Senior Program Manager (Local Only)

TITLE: Senior Program Manager
LOCATION: Manila, Philippines
REPORTS TO: Country Director
EXPECTED START: February 2020

American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is a non-profit organization that implements
legal reform programs in roughly 40 countries around the world. ABA ROLI has nearly 400 professional
staff work-ing internationally engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders and partners including judges,
lawyers, bar associations, law schools, court administrators, legislatures, ministries of justice and a wide
array of civil society organi-zations.

JOB SUMMARY
ABA ROLI seeks a full-time Senior Program Manager to manage the implementation of program activities in the Philippines, under the supervision of the Country Director and ABA ROLI Asia/Pacific Director (located in Washington, DC). Based in Manila, Philippines, the Senior Program Manager will play a key role in implementing ABA ROLI programs in the Philippines, including activities aimed at increasing citizens’ awareness of rights and access to legal aid services, strengthening alternative dispute resolution
mechanisms, and supporting the fair and efficient administration of justice.

The ideal candidate will have experience working in the Philippines as a lawyer and managing programs related to justice sector reform. Experience working with alternative law groups and civil society organizations, legal aid, mediation, pro bono legal work, criminal defense advocacy or legal awareness raising would be beneficial. Dedication to addressing access to justice needs of the most vulnerable communities in the Philippines is essential.

RESPONSIBILITIES
The duties of this post include, but are not limited to, the following:
● Managing ABA ROLI programs and program team in the Philippines under the leadership and guidance of ABA ROLI Country Director. Including ensuring program goals are met, resources are utilized in accordance with budgets, and monitoring and evaluation are undertaken;
● Managing field office reporting responsibilities including ensuring reporting deadlines are met with high quality and complete reports. Including coordinating with the Grants team and M&E Specialist to complete monthly, quarterly and annual reports in collaboration with ABA ROLI home office.
● Collaborating with and providing technical support to ABA ROLI sub-grantees, including monitoring activity implementation.
● Work with the M&E team to assist with monitoring to ensure activities are meeting indicators.
● Take the lead in identifying, designing and organizing opportunities for ABA ROLI pro bono assistance to subgrantees and partner organizations.
● Contribute to knowledge management and thought leadership.
● Troubleshoot project problems, identify and implement creative solutions.
● Participate in proposal development/new initiative process.
● Encourage professional development of junior program staff. Evaluate the performance of supervisee(s), and provide constructive feedback and proactive management. Provide feedback on the project team and project performance.
● Work with HR to source and recruit critical talent.
● Support the process of designing and implementing subawards and monitor progress including reviewing deliverables.
● Provide input into annual work plans, PMPs, and other programmatic reports.
● Ensuring compliance with donor requirements and ABA policies;
● Acting on behalf of the program Chief of Party if required;
● Initiating, nurturing and expanding working relationships with government, CSOs, academic institutions and others in the Philippines involved in the areas of justice sector reform, access to justice and rule of law;
● Developing and monitoring budgets in cooperation with Finance and Grants staff;
● Understanding the changing operational and political environment and keeping senior management informed;
● Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS
● Member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
● Law degree or a master’s degree in the social sciences;
● At least ten years of progressively responsible experience in legal practice, rule of law/justice development, and/or a related field;
● Solid and thorough understanding of the socio-political context of the Philippines;
● Extensive experience working in the Philippines;
● Experience working with donor-funded projects, ideally familiarity with U.S. regulations;
● Experience managing staff;
● Excellent interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships with Filipino government entities, CSOs, academic institutions and other stakeholders relevant to promoting access to justice;
● Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively in English and Tagalog;
● High degree of organization, professionalism, integrity, trustworthiness and flexibility;
● Ability to use discretion when working with confidential documents and information;
● Experience working with the alternative law sector in the Philippines will be an asset;
● Ability to travel throughout the Philippines.

Interested applicants may submit their cover letter and CV to
philippines-hr@abaroli.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.