The Senior Program Manager (SPM) is a part of the Program Support Team (PST) and works to advance Ipas’s mission by providing operational program management support to selected programs within the global Ipas network. SPM operates with high levels of autonomy and leverages their strategic leadership, risk management, and collaboration skills to provide support to the assigned Ipas country / regional program (Ipas Implementing Nodes) based on agreed upon levels of support. SPM models shared leadership approaches and plays a critical role in supporting country programs to deliver on their overall objectives and ensure strong program management, collaboration, communication, as well as successful new business development.

The SPM is responsible for overall award management of multi-country projects up to $5 million per year, serves as the main donor/partner liaison for assigned project/s and works collaboratively to deliver on the award scope within schedule, budget, and per donor requirements and Ipas’s quality standards. SPM also supports selected strategic organizational initiatives.

*Location: The position may work from local offices or remotely from any of the following Ipas intervention countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. Exceptional candidates from other locations may also be considered.

Primary Responsibilities:

Strategic and Operational Support

Provide strategic, programmatic, and operational support to assigned country and/or regional programs to ensure delivery on organizational and donor commitments, strengthen institutional capacity, and advance Ipas’s mission across designated geographies.

• Function as the primary liaison between assigned country programs and the US team, ensure alignment on priorities, facilitate access to resources and support from Ipas US and service units, and represent Ipas US team.
• Partner with country program leadership to fulfill key organizational requirements, including performance monitoring, annual planning and budgeting, financial oversight, risk management, global reporting, and adherence to network quality standards.
• Support the development of high-quality internal and donor-facing reports by ensuring accuracy of data, compliance with award terms and conditions, alignment with donor expectations and contribute to positioning of country programs as the ‘partner of choice’ for the donors/partners.
• Lead or support capacity strengthening efforts for country teams across areas such as organizational policies, financial and program management, compliance, and risk mitigation, through training, mentoring, and knowledge sharing.
• Facilitate cross-country learning and collaboration by promoting peer exchanges, contributing to communities of practice, and coordinating webinars, workshops, or other learning forums and practices.
• Lead or contribute to new project start-up efforts and collaborate with HR and country leadership to ensure effective onboarding and orientation for new staff in assigned countries.

Program Management and Award Assurance

Provide support to country programs across all phases of the project lifecycle to ensure effective program delivery, donor compliance, and achievement of results in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

Program Management

• Guide country programs in strengthening program management practices across diverse and complex projects, ensure that projects are managed within scope, timeline, and budget.
• Support operational planning, project implementation, and the integration of robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks to drive adaptive management and continuous improvement.
• Provide operational support to country implementation teams to optimize performance, drive results, and ensure alignment with organizational goals and committed donor deliverables.
• Conduct needs-based country visits to strengthen project delivery, address implementation challenges, and support staff capacity development.
• Support country leadership with problem-solving, as needed.
• Streamline coordination across multiple country programs when managing joint or regional programs.
• Provide inputs on country-level external engagement to enhance Ipas’s visibility, influence, and positioning.
• Support program start-up and close-out processes, ensuring smooth transitions and alignment with organizational standards.

Award Assurance and Compliance

• Support the Program Support Director in ensuring ‘Project set-up’ for assigned multi-country projects, including developing project charter, RACI matrix, award SharePoint page, tools and templates. etc.
• Organize a project kick-off meeting to ensure alignment of all internal stakeholders on the multi-country projects, including its objectives, geographies, budget, deliverables, risks, donor requirements, reporting expectations, and contractual obligations throughout the life of the project.
• Ensure strong oversight of award compliance and risk management in line with internal policies and donor terms and conditions.
• Provide inputs and reviews for donor reporting, project negotiations, and responses to donor/partner inquiries to ensure accuracy, compliance, strategic alignment and timeliness.

New Business Development and External Engagement

Support Business Development team and country programs in expanding the program portfolio, strengthening relationships with external stakeholders, and positioning the organization as a leader in abortion ecosystem strengthening.

• Contribute to the development and execution of strategies and materials for donor and partner engagement, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and collaboration with Business Development team for fundraising at the country level.
• Provide inputs to proposal design teams, offering insights from a program management perspective to strengthen alignment with organizational capabilities and donor priorities.
• Support the development of high-quality funding proposals, including technical narrative contributions, financial justifications, budget development, resource planning, and risk assessments.
• Facilitate donor and partner intelligence gathering and ensure timely sharing of insights and opportunities across Ipas countries.
• Participate in, or co-lead, award negotiations, including contract renewals and modifications, as requested.

Other duties as assigned 

Minimum Requirements:

• Ten or more years’ work experience in program management, including strong budgetary management, M&E and donor reporting skills.

• Eight or more years of experience in global sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

• Committed to advancing access to comprehensive SRHR, including abortion care.

• Ability to quickly distil complexity to essential and simple concepts and approaches.

• Demonstrated leading and providing operational oversight and guidance to global SRHR programs.

• Demonstrated success in building rapport and trust with and among colleagues across various cultural backgrounds.

• Experience working in a decentralized and diverse organization and/or networked organization.

• Fluency in English (written and oral).

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Initiative-taker with strong time management and organizational skills.

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) and other commonly used business software is required.

• Ability to travel up to 30% domestically, regionally and internationally.

Preferred Skills:

• Relevant post-graduate degree in social sciences, public health, international development.

• Relevant degree in management will be an asset.

• Experience of working in a matrixed international NGO and with shared leadership approaches.

• Experience of living and working for a local non-profit or international NGO in one of Ipas’s implementing geographies or similar settings.

• Fluency in one or more languages commonly spoken in Ipas program countries other than English (French, Portuguese, Spanish) will be an added advantage.

• Demonstrated skills and experience with training, facilitation, coaching and mentorship.

Competencies:

• Experienced in program/project management and intuition for business. You have been a manager in a previous role, preferably in a country or regional program. You have worked with a team developing and managing projects and programs and have a proven track-record in strengthening institutions/systems, management, and leadership capacity.

• Decisive risk management and strategic problem solving. You anticipate challenges and find solutions. You seek the necessary inputs, analyse the data at hand, identify potential risks, and make decisions. You can move forward even when information is incomplete. You review the impact and consequences and openly learn from mistakes.

• Superb interpersonal communication and collaboration skills. You actively listen, connect easily, and collaborate well with staff across the Ipas network to gain their trust and respect. You demonstrate clear and concise information and idea-sharing, helping staff learn, grow, and thrive in their work. You facilitate collaboration and coordination among teams with different priorities.

• Agility. You react with curiosity and enthusiasm to shifting situations, adapt and creatively problem solve with a changing environment.

• Provide critical guidance, coaching and mentorship. You deliver guidance and feedback with care, encourage team members to directly share their concerns, and help develop their skills to make it a productive and valued experience. You face conflict and respond with empathy and facts. You understand the benefits of conflict and support colleagues to embrace different perspectives and learn from others, to understand themselves and co-create new ideas.

• Capacity builder. Your experience as a trainer/facilitator will be an added asset.

Compensation for this position will be determined on the prevailing market rate in the employee's country and the applicable statutory laws, in addition to Ipas's own pay philosophy and other factors, such as the employee's experience level and expertise.

Ipas is strongly committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and inequity.  We recruit, employ, train, promote, and compensate our personnel without regard to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, color, creed, ancestry, citizenship, caste, ethnicity, regional identity, tribal identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic protected by law or outlined by Ipas policy. Ipas acknowledges that these personal characteristics may differ in different contexts.