Regional Program Manager II

The Regional Program Manager II is a member of the Africa regional team of Lutheran World Relief and will be based in Baltimore, MD. S/he works under the supervision of the Deputy Regional Director for Operations to provide management and administrative support to the Africa Regional Team for a diverse portfolio of grants and contracts throughout the lifecycle: starting with positioning for and developing proposals for new business from institutional donors and clients; administering the resulting regional portfolio of U.S. Government, Foundation and/or Corporate grants and contracts; and coordinating and leading staff capacity development and new staff onboarding for grants and contracts management. S/he also coordinates as requested LWR's fundraising, communications, and constituent engagement units to communicate LWR’s experience and capacity in marketing and business development efforts directed toward institutional donors and clients.

Her/his primary focus will be on the USDA-funded Food for Progress project, SESAME Marketing and Exports (SESAME), being implemented in Burkina Faso. The project expects to increase agricultural productivity and expand domestic, regional, and international trade of high-quality sesame seed. This five-year, estimated $24 million project will facilitate relationships between sesame growers, unions, and exporters.

Duties:

Grants and contracts management:

־ Lead the review of restricted award agreements & development of sub-award agreements with partners.

־ Lead the development of training workshops, systems & tools for the management of restricted grants and ensuring donor compliance.

־ Monitor quality project implementation through project and sub-grantee work plans, narrative reports, budget and expenditure reporting, compliance with terms of agreements, and project visits.

־ Serve as the main point of contact for the monetization agent, referring recommendations on monetization and sales processes to IPD leadership.

־ Ensure fulfillment of deliverables and objectives as per the donor agreement and approved proposal documents.

־ Provide guidance & oversight to field offices in coordination with International Finance through reporting, regular communication with field staff, grants management training, and monitoring trips.

־ Lead modification/ amendment process as needed.

־ Process wire transfers to the LWR field office and sub-grantees.

־ Maintain LWR’s project information management systems and maintain files such that they meet audit requirements.

־ Maintain contact and strategic relationships with grant donors.

־ Lead training initiatives for both HQ and field staff on restricted grants management.

־ Engage with other units in the agency to improve and standardize agency-wide grants and contract management procedures.

New Business Development and Positioning:

־ Support Deputy Regional Director and the New Business Development unit and field staff to design and write grant and contract proposals.

־ Identify opportunities for expanded and/or new funding through current restricted awards and/or donors.

־ Support overseas staff in identifying new funding opportunities.

־ Coordinate with New Business Development unit and Quality Team to develop technical marketing materials from current projects.

־ Lead any other aspects of proposal development process as needed.

Program Quality

־ Support Deputy Regional Director, the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Advisors, and the SESAME M&E Specialist to ensure grant funded project design and implementation fully align with LWR’s Design, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning standards.

־ Support the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Managers and the SESAME M&E Specialist to build staff and local partner capacities necessary to implement LWR’s program quality standards and with the preparation of monitoring and evaluation tools and plans.

־ Participate in evaluation design, selection of evaluators, and dissemination of evaluation results to stakeholders.

־ Oversee project audit and evaluation processes: assist with project consultant identification; draft and oversee the execution of contracts in conformity with LWR procurement policies and procedures; and ensure receipt and review of project audits and evaluations.

־ Collaborate with other Regional Program Managers to ensure standardization of policies and procedures related to restricted award management.

־ Be responsible and accountable for engaging US Lutherans effectively in the work of LWR and ensuring that LWR's work in marginalized communities is of the highest quality and integrity.

־ Contribute to documentation of LWR’s programming for internal and external audiences.

־ Comply with LWR's safety & security procedures and protocols.

־ Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor.

־ Engage in ongoing professional development.

Qualifications:

־ Commitment to LWR's core values and ability to model those values in relationships with colleagues and partners.

־ Master’s degree in a field relevant to international development, or Bachelor’s degree with equivalent job experience.

־ Seven years of experience in programs working with poverty reduction, local economic development, community development, with at least five years of experience working with international (non-US) programs.

־ Direct experience with US Government assistance regulations required; additional knowledge of USG acquisition regulations preferred.

־ Three years of experience developing, negotiating, managing grant and contract agreements funded through US Government assistance programs; with experience negotiating sub-grants and/or sub-contracts with implementing organizations. USDA experience a plus.

־ Ability to design, write and edit high-quality donor reports and grant proposals.

־ Experience in designing and facilitating training sessions for diverse multi-cultural audiences.

־ Experience with conceptual frameworks such as log frames and other similar tools for project design and monitoring.

־ Knowledge of Design, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning systems, methods, and tools within the context of development programs.

־ Strong time management skills; ability to work independently and meet deadlines under pressure.

־ Excellent writing skills. Professional level in written and spoken English and French.

־ Strong analytical and logical thinking skills.

־ Ability to effectively represent organization to external donors; marketing and persuasive speaking skills a plus.

־ Experience working with remote teams.

־ Cross-cultural communication skills.

־ Knowledge of current sociopolitical issues in the Africa region.

־ Willingness and ability to travel internationally, at least 35% of the time to countries where LWR works. Travel may be to countries that are experiencing political instability and have poor infrastructure including poor road conditions, limited amenities and poor housing accommodations. In addition, the travel may be to countries where infectious diseases or vector-borne diseases are present. Travel may be required to locales that experience extreme temperatures (either hot or cold) and high altitudes.

־ Eligible to work in the United States.