Senior Program Officer

Pathfinder International is driven by the conviction that all people, regardless of where they live, have the right to decide whether and when to have children, to exist free from fear and stigma, and to lead the lives they choose. Since 1957, we have partnered with local governments, communities, and health systems in developing countries to remove barriers to critical sexual and reproductive health services. Together, we expand access to contraception, promote healthy pregnancies, save women’s lives, and stop the spread of new HIV infections, wherever the need is most urgent. Our work ensures millions of women, men, and young people are able to choose their own paths forward.

Position: Senior Program Officer, Climate Change & Health

Reports: Senior Director, Climate Change

Location: Preferably Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Jordan or Pakistan.

Summary of Role:

The Senior Program Officer (SPO) will provide project management and technical support to country programs in the South Asia, Middle East, and North Africa region. The primary focus on the project support will be on climate change and health, with an emphasis on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The SPO will concentrate efforts on programming in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The SPO will provide overall program management support during the full project lifecycle by establishing or implementing sound project and program management practices to ensure successful outcomes. For the assigned countries, this individual must understand the country context, technical design, day-to-day implementation, and results of the program and be able to provide information on these at any given time. The SPO is responsible for coordinating with country teams, partners, and donors on the assigned country program(s), contributing to donor deliverables and issues regarding the implementation of the program as needed. The SPO is in regular contact with the Country Director(s), country project leadership, and other program and technical staff within the assigned portfolio. The SPO will also provide general programmatic and administrative support to Pathfinder for the implementation of the project.

This individual is expected to contribute to the development and monitoring of project workplans and help to track project spending. The SPO will also work with a multi-disciplinary team and may serve as a Pathfinder spokesperson on behalf of the project to promote the project goals, achievements, and strengths to key stakeholders and at national, regional and global events. The SPO will collaborate with other members of the project team to ensure that deliverables meet the needs of intended populations and identify opportunities for technical assistance that will advance the project team’s technical strategies, drawing on state-of-the-art knowledge and practices in the areas of family planning, reproductive health, gender, and youth. The SPO will also participate in identifying and acting on opportunities for program expansion, including pursuing new funding opportunities.

Key Responsibilities:

Program management Support:

• Take a lead role in the development and coordination of country strategic and annual workplans, including country scoping/planning visits, mobilizing technical, program, and finance team staff and guiding their contributions.
• Monitor program implementation and completion of deliverables against approved workplans.
• Participate in and support facilitation of annual country program review meetings.
• Ensure relevant key themes, innovations, and learning are included in workplans and applied in program implementation and that learning is documented and shared with Pathfinder globally.
• Proactively troubleshoot problems as they arise, including those related to program implementation, human resources, management, finance, grants, partner coordination, etc.
• Coordinate with Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning teams and country teams to develop and submit performance management plans and monitor program data to inform program performance against expected deliverables and targets.
• Participate in regular program review and coordination meetings, as appropriate.

Training and development support:

• Identify key knowledge gaps and country team needs and coordinate with global teams to address those needs.
• Monitor and support the recruitment process for country staff.

Technical support:

• Coordinate, compile, and/or edit country/project inputs to quarterly and annual narrative reports as well as other relevant technical reports.
• Work collaboratively with technical advisors to ensure that technical assistance and short-term technical assistance (STTA) travel is coordinated and well-aligned with program needs and in compliance with established procedures.

Financial support:

• Work collaboratively with finance staff and country teams to prepare project budgets, review and monitor spending, and submit financial reports to donors.
• Monitor partner spending and issues and work with country/project team to resolve them.

Communication:

• Maintain regular communications with and provide continuous program and management support to country teams in the assigned country programs.
• Support countries in knowledge sharing efforts, including adapting guidance, developing knowledge products using templates and other tools provided by the KM and communications teams, and sending knowledge products developed by country programs to the KM team for internal dissemination.

Business Development:

• Contribute to Pathfinder’s proposals, as needed, including responses to competitive bids. Inputs into program designs, staffing plans, workplan and budget alignment, adherence to donor and RFA guidelines, as appropriate, and other tasks as assigned.

Compliance Support:

• Support country team to develop Compliance monitoring plans and track activities, in alignment with all donor and Pathfinder policies, rules, and regulations.

Required Education and Work Experience:

• Master’s degree in management, public health, business, marketing, social science or related discipline and
• 4 years’ experience in working in international development, preferably in implementing programs in developing countries.
• Experience in project design
• Experience living or working in developing countries that aids in understanding of program context, field realities, and technical needs.

Preferred Competence and Work Experience:

• Country Specific Public Health System: Basic understanding of the countries’ public health systems.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Good level of knowledge of contraception and reproductive health principles and rights, practices, and services, including program strategies and indicators, and the latest developments in the field.
• Climate Change and Health: Solid understanding of the effects of climate change on health, including access to SRH services, and climate change effects on the functioning of health systems.
• Program Operations and Development: Intermediate skills in implementing and managing global health program operations in the developing world.
• Proposal Development: Intermediate skills in project management-related tasks within proposal development from concept to full proposal.
• Leadership: Demonstrated skills as a leader in program or project management as part of health and health service delivery strengthening in developing countries.
• Program and Project Planning and Management: Intermediate skills in program and project management and planning to fulfill performance objectives, including the timely implementation and reporting of donor-funded program activities.
• Operations and Financial Management: Basic knowledge of operations and financial management in developing countries.
• Change Leadership: Ability to demonstrate a high degree of flexibility in managing change across a broad group of stakeholders in an inclusive manner.
• Presentation Skills: Ability to make presentations on results/products to diverse stakeholders.
• Community Relations: Intermediate skills in facilitating working relationships between project teams, donors, partners, government officials, and communities.
• Monitoring, evaluation, research and learning: Basic skills and practice in MEL to inform program performance against expected deliverables.

Other Information:

Technology to be Used:

• Uses cellular and office phone, laptop, or desktop computer.

Travel Requirements:

• Travel required (30% or less)

Application procedure / How to apply:

• Interested applicants are requested to include the contact details for at least 3 references in their resume.
• Please submit your application via this website no later than October 27th, 2023.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals With Disabilities

Pathfinder International provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Safeguarding and Protection

Pathfinder is committed to the safeguarding and protection of the people we serve and our staff. We have zero tolerance for any type of behavior that inflicts harm on children, young people, adults, our staff, and partners including sexual abuse, harassment, bullying, and exploitation. We do everything possible to ensure that we recruit only those who are suitable to work with for us and expect that everyone we hire will abide by our safeguarding and related policies and will report any suspected or known violations. This job is subject to a range of vetting checks as legally permitted in the country where they are being hired. By applying, the job applicant acknowledges they understand our intent to verify suitability to work with us.