Program Manager/Senior Program Manager

Company Overview

The Center for International Private Enterprise strengthens democracy around the world through private enterprise and market-oriented reform. CIPE is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy and is affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Since 1983, CIPE has partnered with business leaders, policymakers and civil society to build institutions essential to democratic governance and economic opportunity. CIPE’s program areas include enterprise ecosystems, democratic governance, business advocacy, integrity and compliance and trade.

Term limited position scheduled to end 9/30/2027

Position: Program Manager/Senior Program Manager

Reports to: Director, Latin American and Caribbean

Scope: CIPE is seeking a full-time, exempt position based in Washington, D.C. for a Program Manager/ Senior Program Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean that will lead programs focused on Venezuela and closed countries. This position is responsible for the development and implementation of CIPE’s strategic focus on democratic governance through private sector collective action initiatives to improve business participation, economic freedom, and opportunity across the region by developing regional and country strategies, communications strategies, project implementation, and support grants to local business organizations, think tanks, and chambers of commerce

Key Responsibilities

The Program Manager/ Senior Program Manager, Latin America and the Caribbean will be responsible for a wide range of functions, including but not limited to:

• Contribute to the development and implementation of strategy for accomplishing CIPE’s objectives on improving democratic governance and advancing market reforms in region.
• Design, implement, and manage a portfolio of projects and grants for the assigned region, supportive of CIPE’s overall goals and strategies for target countries. Project responsibilities have the following dimensions:
• Develop project concept papers, proposals, reports, and correspondence.
• Act as CIPE’s representative to promote democratic market-oriented institutional reforms in region including developing and implementing training programs, public speaking at events, and facilitating meetings with partners, potential partners, and other stakeholders.
• Lead and contribute to business development efforts by drafting full proposals narratives, technical sections of proposal narratives, budget inputs, or other thematic documents.
• Analyze, research, and be familiar with the region’s political and economic landscape, identifying opportunities for CIPE programs and partners.
• Identify potential partner organizations and beneficiaries in country and collaborate to design effective democratic and economic-reform programs.
• Analyze both solicited and unsolicited project proposals in the context of the regional socio-political context, CIPE strategy, grant guidelines, and criteria.
• Collaborate with partners to refine project proposals, monitoring and evaluation plans, and project budgets.
• Implement, monitor, and manage all project activities, in collaboration with local partner organizations and CIPE team members.
• Establish and maintain regular communication with project partners and other stakeholders.
• Maintain correspondence and operational records regarding CIPE-funded programs in the assigned portfolio.
• Monitor grantees, contractors, and consultants’ performance to ensure full compliance with objectives, financial and reporting requirements, and evaluation plans.
• Evaluate projects through on-site visits, file reviews, and coordination with independent evaluators where appropriate.
• Develop project reports, summaries, and assessments.
• Provide oversight of CIPE country representatives across the assigned portfolio, includes supervision and leadership on all project activities, budgets, and expenditures.
• Responsible for the financial management and stewardship of funds, including monitoring project spending, projecting future expenses, approving expenditures, and developing accurate budget for new projects. May include financial and operational management of a field office.
• Establish and maintain relationships with other donor organizations to identify linkages with CIPE strategies, monitor trends, and assess new funding opportunities. Work with the U.S. State Department and other assistance programs to develop joint projects, grants and/or contracts to further democratic and economic reform initiatives.
• Establish and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders in the U.S. and Venezuela across civil society, government, and the private sector to advance program priorities. Maintain ongoing engagement with partners and stakeholders to support program objectives and facilitate information exchange.
• Establish technical expertise, translating program experiences into lessons learned for internal and external stakeholders. Facilitate staff building technical expertise in thematic areas of work through leading staff training, developing internal resources, and/or leading staff working groups.
• Collaborate with multiple CIPE departments to achieve programmatic goals, including Communications, Grants and Finance, Policy and Program Learning, and other regional teams.
• Monitor current events, including political and economic changes, and US relations in region and assess the impact on ongoing and planned CIPE projects.
• Adhere to appropriate CIPE, National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce policies and procedures.
• Significant management responsibilities, including:
• Supervise, develop and manage program staff, including Program Associates, Program Coordinators, field staff and consultants, when applicable.
• Assist Director with planning for team growth, recruitment, and performance monitoring.
• Contribute extensively to external communications include authoring blogs for CIPE’s website, op-eds for external publications, participating in podcasts, and participating in major public-speaking engagements on a quarterly basis.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in one the following fields is required: International Relations, International Business, Economic Development, Political Science, or Public Policy.
• Master’s degree, or the equivalent experience in International Relations, International Business, Economic Development, Political Science, or Public Policy is preferred.
• 4-7 (Program Manager) 7 (Senior Program Manager) years of experience in international assistance programs, non-profit organizations, chambers of commerce, and/or associations in region, preferably in the assigned countries.
• Minimum four years’ experience (five minimum for Senior Program Manager) with program management and program implementation at the strategic level, preferred.
• Experience with international development and topics consistent with CIPE’s mission, including anti-corruption and business ethics, democratic governance, business association advocacy, entrepreneurship and others.
• Prior experience with US State Department programs and with closed countries in Latin America is preferred.
• Demonstrated project management experience
• Demonstrated ability to develop, establish, and maintain good relationships with international partners, donors, and colleagues.
• Fluency in Spanish required
• Strong public speaking and writing skills with attention to detail.
• Proposal writing skills is required.
• Demonstrated strong critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team environment, as well as independently with minimum supervision; ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks.
• Ability to supervise, develop and manage young professionals and other staff, when applicable.
• Proficiency in MS-Office, specifically Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Must be able and willing to travel for extended and multiple periods.
• High degree of culture competence.
• Contribute to an organization-wide culture of innovation, integrity, inclusion, and respect.
• Strong conceptual, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to take initiative, organize tasks, and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced, time-sensitive environment, ensuring deadlines are met with attention to detail.
• Skilled in building strong, trusting relationships to gain support and achieve desired outcomes.
• Capable of managing multiple competing priorities simultaneously.
• Comfortable working in an environment with international objectives.
• Flexible and able to engage with individuals at all levels with strong interpersonal skills