Senior Manager, Humanitarian Programs

Sesame Workshop is seeking a passionate and committed Senior Manager, Humanitarian Programs. This position is based in New York, NY and will focus on supporting Sesame Workshop’s Play to Learn project, a groundbreaking, large-scale early childhood development program that leverages the power of learning through play to achieve measurable outcomes for children and caregivers affected by the Rohingya and Syrian refugee crises.

Within the Play to Learn project, Sesame Workshop is piloting the distribution and integration of a library of global content into 3 new crisis and conflict-affected geographies to learn more about media-enhanced early childhood interventions. The right candidate will be a highly organized and self-directed strategic thinker, with relevant experience coordinating many deliverables across large, distributed teams within a complex donor-funded project.

Responsibilities Include:

• Manage the successful design, rollout, implementation, and oversight of at least four pilot direct service interventions in crisis and conflict-affected geographies. Lead and oversee day-to-day project management across external partners, country teams, and internal technical leads, including managing work planning, budgeting, contracting, logistics, funder approvals, internal and donor reporting, etc.
• Manage knowledge sharing and asset creation for internal and external storytelling about piloting process, successes, and learnings, including crafting content on lessons learned for blog posts, events, media, donor reporting, case studies, or webinars.
• Document and develop a repository of tools used for global content piloting and prototyping process. In collaboration with Sesame Workshop Project Management teams, establish a standard process for global content piloting and monitoring.
• Oversee development of content storage and distribution strategy for low connectivity contexts, including liaising with internal and external digital, technology, and marketing teams.
• Represent the Play to Learn project and Sesame Workshop content offerings to a wide variety of stakeholders, including partners, donors, and the general public.
• Liaise across Sesame Workshop Production, Education, Research, and Philanthropic Development teams to document the reach and impact of our global content library. Support in expanding the reach of global content by pursuing strategic partnerships with new implementing partners, donors, government ministries, broadcasters, etc.
• Support standardization of tools and processes developed in Play to Learn to support new and emerging program opportunities.

Qualifications:

Required

• 5+ years of experience as a Project Manager or similar role related to international development, project management, education, mass media, and/or humanitarian response
• Bachelor’s degree in Development, Education, International Affairs, Business, or relevant field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Deep understanding of piloting and prototyping processes, the humanitarian sector, education in emergencies, and/or children’s education and media
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to aggregate and synthesize complex topics into concise, persuasive, and credible communications
• A successful track record in relationship management, with a demonstrated ability to foster effective relationships and collaborate internally and externally across all organizational levels and across multi-cultural teams
• Superior organizational skills, including keen attention to detail and the ability to manage time effectively, track and follow-up on various tasks, and multi-task across competing priorities
• Demonstrated ability to problem-solve and prioritize across tactical and strategic activities, and clearly communicate priorities and deadlines
• Prior experience in a fast-paced highly collaborative organization, with demonstrated ability to work calmly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent computer skills, including MS Office, file transfer and sharing technology, and web-based communication and call tools
• Demonstrated ability to create, develop, and deliver clear and compelling storytelling assets via graphics, talking points, written assets, or PowerPoint presentations

Desirable

• Experience living or working in humanitarian settings
• Familiarity with the use of technology in the delivery of programs in crisis and conflict settings, ideally familiarity with EdTech principles
• Familiarity with InDesign and/or Adobe Illustrator
• Experience in broadcasting and/or media production
• Knowledge of one or more foreign languages, particularly with direct project relevance

SI Department Overview:

Sesame Workshop’s International Social Impact Department (ISI) develops and implements Sesame’s powerful initiatives to serve children and families around the world, in both development and crisis contexts, and builds strong partnerships and coalitions to maximize reach and impact. Building upon the familiarity and appeal of the trusted, beloved Sesame Street characters – and their global counterparts – we create and disseminate unique educational resources and tools for families most in need. Sesame’s research-driven initiatives reach many children who would otherwise have little or no access to early childhood education and support all aspects of children’s development – including foundational skills, healthy habits, safety and protection, and positive relationships with caregivers. We reach and engage children and the important adults in their families and communities using multiple media platforms and partner strategically to provide direct services in both development and crisis contexts using innovative strategies – from television and radio to digital media, mobile technologies, books, E-books, magazines, classroom materials, teacher/provider training, social media, and more.

About Sesame Workshop:

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder since 1969. Today Sesame Workshop is a global educational force for change, with a mission to impact the world’s most vulnerable children. In more than 150 countries, we are serving kids through a wide range of media and philanthropically funded social impact programs, all grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. Sesame is a beloved household name in dozens of languages, and it means learning – and fun – in all of them. For more information, please visit sesameworkshop.org.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Minorities/Females/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity