BRAC USA Job Vacancy: Program Manager, Education - New York, United States

BRAC USA
Program Manager, Education

Position DescriptionBRAC, the largest non-profit in the developing world, was launched in Bangladesh in 1972 and today reaches more than 135 million people in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean through its programs that address poverty by providing micro-loans, self-employment opportunities, health services, education and legal and human rights services. BRAC USA, founded in 2006, raises awareness and funds, makes grants, and provides strategic and program services to support BRAC’s global expansion and influence the work of development organizations around the world.

BRAC’s vision is to improve the health, wealth and well being of millions of the poorest families primarily in Asia and Africa. BRAC’s work gives people a chance to transform their lives through wider opportunities. BRAC invests in training and building human capacity in each country where we work. We organize the most vulnerable, particularly poor women, for their own self-empowerment, rights, protection, work and collective voice, enabling them to fully develop themselves and contribute to their communities.

Position Description

BRAC USA seeks a highly motivated and entrepreneurial candidate to help grow the capacity of our organization, mobilize significant resources and advance BRAC’s mission. We are looking for an agile thinker who is a fast learner, intellectually curious and unusually creative with strong work experience in the developing world and a commitment to social justice. The candidate should also appreciate and understand diverse perspectives and have the skills to seamlessly bridge different “worlds” (private and public sectors, developed and developing countries).

The Program Manager will report directly to the Vice President and will work as an integral part of a small and highly effective team. The Program Manager will be responsible for implementation and execution of the team’s strategic and program services, public education and grant making strategies related to education. S/he will be a responsible for a specific portfolio of program work that involves formal and information education from early childhood through higher education. Among others, s/he would be the principal steward for LEGO Foundation Play Lab Project and the liaison for BRAC to the Coalition to Harness Resources to Advance Girls Education (CHARGE) facilitated by the Brookings Institution Center for Universal Education.

The education program may be integrated with microfinance, livelihood development, social enterprise, health, and human rights and legal services, and have a special focus on women and girls. S/he will cultivate and manage key relationships, develop programs, proposals and fundraising strategies, carry out due diligence on new grants and investments, monitor and track implementation, prepare program reports, contribute content to the communications program, represent BRAC at public functions, maintain internal systems, and help to liaise with the Board of Directors, Advisory Council and BRAC counterparts globally.

More detailed responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Strategic and Program Services & Grant Making:

• Drive BRAC USA’s resource mobilization efforts through developing a strong understanding of BRAC’s programs worldwide and researching new opportunities 
• Work with BRAC’s country teams to map program priorities, support the design of new programs and link these to the funding pipeline. Provide critical support to BRAC country staff in resolving complex organizational, program-related and financial issues.
• Conduct quick and timely donor research to identify potential donors for projects in funding pipeline and develop strategies to approach these donors
• Develop grant proposals and budgets in coordination with BRAC’s country teams - he program manager must work closely with program staff in field offices to develop proposals and budgets that are submitted to prospective donors.
• In addition to mobilizing grant resources, the Program Manager will work with BRAC staff to identify the debt funding needed to capitalize the microfinance programs. This involves building and refining financial projections and working closely with funders to structure debt transactions.
• Create and refine periodic reports to share with donors and investors. The reports, prepared in coordination with BRAC country staff, will highlight the progress made in implementing the specific program, narrate the impact achieved and provide an update on financial performance.

Public Education & Fundraising:

• Manage relationships with investors, funders, prospects, strategic partners, potential partners and affiliated BRAC entities in the global group to advance BRAC’s mission. 
• Represent BRAC as a spokesperson at important public events, conferences & meetings. 
• Assist in developing, representing and maintaining the company's external image and contribute content for website, blog and external campaigns, themes, programs, communications and marketing materials.
• Research and develop new funding prospects for BRAC programs around the world and maintain development database files.
• Ensure accurate and timely internal financial reporting, adherence to appropriate internal controls and stewardship practices.
• Effectively manage and motivate program associates, interns and volunteers as needed.

Qualifications
The candidate for Program Manager should have a deep and long-standing commitment towards social change, a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and excellent financial, analytical and management skills. An ideal candidate will have a combination of private sector and non-profit experience and a track-record of excellence in both fields. 

Additionally they will have the following attributes:

• Master’s Degree in International Education or related field in International Development. Additional coursework and specialization in education in Asia and Africa, research and evaluation would be considered favorably. 
• A minimum of 5-7 years work experience is necessary and some prior work in developing countries is required. At least two years work experience in a developing country context is preferred. Prior experience working with BRAC or similar south-based development organizations would be ideal. Candidates with experience in education in Africa and Asia would be treated favorably.
• Candidates with demonstrated experience in fundraising in the international development sector are strongly preferred. 
• Experience desired in developing non-profit program budgets, business plans, building financial models and doing sensitivity analyses. Overall, the candidate should have exceptional analytical skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and editing skills are desired along with an ability to break down complex arguments and present them in a clear and succinct manner to donors, partners and other stakeholders.
• Robust technology skills required, including strong command over Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Google applications. The candidate should also have some basic skills in database management, preferably Salesforce.
• Easily integrate into BRAC’s work culture and the ability to work respectfully with other team members in the US and in BRAC offices around the world.
• Foreign language skills a plus, especially of languages spoken in any one of the 11 BRAC countries.

Location: New York, NY with frequent international travel, up to 40-50% time, to any of the countries where BRAC operates in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean as needed. As of 2015, these countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Haiti, Liberia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and CV to jobs@bracusa.org.

Closing Date: 13 Jan 2015

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