Overview
The VP of Program Management provides the formal interface between the project’s performance to Program Plans and the Executive Team. Most importantly, the VP of Program Management provides essential aspects of the Executive Team: not just managing projects and programs but also in developing process maturity and organizational integrity.
JAM exists to help create and develop African countries where those who are poor and marginalized can exercise their voice, build their own solutions, and take ownership of their future. The Program Delivery and Country Office teams contribute to realizing this by:
· Ensuring effective project managementthrough supporting project startups, implementation, reporting and management as well as closeouts
· Portfolio coordination- Providing a leadership role in the regional teams, and organize monthly calls for the teams with each country office.
· Working with country teams to develop, refine and pursue their strategies by leveraging technical knowledge (our own and others), researching, and analyzing potential partners and opportunities.
· Grow and diversify:contributes to scoping, pre-positioning and proposal development.
· Knowledge sharing and learning:Enhances communication between country offices and HQ, to ensure better understanding of the diverse operating environments and program approaches.
· External relations:Participating in the development conversation by attending events, hosting meetings, and reaching out to potential partners and donors as well as building strong and positive relationship with all Embasies in all countries where JAM is operational in any way.
Position Purpose
The Vice President Programs reports to the Chief Operations Officer and is responsible for driving and coordinating all activities within the Africa region and ensuring regional and global synergy. S/he prioritizes the management of the Country Directors (CDs)/Managers ensuring each country has developed work plans and country strategies Scorecards and are held accountable to them. S/he is responsible for ensuring that JAM’s activities are implemented on-time, on budget, with high-quality products and services, and to the full satisfaction of the sponsoring organization, and that all programs are in alignment with JAM’s policies and guidelines. S/he works to identify new business opportunities that are consistent with JAM’s strategic priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership:
- Serve as a trusted leader, help move JAM to a transformational organization;
- As one of JAM’s senior leaders, partner in advancing the mission and serve as a standard bearer of organizational philosophies and competencies;
- Represent JAM to a wide range of private and public sectors, acting as an advocate for JAM;
- Inspire, champion and spread a culture of shared success that makes true our belief that every imaginable problem has a solution;
- Strengthen the JAM brand through application of brand identity and contributing to efforts to communicate JAM’s values, approaches and global impact;
- Assist JAM marketing and country management teams to coordinate marketing and promotion of JAM;
Strategic Implementation:
- As a JAM leader, maximize strategic coordination, synergy and learning among JAM’s country programs in collaboration with Program Development, Opportunity Development, Communications/Marketing, HR, and Finance leadership;
- Significantly contribute to the cultivation of establishing strategic alliances and partnerships with current and potential donors working in the country offices and region;
- Promote and support JAM’s efforts to nurture innovation and strengthen JAM’s programmatic, grant making, finance, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and operations performance in full cooperation with Executive Leadership;
- Ensure that Country Directors have in place a country strategy and workplans and to hold CDs accountable for targets, in collaboration with the CEO and COO;
- Promote interregional and global learning through regional exchanges and peer program reviews.
Program Delivery:
- Identify with country teams, key management and technical priorities for country programs and recommend courses of action to either fill gaps or address problems accordingly;
- Be sure to develop and reach key program delivery targets across the region, select Country Directors/Managers who will drive and deliver on JAM’s strategic vision ensuring high quality, timely and on budget program delivery;
- Oversee country performance reviews and provide critical feedback to country management teams on how program approaches, management and standards can be strengthened and improved, in collaboration with other leaders;
- Work with the COO to lead country management teams to ensure they are aware of, have access to, and are using information, tools and support, and apply standards to maintain quality program, monitoring, evaluation and learning, grant making, finance and operations performance;
- Support country efforts to improve the consistency of management practices and ability to mitigate risks;
- Ensure the development of an ethos of effective implementation and good financial and administrative practices;
- Oversee the regular review of relevant reports, evaluations and other internal and external resources as necessary to utilize JAM expertise and experiences for improving program implementation;
- Ensure strong collaboration between HQ and regional compliance, finance and grant functions in their interaction with country programs;
New Business Development:
- Assist country programs to identify and develop new business opportunities within the region and ensure access to technical assistance in proposal development as needed.
Other Responsibilities
· Perform other duties as assigned.
Basic Requirements
- BA and at least 10 years of relevant experience (or equivalent)
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree in a relevant field;
- Demonstrated experience and success in a progressively responsible program management leadership position with field and international non-profit experience;
- Proven track record of success in managing large complex projects in overseas settings;
- Expertise in creating and managing country office budgets and annual targets;
- Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with clients, both participant-level and donor-level;
- Demonstrated capability in strategic visioning, planning and agency representation;
- Experience working with a variety of international donor organizations;
- Fluency in English and proficiency in at least one other regionally relevant language; Ability and willingness to travel internationally, up to 50% of the time
