UMCOR Program Manager, International Development

POSITION: Program Manager, International Development

LOCATION: Headquarters, New York City, NY

PURPOSE:

The primary purpose of this position is to support, guide and oversee the program development, monitoring and reporting activities, as well as mission strategic development and exit/transition. The position requires significant program development as well as field office grant and donor management. It will be expected that the PM will travel to the field to gain firsthand knowledge of programs and issues and be a liaison with donors in the US and internationally, acting as a link between project ideas being generated in the field and representing those ideas to US and internationally based donors. The Program Manager will be responsible for grant management, as well as providing representation of assigned missions (country programs) at UMCOR’s NY headquarters and with external partners. Under the guidance of the Director, International Programs, the Program Manager will ensure that each assigned mission operates based on a sound humanitarian and development strategy and follows UMCOR’s standards of operations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

Mission Support, Coordination and Supervision

• Provide management support to assigned desk missions.
• Monitor day-to-day communications in assigned missions and ensure appropriate responses to the field and donors.
• Provide grant management support for all donor grants, including proposal submission, ensuring donor reporting requirements are met and dealing with donor related issues.
• Advise field missions on issues of grant management and compliance including start-up and close-out.
• Keep accurate and updated grant files at all times.
• Advise Heads of Mission on personnel, administration and program related issues.
• Provide policy and operational guidance to field missions and assist in developing field manuals.
• Through constant liaison with donors and Heads of Mission (HoMs), identify mission priorities and assist when needed (e.g. with proposal writing, stakeholder liaison, etc.).
• Maintain a strong link with the Director, International Programs and Associate General Secretary, International Development, reporting on a regular basis and copying them on relevant communications through an established communications protocol.
• Liaise with UMCOR Health and UMCOR International Disaster Response personnel and NY-based finance, human resources, resource development, and communication and marketing support departments on issues pertaining to the assigned missions.
• Coordinate program and mission evaluation activities.
• Provide coverage for key leadership/program/support functions in the field as requested, to assist with short-term gaps and emergency support.
• Represent assigned mission on Crisis Management Team as appropriate.
• Make monitoring field visits as assigned, and submit written reports and recommendations based on these visits.Coordinate with the Program Managers for other missions/regions for information sharing and to establish a coherent program support and backstopping function between headquarters and the field.

Program Design, Development and Strategy Support

• Pro-actively build, maintain and capitalize on close relations with UMCOR current, past and potential institutional donors.
• Pro-actively seek out new funding opportunities for missions, inform HoMs and Strategic Resource Team (SRT) members.
• Review incoming proposals from field offices for donor compliance, programmatic and narrative quality and expedite the review process.
• Ensure that all proposal development criteria are met including compilation of certifications and recommendations and coordination of internal approval process.
• Negotiate grant agreements, program and budget revisions, and any other grant related issues with donors.
• Review budgets for proposals and operating budgets as needed in coordination with Grant Finance Managers
• Make program design/proposal writing field visits as necessary.
• Attend assigned mission planning meetings as appropriate, and provide input into mission strategy planning
• Review, edit and provide input into mission annual and multi-year planning documents as appropriate.
• Assist assigned mission in communication and negotiation with the SRT on annual and multi-year mission strategies.
• Keep up-to-date records on mission/country developments and funding opportunities.

Agency/Mission Representation

• Provide program briefings to donors and other stakeholders, offering UMCOR mission/country perspectives to stakeholders
• Regularly contribute to the development of promotional materials and internal communication tools.
• Gain an in-depth knowledge of missions, programs, personnel, countries, issues and peoples through visits, research and proposal writing.
• Represent assigned missions at UN or DC advocacy, coordination meetings as well as with the SRT in NY as needed.
• Develop a network of key contacts within the circles of NGOs, institutional partners, academia and diplomatic representation to keep abreast of issues facing assigned missions vis-à-vis humanitarian and development assistance.

General Support

• Contribute to the development of organizational procedures, polices and systems of UMCOR.
• Contribute to the recruitment process of expatriate staff and consultants as necessary including developing job descriptions, scopes of work, consultant agreements, conducting interviews, and providing training and orientation; and
• Any other task that may be assigned related to the mission support.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The position requires a Master’s degree in International Development, Non-Profit Management, Public Administration, International Relations or a related field, as well as at least 4 years of experience in grant management, program design, implementation and fund-raising, preferably overseas.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES:

1. Strong organizational ability; experience in post-disaster and emergency project management, and the ability to work independently and as part of a team;

2. Ability to understand the cultural and political environment and to work well with multiple stakeholders in a diplomatic manner;

3. Demonstrated knowledge of international humanitarian assistance and development programs with emphasis on the functions, policies and procedures of the US Government and the UN system;

4. Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to identify, plan and coordinate program and operational support to a field-based operation.

5. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required.

6. Experience in working with faith-based organizations is a plus.

7. Applicants should either be currently residing in the New York City metro area or be in the process of relocating to the NYC metro area at their own expense by no later than October 1, 2012.

TO APPLY:

Submit your cover letter (notes) and resume through our website at

https://jobs-umcor.icims.com/jobs/1367/job.

Candidate must be authorized to work in the United States on the first day of employment October 1, 2012. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until filled. No telephone inquiries please. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Thanks for your interest in UMCOR.