Program Manager, First Response Fund (FRF)

Position: Program Manager, First Response Fund (FRF)

Status: Full-time, fixed-term, 3 years, with possibility of extension

Team: Global Programs

Reports to: Co-VP Global Programs

Supervises:

• Direct Supervision: Program Officer (to be hired in the near future)
• Coordination/Indirect Supervision: FRF Financial Analyst, Learning & Impact position, possible administrative position(s) within FRF Secretariat

Language(s): English required, plus Spanish, Arabic, or French as second language.

Location: Remote, within Canada

Starting Salary Range: $87,000-90,000 CAD

Deadline for Applications: 6 July 2025 11:59pm ET

ABOUT THE FIRST RESPONSE FUND

The First Response Fund (FRF) is a new global pooled fund, currently in its design phase, that seeks to resource humanitarian responses led by feminist civil society organizations - by leveraging women’s and feminist funds’ (W/FF) funding capacity, reach, and relationships with women’s rights and women led organizations (WROs/WLOs) across regions.

Twelve feminist and women’s funds (along with Prospera, the international network of women’s funds) are working together to design the First Response Fund centering the strategies of local WLOs/WROs in ODA-eligible countries, providing resources and accompaniment via a global network of over 50 Women’s and Feminist Funds. FRF represents an innovative advance on localization because it moves core, flexible resources to local WROs/WLOs for the life-saving, humanitarian services prioritized by their communities.

FRF is a new initiative that builds on the existing expertise of WROs/WLOs doing critical humanitarian response and of W/FFs resourcing these groups. We are creating an accessible channel for donors to resource the humanitarian activities of WROs.

FRF is hosted by the Equality Fund, a feminist fund based in Canada, resourcing feminist movements through global grantmaking, gender-lens investing, policy advocacy, and feminist philanthropy. Launched in 2019, the Equality Fund has, in its first five years, programmed $100 million CAD in grants directly and in partnership with women’s and feminist funds to support 1,000 women’s rights and feminist organizations working across 100 countries.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Program Manager is the most senior member of the FRF Secretariat, hosted at the Equality Fund. This position will coordinate and drive overall operations across FRF in the three-year pilot phase. Primary responsibilities include project management of the final stages of FRF design and the subsequent implementation of FRF’s humanitarian grantmaking strategy, which will target historically marginalized populations and geographies frequently missed in humanitarian funding and response activities.

The successful candidate must demonstrate solid experience in humanitarian programming. Previous experience managing humanitarian projects, working with women’s rights and feminist organizations in humanitarian contexts and reporting to humanitarian donors is mandatory in this position. The ideal candidate is also a bridge builder, with a proven track record in complex initiatives, with an orientation to partnership development and relationship building with multiple stakeholders. We are looking for candidates that are committed to power shifting and enabling local responses, with strong accountability to the needs and priorities of communities and movements.

Reporting to the Co-VP of Global Programs at the Equality Fund, the Program Manager liaises with the Advisory Group, the participatory body setting the strategic direction and grantmaking priorities for the Fund. The Advisory Group is made up of representatives from Women’s and Feminist Funds, Women’s rights and women led organizations, and humanitarian sector bodies from a diversity of backgrounds.

The Program Manager works closely with the FRF Secretariat team and relevant Equality Fund staff to develop grantmaking and finance tools for humanitarian programming, coordinate due diligence with implementing partners, drive the preparation and approval of grant dockets and provide support and accompaniment to FRF grant partners during implementation.

This role requires a strong understanding of humanitarian principles and standards and the ability to support capacity-building in humanitarian principles, systems and practices for feminist funds and implementing partners.

SCOPE & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides overall coordination and enables the smooth functioning of the different structures and groups focused on key aspects of First Response Fund’s work, including governance, strategy, MEL, and resource mobilization (4 working groups);
• Coordinates and manages the transition from program design to implementation of FRF strategies and operations;
• Supports the building of a multifunctional FRF team and the implementation of the annual work plan;
• Manages the optimal functioning of the Advisory Group, the participatory body setting the strategic direction and grantmaking priorities for the Fund. The Advisory Group is made up of representatives from Women’s and Feminist Funds, Women’s rights and women led organizations, and humanitarian sector bodies from a diversity of backgrounds.
• Ensures implementation of FRF’s humanitarian grantmaking as per the response strategies and priorities determined by the FRF Advisory group;
• Leads the preparation of key humanitarian programming deliverables, including Annual Work Plans, Budgets, Grant Dockets.
• Supports compliance with terms and conditions of the funding and the pre-vetting of grant partners, collaborating with the grants operations and finance teams of the Equality Fund;
• Supports effective financial and narrative reporting for humanitarian programming to donors, supporters, feminist movement actors, and other stakeholders;
• Solves problems and shows a willingness to develop solutions consistent with a start-up, multi-stakeholder initiative;
• Develops strategies for support and accompaniment to recipients of resources from the Fund;
• Supports development of programming and collaborations within EF and with external partners and stakeholders to advance the work of women’s rights and feminist organizations and movements, sister funds, and strengthen the feminist funding ecosystem;
• Contributes to resource mobilization strategies and works with peer funds to represent and promote the work of FRF and its partners as required;
• Manages relationships with current donors via regular communications sharing key documents, answering questions;
• Acts in accordance with our policies around nurturing a safe and respectful work environment; never engaging in harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation or abuse of any form, or anything else contrary to our code of conduct.

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

• At least five years experience in humanitarian coordination and policy, ideally with an emergency relief or international development organization;
• Previous experience managing humanitarian projects, working with women’s rights and feminist organizations in humanitarian contexts and reporting to humanitarian donors is mandatory in this position;
• Knowledge of and/or direct lived experience of the realities of Global South based civil society organizations and good understanding of their context
• Demonstrated expertise in working within humanitarian frameworks, including principles, best practice and standards;
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality and inclusion of marginalized populations, especially in the context of humanitarian response.
• Experience working with women’s/feminist funds and/or feminist funders is desirable;
• Demonstrated high ethical standards, integrity, honesty, and ability to work with sensitive information in a confidential manner;
• Commitment to the work and values of the Equality Fund, which include Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, and Intersectionality; Feminist Leadership; Accountability; and Radical Love;
• English is essential, other languages considered a strong asset
• Experience with virtual collaboration on cloud based platforms considered a strong asset;
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, complex environment

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be legally eligible to work in Canada
• May require some early/late calls to accommodate the many time zones represented in the communities that Advisory Group Members and FRF stakeholders are based in
• May require occasional surge work in periods of active humanitarian response activities
• Willing and able to undertake some travel (2-4 trips per year), including to lower resource contexts
• Willing and able to work remotely on mostly computer-based work

OUR ENVIRONMENT OF CARE

• We trust our talented team and are pleased to offer a flexible and virtual work environment.
• We are driven by our values: anti-racism, anti-oppression, and intersectionality; feminist leadership; accountability; and radical love. We believe our values are realized through collaboration, a growth and learning mindset, emotional intelligence, diversity, authenticity, a global perspective, care, and building networks. We work to share power and create space for everyone to lead.
• Equality Fund is proud to offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package which has no waiting period and includes 4 weeks paid vacation, paid sick time, parental leave top up, medical benefits, Group RRSP, paid birthday off, and more.
• Equality Fund is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and respectful workplace. We do not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation, or abuse of any form. We recognize that those behaviours are often rooted in abuse of power, which is contrary to EF's mission to make a more equitable world for women, girls, and trans people.
• Equality Fund is an equal opportunity employer. We believe deeply in equality and value diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, disability, and all other protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and positionalities, and are committed to providing an accessible candidate experience. To let us know how we can make an accommodation or adjustment to facilitate the selection process and beyond, please reach out to people@equalityfund.ca.
• This posting is for a new vacancy

SELECTION PROCESS

• Equality Fund does not employ the use of AI technology in the screening, recruitment, or selection process.
• Equality Fund’s People, Equity, and Culture team will work with the hiring manager to do an initial screening of applicants. Please make sure to detail your experience in your resume/cover letter to ensure the committee has the information they need to assess your qualifications for the role. This process takes about 1 week from the application deadline.
• When there are many candidates who pass the initial screening, the People, Equity, and Culture team may conduct 15-30 minute phone screening calls.
• The hiring committee will conduct first round interviews with selected candidates. Candidates will be sent the interview questions 48 hours in advance of their scheduled interview. Candidates are welcome, but not expected or required, to send any questions they have for the hiring committee in advance of the interview. These interviews usually occur about 2 weeks after the application deadline.
• The hiring committee may conduct a second round of interviews, which may include an assignment.
• The People, Equity, and Culture team will conduct reference checks for the candidate to whom they intend to extend an offer. This process usually takes about 1 week.
• The People, Equity, and Culture team will initiate a background check. This is intended to safeguard Equality Fund employees, grantees, and the organization. We recognize that some communities experience systemic over-policing. As such, only findings related to harassment, exploitation, coercion, sexual exploitation, fraud, abuse, or other findings specifically relevant to the duties of the role will be considered in relation to one’s eligibility for employment.
• The People, Equity, and Culture team will send the selected candidate an Employment Agreement, which the candidate will have time to review and return.

JOIN US!

Though we work to respond to all applicants, at times we may only be able to follow up with those selected for an interview.