Program Manager, LAC

Position description

The International Republican Institute (IRI) advances democracy and freedom. We link people with their governments, support politicians to be responsive to citizens, and motivate those citizens to engage in the political process.

Role

At IRI, every employee plays a crucial role in advancing our mission across the globe. We’re looking for passionate individuals who embody our Core Values and are eager to contribute to our dynamic team. Our values include:

• Respect: We lead with trust, empathy, and dignity; empowering colleagues and partners.
• Teamwork: We collaborate across teams; solve problems together; are humble and ready to learn.
• Ownership: We take initiative; champion solutions; deliver results for IRI’s mission.
• Excellence through Execution: We balance thoughtfulness with timeliness; learn from results; prioritize progress over perfection.
• Transparency: We share information openly; give direct feedback; build trust through honest communication.
• Freedom: We are empowered to make decisions, try new approaches, and adapt as needed.
  
  

ABOUT THE TEAM: LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (LAC)

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Team is dedicated to fostering democratic resilience and responsive governance across the region. Our team collaborates with local partners to address challenges such as governance, corruption, insecurity, and economic inequality, aiming to empower citizens and strengthen democratic institutions.

ABOUT THE ROLE: PROGRAM MANAGER, LAC

The Program Manager (PM) for the LAC region is responsible for the overall oversight and management of grants managed by the LAC Team. This includes proactive engagement with Project Specialists assigned to support project implementation and with the field-based implementers delivering programming. In addition, the PM provides support to LAC leadership in business development, external engagement and overall management and support to field-based implementers. The PM will play a key role in proposal development, ensuring proposals are aligned with broader Institute and regional strategies, advance key goals relevant to the context, and represent IRI’s comparative and competitive advantages.

This is a hybrid position located in Washington, DC, anticipated to be in the office 3 days per week.

The duration of this position is contingent upon the availability of funding.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitors, analyzes and reports on political and related developments in assigned region.
• Leads project teams and contributes to the substantive design of new programs.
• Manages and oversees work of project teams (Specialists, Associates, others) assigned to regional project implementation.
• Contributes to the development of comprehensive country strategies and program objectives.
• Oversees and is responsible for complete grant oversight of a program portfolio (which can consist of large/several grants), from fulfillment of substantive programmatic objectives to financial and compliance requirements for the life of the grant(s).
• Anticipates and troubleshoots project problems and offers solutions and takes part in leading resolution of them with creative and immediate solutions. This pertains to both programmatic and financial troubles or areas of concern.
• Establishes, maintains, and develops productive working relationships with relevant stakeholders, consultants, field and HQ staff.
• Ensures that grant(s) are completed on time, within budget, and in full compliance with Funder and IRI policies and requirements, including approving field expenses.
• Maintains an understanding of funder and IRI policies and procedures related to grant compliance, procurement and oversight and advises field and DC staff on their team on these policies and procedures to ensure team compliance.
• Fully understands assigned grant’s substantive, financial and compliance requirements.
• Monitors kick-off and close-out process of all projects to ensure regional equities and planning considered.
• Monitors program team’s grant budgets, spending (budget trackers), and offers guidance and assistance when needed, with Program Services support.
• Supports IRI’s external relations efforts in coordination with Division Leadership.
• Travels as needed for program oversight and implementation.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
  
  

Note: This post is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required in this role. Further details of the role will be shared during the recruitment process.

Qualifications

We seek a passionate and experienced individual with:

• Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations or related field. Graduate degree preferred.
• Minimum five years professional experience in democratic governance and politics, preferably working directly with political parties, civil society organizations/INGOs and/or legislative bodies and officials.
• Substantive knowledge of the assigned region including its political dynamics, historical and cultural context, and current governance landscape.
• Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills, including the ability to produce high-quality reports, proposals and briefings for diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated management experience managing staff and project teams, with the ability to mentor, supervise and motivate high performance.
• Extensive experience working with USG funded projects and familiarity with USG regulations and processes.
• Demonstrated financial management experience in developing and administering multiple, simultaneous program budgets.
• Experience preparing, presenting and negotiating complex and sensitive agreements and/or project proposals with bilateral/multi-lateral agencies and other funder communities.
• Demonstrated ability to serve in a training, advisory or technical support role with local or regional partners, and a sensitivity to cross-cultural and power dynamics.
• Strong team player with the ability to work independently, coordinate multi-team efforts and drive toward programmatic goals.
• Willingness and ability to travel within the region, sometimes on short notice.
• Fluent in Spanish and English.

Application instructions

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