Senior Program Officer – Bogota, Colombia

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Senior Program Officer provides advanced support in planning, designing, implementing, and executing one or more designated projects. Working closely with in-country and LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) leadership in Washington D.C., this position leads the oversight of program partnerships, and provides substantive support in analyzing political context, designing program strategy, and identifying new areas of work and partnerships.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND EXPECTATIONS:

• Monitor, analyze, and report on key developments related to democratic governance, human rights and the protection of fundamental freedoms in the assigned country. Anticipate potential impacts on programming and offers mitigation measures.
• Manage and supervise design, planning, and oversight of project activity implementation.
• Provide Washington D.C. staff with information and analysis for the preparation of project timelines, work plans, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) submissions, quarterlies, and other ad-hoc reports.
• Independently establish, manage, and grow partnerships with a large number of subrecipients complex in scope during all stages of grant cycle (proposal, implementation and close-out).
• Independently monitoring support project implementation (activities, expenses, and data collection) of subrecipients related to the approved proposal package. Identify and report progress, challenges, and opportunities; when problems are anticipated, communicate it to senior staff, and offer potential solutions and leadership in implementing them if appropriate.
• Timely and thoroughly execute activity implementation by performing administrative (e.g., invoice processing, data entry, travel scheduling, and meeting coordination, etc.) and programmatic assignments in accordance with established expectations and timelines.
• Provide in-country and Washington D.C. leadership with ideas for new project activities and partnerships; contribute to and support aspects of the proposal developments process for new funding opportunities.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and professional growth of team. Manage day-to-day work processes, products and overall performance of team. Set specific goals and provide ongoing guidance and coaching.
• Support operations of field office and programming as appropriate to ensure compliance with host country requirements, Freedom House policies, and donor regulations.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on key socio-political developments related to democratic governance and human rights in the assigned country. Anticipate potential impacts on programming.
• Develop and maintain effective professional relationships with external stakeholders, including donors, the diplomatic community, other implementing organizations, grantees, and local partner organizations.
• Represent Freedom House to external audiences at meetings and events; speak articulately about Freedom House’s mission and programming as necessary.
• Undertake other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, law, public policy, political science, public administration, human rights, or similar field.
• Masters’ degree on related field or its equivalent in additional experience is desired.
• Fluency in Spanish is a must.
• Fluency in English is preferred.
• Familiarity with human rights or democracy-related issues in Latin America is strongly preferred.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in civil society strengthening, governance, community mobilization, or human rights programs.
• Experience with implementation of pro-democracy and/or human rights in the Latin American region is a must.
• Experience managing grant/cooperative agreements, including USG funding, is a must.
• Experience in working and coordinating with international and national NGOs and government agencies is desired.
• Team supervisory and development experience desired.
• Ability and willingness to frequently travel to project sites within Colombia.

Skills and Competencies:

• Strong understanding of the political, economic, and social context of Latin America, especially regarding human rights, inclusion, and migration context.
• Astute political judgment and strategic thinking; Excellent judgment in problem solving and decision making.
• Ability to supervise and guide all staff under their responsibility towards high performance standards.
• Ability to apply superb attention to detail and consistently produce timely and error-free work.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in Spanish, verbally and in writing.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English, verbally and in writing.
• Excellent research, analytical, writing, and organizational skills.
• Strong ability to apply interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of accounting principles and grant-related compliance requirements.
• Mastery of MS Office Suite, with experience developing and managing budgets in Excel.
• Ability to always maintain the highest degree of confidentiality regarding all aspects of work.
• Ability to successfully work in a diverse and multicultural environment.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Strong ability to prioritize work and multitask to meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexible and adaptable with a good sense of humor and positive attitude.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

General Working Conditions:

• General working office environment. With the possibility of remote work, depending on public health conditions and regulations.
• Some long hours including evenings and weekends to complete tasks or attend events.
• Travel to event sites and field offices at least 15% of the time.
• Exposed to outside weather conditions when required to attend event venues or travel.
• May involve work in regions that are remote and lack basic modern infrastructure, and in countries under U.S. travel advisory due to threats of terrorist attacks, civil unrest, kidnappings, disease outbreaks, etc.

How to apply

https://phe.tbe.taleo.net/phe01/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=FREEHOUS&cws=39&rid=1305