment. You’re ready to wear different hats and flexible to dive into unexpected challenges as required.
• Ready for Domestic and International Travel: You are willing and able to pack a bag and hit the road approximately 10% of the time to participate in staff gatherings, conferences, or other meetings etc.
• San Francisco Office Ready: Ability to work from our San Francisco office two to three days a week, along with the rest of the San Francisco team. Unfortunately, we cannot support relocation or visa sponsorship for this role, so please be located in or already planning to independently relocate to the Bay Area.
• Preferred Experience: Philanthropy, nonprofit management, international development, or education—especially grantmaking environments.

• Competitive Salary with 401(k) match
• Medical/Dental/Vision coverage
• Professional development allowance
• Charitable giving allowance with a match
• Generous Time Off
• Paid volunteer leave annually and sabbatical perks after 6 years
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave, plus a 2-week re-entry support period
• Monthly phone/internet reimbursement up to a cap