Program Officer – Korea

Job Summary:

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:

Excellence– We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom– We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect– We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork– We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency– We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability– We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

S/he monitors program progress and ensures the achievement of key benchmarks, including funder required indicators. S/he monitors political developments on the Korean peninsula and business development opportunities; develops program ideas based on analysis; and drafts proposals on a range of democracy assistance programs. S/he identifies and develops partnerships and resources that strengthen the portfolio, managing the procurement process with partners.

The PO reports to the Program Manager (PM) and supervises associate-level staff. This position will be based with the program team in Washington, DC.

Position Requirements:

· Degree in political science, international relations, Korean studies, global development or other relevant field of study (undergraduate degree required; graduate degree preferred)

· 3 – 5 years of professional experience in program management, preferably in the field of democracy and governance

· Demonstrated experience working with US Government funded projects and familiarity with USG regulations and processes preferred

· Experience in basic accounting necessary to draft and oversee budgets

· Experience with an international non-profit organization preferred

· Demonstrated people management experience including ability to coordinate and lead the efforts of other professionals to effectively meet program goals and requirements

· Working knowledge of the history, politics and culture of North and South Korea

· Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills

· Ability to travel

· Korean-language proficiency (written and oral) preferred, but not required

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

· Oversees implementation of US government grants and associated activities, with oversight and direction from Program Manager

· Develops detailed workplans to meet program objectives and regularly reviews workplans to anticipate potential problems, troubleshoot and offer solutions

· Supervises work of assigned staff, providing continued guidance to ensure high level of performance

· Leads the drafting of new concepts and proposals

· Cultivates and maintains relationships with key IRI program stakeholders and political influencers, representing IRI at external events

· Drafts and/or reviews quarterly, semi-annual and final funder reports

· Develops monitoring and evaluation related plans and data collections tools for IRI and local partners’ project results, ensuring alignment with funder requested indicators

· Maintains and understanding of funder and IRI policies and procedures related to grant compliance and oversight, including financial requirements

· Monitors and ensures proper tracking of budgets and program expenditures to ensure IRI projects remain within budget allocations

· Oversees procurement processing and implementation of resulting contracts and subawards

· Travels as needed for program oversight and implementation; if an immediate need arises deploys on short- to medium-term service in the field to maintain continuity of the program

· Other duties as assigned