Deadline: September 20, 2021
Apply for the Commonwealth Civil Society Senior Program Officer Position. The Senior Program Officer (SPO) will have responsibilities on the two CCS program streams alongside duties to manage the legacy grants. Working under the supervision of the SPM, the SPO will be involved in refining existing systems and processes and shaping new ones to ensure the program contributes to the Foundation’s vision and mission.
Establishing and maintaining strong working relations with partners, and with collaborating individuals and organisations, will be a key part of the role. The SPO will be involved in other areas of the Foundation’s work relevant to their experience and expertise and organisational requirements.
Responsibilities
- Program, grant and activity management
- Participate in the grants review to ensure selected grants are responsible, professional, financially sound, participatory, sensitive to local needs, culture and politics and in accordance with Foundation policies and procedures
- Manage a portfolio of grant projects and other specific elements of the CCS portfolio, supporting the SPM and other program officers as required
- Contribute to all planning processes for CCS including annual planning
- Prepare and write progress and annual reports, annual workplans, project reports and other documents
- Assume responsibility for delegated elements of the program budget: monitoring budget allocation and expenditure
- Build cooperative relationships with grant partners and other key external partners to support them and advance the objectives of the program
- Ensure that Foundation cross-cutting priorities – most especially gender and inclusion – are integrated into all program work and procedures, including MEL systems and reporting
- Contribute to the design, development and running of workshops/webinars for partners and colleagues
- Represent the Foundation at meetings, functions, and events, some of which may occur outside normal office hours and may involve travel
- Internal collaboration and cooperation
- Contribute to the Foundation’s MEL in compliance with the organisation-wide approach and in close collaboration and coordination with the Senior Program Officer, MEL
- Identify opportunities to collaborate with the other programs to maximise efforts towards the Foundation’s vision and mission.
- Whole-of-Foundation support
- Contribute to whole-of-Foundation initiatives as requested
- Actively and creatively contribute to strategic and long-range planning
- Perform any other reasonable duties and tasks as requested by the Foundation
Benefits
- Salary — £35,000 pa.
- 15% of gross salary in a tax-free gratuity payment, payable at end of the contract.
- Holiday allowance of 30 days (plus 8 bank holidays and 4 privilege days) per 12 months.
- Learning opportunities at the Foundation for career development.
Eligibility
- Applicant should be able to work in the UK.
- The SPO will demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, the Foundation’s vision, mission and values.
- The SPO will have the following skills and assets:
- Extensive experience in project, program or grants portfolio management gained within a comparable field (grant-making, civil society capacity development) and a comparable operating environment (international non-governmental or intergovernmental).
- Appropriate tertiary qualifications or additional experience in lieu of such qualifications.
- Excellent communication skills: particularly in pitch, negotiation and persuasion and presentation.
- A sound understanding of MEL methodologies and their practical application.
- Capacity to think and plan strategically.
- A practical, solutions-based mindset.
- Solid knowledge of international development issues, trends and approaches.
- Understanding of civil society organisations and the field of advocacy/participatory governance.
- A well-organised, resourceful approach with good planning and problem solving abilities.
- An appreciation of diplomacy and its operation in the context of the work of the Foundation.
- Advanced computer skills, particularly MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and databases.
Application
Applicants are to provide a covering letter, CV and copy of proof of right to work in the UK using the application form. They expect your covering letter to demonstrate how your experience meets the requirements of the role and the Foundation’s values.
For more information, visit Commonwealth Civil Society.
