Program Manager, African Parks Partnerships

TITLE: Program Manager, African Parks Partnerships

DEPARTMENT: International Programs

LOCATION: Stamford, CT

DURATION: 12 months with possibility of extension

REPORTS TO: Director, Africa & Middle East Programs

ABOUT AMERICARES

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches more than 90 countries, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine and medical supplies. Americares is the world’s leading nonprofit provider of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.

Americares work across the globe is organized around three program areas: Access to Medicines, Clinics to Communities, and Emergency Programs. Our ongoing programs target five health themes: Women’s and Children’s Health, Health Systems Strengthening, Non-Communicable Diseases, Mental Health, and Infectious Disease. In the last fiscal year Americares Africa and Middle East team delivered over $40 million in medical gift-in-kind to partners to nine countries across the region, and implemented maternal and child health, health worker safety and infection prevention and control, and supply chain strengthening programs in Liberia and Tanzania. This year Americares is rapidly expanding its program presence in Africa to three additional countries, with a focus on strengthening primary care facilities to become “thriving local health centers.”

Americares has partnered with African Parks, leaders in wildlife conservation to form a new integrated program that simultaneously enables natural ecosystems and the wildlife population that inhabit them, to recover, while also improving health delivery services for the poor rural communities living in these remote areas. African Parks manages 15 national parks and protected areas in nine countries, including in Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Zambia, with an aim to increase that number to 20 parks by 2020. Our first country site in this partnership is Malawi, which may lead to regional expansion in the portfolio.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The African Parks Partnerships Project Manager will be part of a highly efficient and motivated team and will help drive program expansion in sub-Saharan Africa. Based at Americares headquarters in Stamford, CT, the Project Manager will be responsible for supporting program development, project management, and field operations related to the African Parks Partnerships, as well as effective partnership management of gift-in-kind partnerships in countries that African Parks is also works in.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Development, Implementation and Evaluation

• Oversee current portfolio of African Parks partners and programs in Malawi, and any future portfolio expansion partnerships and programs.
• While liaising with HQ, lead efforts with country team to determine appropriate, tailored programming, including standardizing and systematizing program planning, curriculum development and monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Participate in long-term planning and strategy with HQ staff.
• Support the development of program strategy and program design in African Parks partnerships countries, which may include Malawi, Zambia, Congo, and Central African Republic;
• Ensure adherence to Americares project cycle management process and principles;
• Serve as HQ organizational focal point with internal and external stakeholders;
• Work with M&E team to design monitoring and evaluation framework, analyze results and outcomes of Americares programs.
• Manage Americares gift-in-kind support of the relevant initiatives and oversee shipment building.

Field Office Operations/Human Resource Management

• Provide leadership, promote professionalism and teamwork, build working relationships, travel to program sites periodically to provide on the ground program support, including to insecure settings, and mentor all Americares staff members in African Parks Partnerships countries to work effectively and as representatives of Americares.
• Develop and implement policies for field office operations, ensuring that policies are in line with local regulations and link to organizational policies and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with local and international regulatory issues in program development and implementation.

• Ensure compliance with all labor laws and laws governing operation as a registered NGO in Malawi.

• In coordination with Americares HQ, identify human resource needs and recruit staff to meet those needs.

• Oversee employee and overall team performance and annual performance review process.

Financial Management

• Work in close coordination with Americares finance team to ensure compliance with HQ and local guidelines and requirements, including timely financial reporting to HQ as required.
• Overall responsibility for fiscal soundness of African Parks partnerships portfolio and maintenance of effective internal controls.
• Oversee effective cash management, review and approve financial reporting and budgeting.
• Oversee funding disbursement including timely implementation of planned activities and appropriate expenditure of funds.

Communications and Relationship Building

• Effectively manage relationships with all African Parks partnership stakeholders.
• Report to HQ in a timely and thorough way on all field office staff issues/incidents.
• Prepare regular reports to HQ on country and program activities.
• Coordinate with Americares HQ, including Global Programs, Finance, Development, and Communications as appropriate.
• Donor reporting – support the preparation as needed, in collaboration with Development

Representation and Coordination

• Serve as official representative of Americares in all government and community affairs when in-country and support team to fulfill this function, as needed.
• Together with the local team, actively engage local stakeholders and pursue collaboration and partnerships with other NGOs, INGOs, relevant Ministries, and private sector.

New Business Development

• In coordination with Americares HQ, assist with preparing concept notes, contribute to proposals, meet with potential donors, and lead Americares resource acquisition efforts for African Parks Partnerships portfolio.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred (or bachelor’s degree with 5 years of experience) with concentration in a relevant field including, but not limited to, global health/public health, international affairs, or development;
• At least 5 years of development or global health project management experience; direct field work preferred or experience managing field operations.
• Minimum 2 years of working experience in sub-Saharan Africa; experience working in insecure settings is a plus;
• Ability to travel up to 40% of the time;
• Experience developing grant proposals and reporting;
• Familiarity with participatory methods in program development, implementation and evaluation preferred;
• Experience of leading at least one new complex program, taking it from “start-up” to “mature”, preferred;
• Direct, in-country program implementation responsibility preferred
• Experience managing and mentoring personnel, both in person and remotely, preferred;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and strong communications skills; strong cross- cultural communications and sensitivity required; ability to develop partnerships across sectors and cultures;
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail;
• Must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States;
• This is a headquarters-based position out of Stamford, CT

Please apply on company site:

https://americares.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/785?c=americares